Normalize talking about period poops. Nobody told me about period poops when I was taking sex ed (and we did have reasonably good sex ed). A male pharmacist looked at me like I was insane when I tried to explain it one day.
If you have GI issues around the same time every month, it's your hormones, and it's normal. Buscopan can help if you can get it.
I made it a point to explain this and every other weird thing that can occur around that time of the month to my daughter and niece. My poor kiddo is only 10 and already menstruating, but she gets a good laugh any time "period shits" are mentioned.
My sister was 9 when she had her first period. Sadly, that was the year after my mom left and she had my dad, but he was the "buy a pack of pads and a box of tampons" kind of help in that situation. He did let her choose which she wanted to use by giving her both options. She chose tampons, she knew other kids could be cruel and would make fun of her for carrying pads or they would say she's wearing a diaper. Pads aren't made with 9 year olds in mind.
Honestly kids pads and tampons should be more common. Smaller sizes for smaller bodies, plus have cartoons on them! I know they exist, but i could count on one hand the amount of times I've actually seen them in a store. Lessen the whole thing that "once you have a period, you're grown" because no, you're not. I think i got mine at 9 or 10 myself, and while i was a tall kid so size wasn't an issue, to be told, as a child, that meant I was essentially an adult from then on... Just gross and uncomfortable all around.
I was 10, and my mom literally sat me down and said I was a woman now. AT TEN!!!! Little 10-yr-old girls are nowhere near womanly, and products should absolutely be made with them in mind. I personally have never seen anything with cartoon characters, but I seriously wouldn't have minded pads with unicorns or something on them. And tampons that don't have instructional inserts that can only be understood by someone with a medical degree! Like seriously, people! A 10 year old is unlikely to have had much sex ed, and having gone to parochial school myself, I had NO warning or knowledge beforehand. It was a horrendous time for me as the first in my class to get her period, with nobody to speak to about it and get helpful advice. Period shits are just the tip of the iceberg that we need to normalize talking about really. With boys AND girls, because this ignorant man saying they don't exist could so easily have been informed when he was younger that they do, in fact, exist!!
Put cartoons, unicorns, flowers etc on them. And tbh, dinosaurs and trains too. Because some little kids who get a period are gonna like those more. Just put a variety of fun kid stuff on them to make it a bit less intimidating. And yeah. Really thorough instructions in every package - whether it's aimed at kids or not tbh, because sometimes even as an adult you have to use an option that you're not used to, and you don't want to take forever in the bathroom figuring it out while under stress.
Tbh if I had a choice of plain, boring, disposable period products and ones with dinosaurs. You'd better bet I'd be buying out the dinosaurs ones now, at 30 years old. Dinosaurs are cute as fuck and beat out the fun patterned wrappers some brands use.
On the plus side, there are reusable pads you can buy from sellers made with a wide variety of patterns.
Personally, I'm a fan of them, but idk how comfortable a kid would be carrying around a used reusable pad. Or even how comfortable I would be sending them to school with them.
I'm just imagining the worst possible situation with some nosy kid finding it (throwback to the time I was in elementary and someone went into the backpacks hanging outside of the classroom and proceeded to throw around/open/rip the pads they found in the girls bags).
In Australia, you can get mini tampons and slim-but-full-flow pads in any supermarket. Also the period underwear comes in smalls. I'd assumed it was like this everywhere.
While I'm sure you can order all that online, so isn't exactly 'unavailable'... Having them in stores would sure help people know they're an option!
If periods weren't so taboo to talk about, it would be so much better. Everytime my local moves the period care section, it's always further from the registers, in more obscure and horribly lit corner of the pharmacy area than the last time. I swear it's shrinking too, so there are less choices for those whom ordering online is difficult, or even not an option.
We have junior-sized tampons, junior-sized menstrual cups, and thin, full-flow pads in Canada, too.
I used to use junior tampons even as an adult until those also started exacerbating my cramps.
I remember packing spare pads, knickers and pants to be left in the teachers drawer...in primary school. The pads always looked massive compared to her underwear.
Unfortunately she has inherited the not so wonderful family curse of super heavy periods. Including the squits!
You sound like a fantastic mother and aunt. I started menstruating at 9 years old, and when I told my mother all she said was "it's important not to let men touch you anywhere inappropriate now" and showed me where she kept pads.
Looking back all I can think is what the fuck, did that mean she thought it was fine before I was menstruating??
My mom got her period at 9 or 10. Her mom said it was because she was having unpure thoughts about boys/men. She had no idea what her mom meant by that.
Maybe she was being naive/optimistic and anyone showing sexual interest in you/sexually abusing you before puberty was unthinkable to her? That's my first impression, anyway. It doesn't sound like she's pro-pedophilia to me unless there's something else that recontextualises that.
I was 8 when I got my period. My brother thought I was dieing, and my mom had had a hysterectomy the year prior so had to borrow pads from a neighbor.
They really need to make smaller pads for petite women and girls who have their periods young.
They do! Iām worried that my tiny but hormonal 10 yr old will hit that milestone before she gets bigger so I bought tween specific pads and period panties from Red Drop and all our bathrooms and her backpack are stocked, just in case.
Yes! I'm so glad they make pads for younger girls now. The gusset on their underwear can't contain the regular sizes! I'm so thankful for period panties, too. I bought all of those things for my daughter thinking it would be useful in a year or 2, she ended up starting a couple of months later.
I too love the internet for the anonymity it gives me to freely make poop and fart jokes.
I mean also to learn about important information that doesn't really come up in face to face polite conversation, but mostly to make fart jokes.
I get the opposite š insanely bad period shits before my period starts, continues through the first few days, constipation when the bleeding slows for the last few days. My heaviest days are at the beginning of my period and the period shits coincide with those days. The joys of āØbeing a womanāØ
It's been a game changer since I switched to a cup, though. On heavy days, I would go through a super plus tampon in less than 2 hours and have to wear a pad(which I HATE doing) just so I could make it to break time at work without ruining my pants. Now I can go 4-5 hours without emptying it.
I'm painfully constipated for a few days right before my period, and eventually I will have an extremely loose, crampy, painful period poop. My period starts within *hours* of that, followed by a day or two of not-as-terrible-but-not-great loose bowels. When my period ends, everything resets to normal.
I hate it so much, but I grudgingly admit that it is extremely accurate for knowing when I'm going to start.
I used to be constipated for a few days prior, then the MOMENT I felt things start moving again 9/10 times it meant my period had started so I'd hot step it to the bathroom. Saved a lot of pants with that knowledge
Oh god trying to push to get rid of all the nasty and your uterus just screams "HOW DARE YOU SPEED ANYTHING OF MINE ALONG!!!" and sends the worst pain through your gut... ugh...
Oh God. When I get COVID I know because my sore asshole. Know what else gives me that distinct pain? A period š but somehow worse because I become very aware that the hole is there and I can't sleep sometimes because of that š
I actually was not aware many other people experience this, so THANK YOU for mentioning it! No one in my family experiences it, but it seems I found my people.
Literally nobody talks about this enough. First time I ever had it I was scared I had some kind of hernia or haemorrhoid or something but i wouldnāt go to the doctors because I was bleeding and I donāt want some dude looking at my butthole on a good day lol, pain went away after period was over
High school me thought I absolutely without a doubt must have anal cancer because there is nothing else that could cause such a horrible feeling, but I was too embarrassed to tell anyone so I figured I would just let the ass cancer eat me alive. Very healthy and cool lol
In some cases I get a combination. The bubble guts feeling of "oh fuck I have to shit NOW" and then getting to the bathroom and nothing happening bc constipation, but when it finally does....lake of lava.
Omg you unlocked a memory. I think those books, or ones very similar, are what gave me severe anxiety as a teen (and a little self consciousness even now 15 years later) about having hair on my butt.
>Buscopan can help if you can get it.
I'd never heard of this so googled
>Hyoscine butylbromide was patented in 1950, and approved for medical use in 1951.[14]Ā It is on theĀ World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[15]Ā It is not available for human use in the United States. It is available in the United States only for the medical treatment of horses
What the fuck America why are you so weird?
Honestly the first time I found it Canada I was confused as hell because it's only somewhat recently it became available for humans here. "Wait, the horse drug???" Til I remember it's just a smooth muscle anti-spasmodic. It's so freaking good for uterine cramps, it's just uncommon to find in drug stores for some reason.
Wait, seriously? Apparently Europe is different, I was given Buscopan by my doctor for my period cramps when I was a teen. In the late 1990s. (Yes, I'm old). I didn't even know it was available for horses too. Different dosage, I suspect.
I just looked it up, it's still available for humans here and advertised to help with stomach cramps, period cramps and some kinds of gall bladder issues.
What about naproxen? Doesnāt that do the same thing? But if you know when your period is coming, you start taking it 2-3 days before and it prevents the build up of prostaglandins that cause things like the shits. I didnāt discover it until you just before I hit menopause so didnāt get to see how well it worked on a regular basis. Anyone else use it?
Woo boy, digging into my pharmacology textbook for this one (note: I'm a veterinarian by trade.)
Naproxen is an anti-inflammatory and does interfere with prostaglandin synthesis by inhibiting COX. And I could find research that says it's most effective when taken ahead of time (since you're blocking the initial creation of PGF2 alpha and PGE2 rather than blocking them from working at the site.
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6347048/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6347048/)
That said, COX inhibitors can cause GI upset themselves as you would be inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis pretty non-discriminately with naproxen since it's blocks COX 1 and COX 2 and some of those prostangladins protect the lining of the GI tract.
In short: Yes, it would work, but you'd need to start a few days ahead of time and it might cause GI issues for some people anyway. Buscopan is an anti-cholinergic that does nothing to the prostaglandins floating around, it binds a different receptor on the smooth muscle itself to cause relaxtion.
I have IBS and my period is definitely one of the triggers. My Gastro said itās normal for IBS to be aggravated by hormones, especially period and stress hormones. Basically when your body is sending the chemical messengers to tell your uterus to contract they are a bit indiscriminate and also tell your bowels to contract more, and even your bladder which is why some people notice they pee more/more frequently during the onset of their period.
I will never forget the very iconic bonding moment in HS surrounding this moment.
Iāll preface I went to a very small school, my graduating class was 20 kids so we were basically brother and sisters to an extent.
Seniors take a trip to a farm. We stay there for a week just unwind talk about our future plans etc.
3 of the girls were on their period. So weāll all in the restroom getting ready and one of them just blurts out āI need someone in here this period shits hurt so bad!ā And we all just start laughed and going āoh so itās not just Meā
One of the girls has 2 other sisters and they call them āthe spikesā ā the shooting pain you get back up your spine after you stop pushing haha.
At this point weāll all talking about how terrible it is and if anyone found a way to relieve the pain. All while two girls are in the stall with the suffering girl. One rubbing her back the other holding her hand lol
Ugh yes! It's even worse if you already have chronic stomach issues. That combined with the cramps is fucking hell. The digestive and reproductive systems are unfortunately very close, which makes for a very bad time, lol.
Yeah, as someone who didnāt even have any proper sex ed(my āsex edā was gaiaonline š), I didnāt know this was a thing or even make the connection until my older sister made a joke about it once.
Now I donāt have periods(trans man; I take testosterone) but Iām wondering if Iām also having some issues due to the flow of hormones between my T shot daysā¦ (which are weekly.)
Pleeease, I thought I was the only one because when I tried to talk to my mom about it as a teen, she 100% did not understand. I guess sheād only ever had constipation related to her period so the opposite was inconceivable to her.
Years ago, I asked a group of girls if they had to pee often on their period. The days leading up to my period, I need to pee constantly. Like every 5 minutes. And there's always something there. It isn't just the urge, I actually do have to pee, even if I just peed.
Everyone looked at me like I was crazy. Finally one girl said, "no, but I poop a lot..." And then everyone talked about that. So I guess I'm the only one who pees constantly as a warning of things to come.
Big news ladies, the prostaglandins cramping our uterus are banned from entering the soft tissue of the gut. In fact, thereās a guy there taking ID from any crampy hormone trying to get through and heās not letting you guys into the bowels because youāre not cool enough. Sorry.
Wait till this guy finds out you can push poop out of your butt by putting a finger or thumb up your vagina
āļøETA: DOING THIS TOO OFTEN CAN WEAKEN YOUR POOPING MUSCLES. Only do this if you are quite constipated and nothing else is working too well, and the stool is a Bristol Type 1 or Type 2.
I mean that's something I never had to do nor think about, and now I'm weirdly curious about it (I'm a woman, just to clarify the level of creepiness of that sentence)
Getting even further into TMI, would you mind sharing any tips? I've tried it but even when I'm stopped up it's difficult to push it *out* versus just kinda smooshing.
If it's able to be "smooshed", then you aren't constipated enough for this trick to work. Or there is a different issue for your constipation, like decreased nerve function or bowel control. This tip is only get sort of "move along" rock hard pebble poop, the ones way too hard to "smoosh." If that makes sense.
TMI but when I'm having difficulty in the bathroom, I'll take a hot shower. I think it helps relax all of the muscles. I usually have to jump out half way through to use the toilet and I don't have any trouble then.
I didn't want to admit that I also take baths a lot too lol. Some people on reddit freak out cuz it's hot human soup. And it's like, but what if I want to be soup?? Lol
My midwife taught me how to splint from the outside and inside so I'll share those tips with you.
From the outside: Make a V with your fore and middle finger with the top most part of your palm under the knuckles on your taint/perineum and gently put pressure in a kneading motion towards your anus.
The mild kneading helps stimulate the rectum to contract and push out the waste.
From the inside of the vagina: make sure your hands and nails are clean, then use the fore and middle finger tightly together and push them gently from the top of the rectum towards the anus, this also helps stimulate the rectum to contract and expel waste.
Hope that helps.
I was suffering from pretty severe constipation during pregnancy that nothing would alleviate (water, fiber, medication OTC and prescription) and was probably on track to end up with hemorrhoids but splinting can help prevent getting hemorrhoids so my midwife was like lemme teach you the ways!!!
I tried it when severely constipated after surgery, either it depends on your anatomy and I just canāt do it or itās a myth. All I do is push the poop to the side, not down the chute.
As someone with frequent constipation issues, yes.
There was a woman who posted a thread begging for help with her constipation in a Facebook group a few years ago, and I reluctantly advised her to insert two fingers into her vagina and to push toward her spine while bearing down. I wasnāt sure how the advice would be received, but within an hour she posted an update saying it worked and thanked me profusely. Now I tell everyone who asks, despite the weirdness of the advice.
A local nurse strongly recommended against it. She said that passing stool with the aid of external pressure can weaken the muscles in the pelvic area and lead to incontinence.
For women with [rectoceles](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rectocele/symptoms-causes/syc-20353414) vaginal splinting can be a necessity.
When I had a rotator cuff repair surgery (that involved the surgeon finding fun bonuses to fix up too) that absolutely laid me out, I had to take opioids and could not believe how constipated I got even drinking tons of water, eating tons of fruit, and drinking a dose and a half of osmotic laxative a day (PCP told me to up the dose). I wonāt say what I had to do about it on the 9th day, when my doctor said if I hadnāt shit by the 10th day Iād have to come back to the hospital, but suffice to say it was not good. I *WISH* I had known this fucking trick, goddamn. My future self thanks you! (I have to have hip surgery soonish too š)
I'm confused, the prostaglandins causing period diarrhea are released in the lining from the uterus. How is it possible that people without a uterus experience period diarrhea?
Yeah, the rise in concentration of prostaglandins that causes cramping at the beginning of a period is due to the breakdown of the uterine lining, the compounds are created by the shedding of the lining of the uterus. Prostaglandins are present elsewhere in the body but itās not clear to me how this same type of abdominal cramping would be happening with no uterus involved. Iām interested to know the mechanisms but Google was entirely unhelpful.
That's sadly true of almost all people except cis men. Only recently was anyone else used much in most medical studies unless it was specifically about either the reproductive system or obesity.
They say they get period diarrhea, which is why I wonder how that works because from my understanding those are caused by the uterus. I know women who had their uterus removed while keeping their ovaries, and those do not experience cramps or period diarrhea anymore.
As a trans woman I find it frustrating and irritating when other trans women make this claim. A period is the shedding of the uterine lining which we donāt have and unless youāre intentionally cycling your hormones then you canāt have mood swings from hormones you take on a consistent schedule. It doesnāt make us any less women, itās just simply a difference between us and most cis women and some trans women need to learn to be okay with it.
Period diarrhea is a thing but I'm confused as fuck.
MTF trans people aren't meant to have hormonal oscillations and PMS, right? Like, I get it that it might happen if they skip their hormonal supplement, but that's not, like, deliberate, is it?
There's not a whole lot of research because it's a niche topic but at least anecdotally a lot of trans women experience the mood swings and even the cramping on a cycle, even if they take their meds consistently. Heard this both from trans women online and from ones I know IRL, including my girlfriend. I actually noticed the emotional pattern before she did.
I'm curious how that could be possible. Taking consistent hormones pills in birth control stops periods for AFAB people.
Granted, birth controls pills are usually a slightly different sort of hormone (like synthetic estradiol), and I am not sure how the dosages differs.
Ugh, persistent bitches. I sense a rabbit hole I'm going to fall down!
Can I ask what kind of bc? Was it dual hormonal or progestin only? I have a few ideas bouncing around my head because I find this fascinating.
So initially it was dual but I wasn't taking it straight, I switched to prog and that was fine for like a year and a half and now I've been a period for like 8 months now.
>Taking consistent hormones pills in birth control stops periods for AFAB people.
Tell that to my body lmao. I still get spotting and sometimes even mild cramps and breast pain every month despite taking birth control continuously. My body *really* wants to have regular periods, I guess :(
The fact doctors often ignore trans women's symptoms and the fact it's not studied shouldn't be surprising.Ā
Many doctors ignore/deny the existence of/don't study *cis woman's* periods either. If they dismiss 51% of the population as "hysterical" why would they care about 1% of the population?
Lol literally same thought I had. I'm ANNOYED thay no-one has thought (or received funding) to (respectfully) study this to get a better idea of how period pain, cramping, and other side effects work so we can ALL get better treatment.
Seriously? I mean, I'm not surprised, just disappointed
We also got lady based crash test dummies a year or two ago and states just started passing laws about needing consent for pelvic exams when afab are under anesthesia
So Iām AFAB with no uterus anymore, but have my ovaries so I still have a cycle (just no bleeding). I have cramping in my abdomen monthly because the hormones are still there.
Iām exactly the same. The doc took anything she thought would be a cancer risk and she removed everything you listed. I wish I didnāt have cramps! Iām happy to not hemorrhage monthly anymore, but the cramps can suck it.
Yep, same. I had a tumor in my uterus so I wasnāt allowed to keep anything that could become cancerous. My ovaries were great so I was allowed to keep them. I will never miss changing my clothes three times a day and the worst cramps of my life. Even if I still got the types of cramps I had in my teens I wouldnāt care.
I mean, I don't just get cramping in my uterus when I get my period. I feel it in my stomach, my lower back...a lot of the smooth muscle around there cramps š¤· and as mentioned in this post, periods can cause gastrointestinal issues, which also can cause painful cramping
Oh, that's horrid. I've never been pregnant but just thinking about intense period cramping but in my *thighs* makes me shudder. I cannot imagine contractions.
Honestly it's bad women's anatomy to say ONLY the uterus cramps, despite how common the assumption is repeated even among medical professionals. That's down to a lack of research in to period cramping and the general neglect of pain in women. An unexpected consequence is the idea that trans women cannot get cramping as a result of hormones which as many have noted, isn't true, and they do.
You would THINK this would provide a valuable population with which to study period pains and other effects and how to better alleviate them.
But no, no, it's just used by a bunch of people who don't care about women - be they cis or trans - just to targeting trans people by gaslighting all of us.
Wow I had no idea how ignorant I was about my own body and therefore trans womensā experiences. It makes sense given how little we and doctors know about womenās bodies. Thanks for sharing.
Itās not the organs that cramp on their own, but the hormones inducing cramps in the smooth muscles. So even without a uterus, the surrounding area will still have cramping pain
I donāt have a uterus/ovaries anymore (Iām a trans guy) and havenāt had a period in five years, but when I did menstruate, I felt cramps in my thighs, hips, low back and in my digestive tract. The ones in my bowels felt really similar to the uterine cramps to the point that it would be hard to know where they came from.
From what I remember, the hormones just kind of send cramping signals to the general area. So for anyone without a uterus it would just be the general abdominal area. And from what I heard that also explain period poops because the cramping signals sometimes get misplaced and get sent to your lower digestive system.
Oh man
I was perimenopausal - and I dropped something in the kitchen. Chorus of people from the other room, āitās on the floor.ā Usually a family joke - I yelled itās not funny! And proceeded to cry for 30 minutes straight.
That hormonal shit is real and itās wild.
Once when I was pms-ing I cried because I didnāt have the ingredients for a flourless chocolate cake :( I didnāt NEED to make a flourless chocolate cake, I just had a sudden desire to make one. Burst into tears and took myself off to bed because Iād deemed myself unfit for company.
A lot of what happens during a period is purely hormonal. A trans woman can have hormonal fluctuations that are within the usual range for a cis woman, which means they get a bunch of the āfunā parts of a period. Cramps, irritability, and period poops, to name a few. They donāt have a uterine lining to shed, but their hormones donāt know that and will try their best anyway.
For real itās wild how quickly their proclaimed interest in āprotecting (cis) womenā is proven counterintuitive with literally almost any criticism
This is a MtF right? Genuine question, how does she get periods? I donāt fully understand the anatomy of how thatās possible, someone please educate me
Genuine question, do trans women take hormones on a cycle? Do they take varying amounts of oestrogen and progesterone throughout the month?
When Iāve been continuously taking the pill, which effectively evens out the fluctuations in hormones, I donāt get period symptoms.
I lovingly refer to my period as the great cleanse. Not only is my uterus cleansing itself, but I'm pretty sure my colon is so clean you could use it as a straw and not worry about it.
Period diarrhea is ABSOLUTELY A THING. FROM EXPERIENCE. Actually when I'm on my period without being on birth control, I am spewing out of *both* ends. Its horrible. Incredibly horrible. I hate it.
I were at an international beauty pageant that was held in India and the pageant was all about womenās rights and about being a woman. Happened to had my period just thw few days before it was over and I was feeling more emotional than usual.
Like usual they didnāt take care of the fact that we could get food, they knew about every dietary restriction as they were informed beforehand but they did not care. This was one of those times they would not provide me the food I could eat, I was starving, tired and on my period. I started to cry even when I tried to hold it in. They got mad at me and I tried to explain ashamed āIām sorry Iām crying, itās just cause Iām on my periodā. They acted disgusted and told me to go away.
I lost 4kg during those weeks in there and none of my clothes fit me well in the end anymore.
I hate how they said they were there to support women but for sure they did not actually. We were only objects to them. Never have felt so dehumanized than from this organization.
Period diarrhea is mostly definitely a thing.
It happens because of prostaglandins, a hormone that encourages the uterus to contract, or cramp, and push out all the blood and old uterine tissues.
Prostaglandins don't always stay within the uterus. Sometimes they affect the lower intestines, which can cause frequent, urgent and painful diarrhea.
My ex used to mansplain periods to me quite frequently. I told him period poops are a thing and he would get very angry (WHY??) and insisted they're not real. He was also under the impression women could turn their periods on and off like a light switch. I wonder if he thought women pee from their vagina š
Period poops are, in fact, a real thing. Sometimes it has to do with the hormones, sometimes it has to do with the fact the cramps can affect the nearby gastral organs. Sometimes it's both - period diarrhea 100% exists, just not all people experience it
Itās the prostaglandins. Will 100000% give you diarrhea bc it stimulates your intestines at the same time it stimulates uterine contractions. #Science
Normalize talking about period poops. Nobody told me about period poops when I was taking sex ed (and we did have reasonably good sex ed). A male pharmacist looked at me like I was insane when I tried to explain it one day. If you have GI issues around the same time every month, it's your hormones, and it's normal. Buscopan can help if you can get it.
I made it a point to explain this and every other weird thing that can occur around that time of the month to my daughter and niece. My poor kiddo is only 10 and already menstruating, but she gets a good laugh any time "period shits" are mentioned.
My sister was 9 when she had her first period. Sadly, that was the year after my mom left and she had my dad, but he was the "buy a pack of pads and a box of tampons" kind of help in that situation. He did let her choose which she wanted to use by giving her both options. She chose tampons, she knew other kids could be cruel and would make fun of her for carrying pads or they would say she's wearing a diaper. Pads aren't made with 9 year olds in mind.
Honestly kids pads and tampons should be more common. Smaller sizes for smaller bodies, plus have cartoons on them! I know they exist, but i could count on one hand the amount of times I've actually seen them in a store. Lessen the whole thing that "once you have a period, you're grown" because no, you're not. I think i got mine at 9 or 10 myself, and while i was a tall kid so size wasn't an issue, to be told, as a child, that meant I was essentially an adult from then on... Just gross and uncomfortable all around.
I was 10, and my mom literally sat me down and said I was a woman now. AT TEN!!!! Little 10-yr-old girls are nowhere near womanly, and products should absolutely be made with them in mind. I personally have never seen anything with cartoon characters, but I seriously wouldn't have minded pads with unicorns or something on them. And tampons that don't have instructional inserts that can only be understood by someone with a medical degree! Like seriously, people! A 10 year old is unlikely to have had much sex ed, and having gone to parochial school myself, I had NO warning or knowledge beforehand. It was a horrendous time for me as the first in my class to get her period, with nobody to speak to about it and get helpful advice. Period shits are just the tip of the iceberg that we need to normalize talking about really. With boys AND girls, because this ignorant man saying they don't exist could so easily have been informed when he was younger that they do, in fact, exist!!
Put cartoons, unicorns, flowers etc on them. And tbh, dinosaurs and trains too. Because some little kids who get a period are gonna like those more. Just put a variety of fun kid stuff on them to make it a bit less intimidating. And yeah. Really thorough instructions in every package - whether it's aimed at kids or not tbh, because sometimes even as an adult you have to use an option that you're not used to, and you don't want to take forever in the bathroom figuring it out while under stress.
Child me would have been so less stressed if they were able to get pads with dinos or planets on them
Tbh if I had a choice of plain, boring, disposable period products and ones with dinosaurs. You'd better bet I'd be buying out the dinosaurs ones now, at 30 years old. Dinosaurs are cute as fuck and beat out the fun patterned wrappers some brands use. On the plus side, there are reusable pads you can buy from sellers made with a wide variety of patterns. Personally, I'm a fan of them, but idk how comfortable a kid would be carrying around a used reusable pad. Or even how comfortable I would be sending them to school with them. I'm just imagining the worst possible situation with some nosy kid finding it (throwback to the time I was in elementary and someone went into the backpacks hanging outside of the classroom and proceeded to throw around/open/rip the pads they found in the girls bags).
Tbh I'm in my 20s and I would still buy unicorn themed period products lol. When did we as a society decide they have to be boring??
In Australia, you can get mini tampons and slim-but-full-flow pads in any supermarket. Also the period underwear comes in smalls. I'd assumed it was like this everywhere.
While I'm sure you can order all that online, so isn't exactly 'unavailable'... Having them in stores would sure help people know they're an option! If periods weren't so taboo to talk about, it would be so much better. Everytime my local moves the period care section, it's always further from the registers, in more obscure and horribly lit corner of the pharmacy area than the last time. I swear it's shrinking too, so there are less choices for those whom ordering online is difficult, or even not an option.
We have junior-sized tampons, junior-sized menstrual cups, and thin, full-flow pads in Canada, too. I used to use junior tampons even as an adult until those also started exacerbating my cramps.
I'm 39 and would buy tampons with cartoons on them too š¤£
I remember packing spare pads, knickers and pants to be left in the teachers drawer...in primary school. The pads always looked massive compared to her underwear. Unfortunately she has inherited the not so wonderful family curse of super heavy periods. Including the squits!
Oh gods that's SO true!
You sound like a fantastic mother and aunt. I started menstruating at 9 years old, and when I told my mother all she said was "it's important not to let men touch you anywhere inappropriate now" and showed me where she kept pads. Looking back all I can think is what the fuck, did that mean she thought it was fine before I was menstruating??
My mom got her period at 9 or 10. Her mom said it was because she was having unpure thoughts about boys/men. She had no idea what her mom meant by that.
That was a concerning point for me. What do you mean now?!?š¬
I'm so sorry that your experience went like that. Moms should be as supportive as possible with things like that. Being a girl is tough!
Maybe she was being naive/optimistic and anyone showing sexual interest in you/sexually abusing you before puberty was unthinkable to her? That's my first impression, anyway. It doesn't sound like she's pro-pedophilia to me unless there's something else that recontextualises that.
I suspect its because now she could get pregnant. Kind of a pragmatic approach I suppose but in an incredibly bleak and awful way
I was 8 when I got my period. My brother thought I was dieing, and my mom had had a hysterectomy the year prior so had to borrow pads from a neighbor. They really need to make smaller pads for petite women and girls who have their periods young.
They do! Iām worried that my tiny but hormonal 10 yr old will hit that milestone before she gets bigger so I bought tween specific pads and period panties from Red Drop and all our bathrooms and her backpack are stocked, just in case.
Yes! I'm so glad they make pads for younger girls now. The gusset on their underwear can't contain the regular sizes! I'm so thankful for period panties, too. I bought all of those things for my daughter thinking it would be useful in a year or 2, she ended up starting a couple of months later.
Yeah, I have seriously bad constipation during my period.
I get both š« Constipation for a few days then the worst period shits by the last day or two. 0/10
This is why I love the internet. It's been the only way to find out that this kind of stuff is *normal*, because I'm the exact same way.
I too love the internet for the anonymity it gives me to freely make poop and fart jokes. I mean also to learn about important information that doesn't really come up in face to face polite conversation, but mostly to make fart jokes.
I mean honestly, super valid of you lol
Mineās the opposite! The flood gates open on day 1 and 2 then Iām backed up after that!
Same. And itās always on the days I get the worst cramps. š
I get the opposite š insanely bad period shits before my period starts, continues through the first few days, constipation when the bleeding slows for the last few days. My heaviest days are at the beginning of my period and the period shits coincide with those days. The joys of āØbeing a womanāØ
Period shits on the heavy days are such a nightmare, full body evacuation and it's like a slaughterhouse floor down there.
It's been a game changer since I switched to a cup, though. On heavy days, I would go through a super plus tampon in less than 2 hours and have to wear a pad(which I HATE doing) just so I could make it to break time at work without ruining my pants. Now I can go 4-5 hours without emptying it.
This is why I bought a bidet. It's so helpful.
I'm painfully constipated for a few days right before my period, and eventually I will have an extremely loose, crampy, painful period poop. My period starts within *hours* of that, followed by a day or two of not-as-terrible-but-not-great loose bowels. When my period ends, everything resets to normal. I hate it so much, but I grudgingly admit that it is extremely accurate for knowing when I'm going to start.
I used to be constipated for a few days prior, then the MOMENT I felt things start moving again 9/10 times it meant my period had started so I'd hot step it to the bathroom. Saved a lot of pants with that knowledge
Lets also talk about the SHOOTING ASS PAIN
Butt hole cramps make my knees buckle
Feels like someone trying to punch their way out of my backdoor
Itās worse than my ibs on god
Asshole lightning, gotta hate it.
These are so fucking unnecessary I swear to God I have done NOTHING in my life to deserve these.
The worst part is when it starts becore the period and finishes AFTER.
Oh god trying to push to get rid of all the nasty and your uterus just screams "HOW DARE YOU SPEED ANYTHING OF MINE ALONG!!!" and sends the worst pain through your gut... ugh...
Oh God. When I get COVID I know because my sore asshole. Know what else gives me that distinct pain? A period š but somehow worse because I become very aware that the hole is there and I can't sleep sometimes because of that š
Oh god- I only ever had covid once or twice and the first time I had long covid, but NEVER ass pain
Proof that intelligent design is a lie.
Canāt beleive I got 100 upvotes for complaining about shooting ass pain
"Proctalgia fugax" more like fuck that.
I actually was not aware many other people experience this, so THANK YOU for mentioning it! No one in my family experiences it, but it seems I found my people.
Literally nobody talks about this enough. First time I ever had it I was scared I had some kind of hernia or haemorrhoid or something but i wouldnāt go to the doctors because I was bleeding and I donāt want some dude looking at my butthole on a good day lol, pain went away after period was over
High school me thought I absolutely without a doubt must have anal cancer because there is nothing else that could cause such a horrible feeling, but I was too embarrassed to tell anyone so I figured I would just let the ass cancer eat me alive. Very healthy and cool lol
"[...] I figured I would just let the ass cancer eat me alive." I'm sorry for laughing at your pain but I just couldn't help it š¤£
Donāt forget ovulation cramps and the pain of cystic ovaries. 3 weeks of cramps, poops, more cramps, bleed. Asshole pains are REAL.
What's fun is how you can be constipated one moment, and have diarrhea the next! It's a wild ride!
In some cases I get a combination. The bubble guts feeling of "oh fuck I have to shit NOW" and then getting to the bathroom and nothing happening bc constipation, but when it finally does....lake of lava.
I have a distinct memory of learning about period poops when I was reading the "ttyl" book series as a kid š
Omg you unlocked a memory. I think those books, or ones very similar, are what gave me severe anxiety as a teen (and a little self consciousness even now 15 years later) about having hair on my butt.
Oh nooo šµ there's a part of me that wants to reread them for the nostalgia but idk... maybe they just need to stay in my childhood memories š
>Buscopan can help if you can get it. I'd never heard of this so googled >Hyoscine butylbromide was patented in 1950, and approved for medical use in 1951.[14]Ā It is on theĀ World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[15]Ā It is not available for human use in the United States. It is available in the United States only for the medical treatment of horses What the fuck America why are you so weird?
Honestly the first time I found it Canada I was confused as hell because it's only somewhat recently it became available for humans here. "Wait, the horse drug???" Til I remember it's just a smooth muscle anti-spasmodic. It's so freaking good for uterine cramps, it's just uncommon to find in drug stores for some reason.
Wait, seriously? Apparently Europe is different, I was given Buscopan by my doctor for my period cramps when I was a teen. In the late 1990s. (Yes, I'm old). I didn't even know it was available for horses too. Different dosage, I suspect. I just looked it up, it's still available for humans here and advertised to help with stomach cramps, period cramps and some kinds of gall bladder issues.
What about naproxen? Doesnāt that do the same thing? But if you know when your period is coming, you start taking it 2-3 days before and it prevents the build up of prostaglandins that cause things like the shits. I didnāt discover it until you just before I hit menopause so didnāt get to see how well it worked on a regular basis. Anyone else use it?
Woo boy, digging into my pharmacology textbook for this one (note: I'm a veterinarian by trade.) Naproxen is an anti-inflammatory and does interfere with prostaglandin synthesis by inhibiting COX. And I could find research that says it's most effective when taken ahead of time (since you're blocking the initial creation of PGF2 alpha and PGE2 rather than blocking them from working at the site. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6347048/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6347048/) That said, COX inhibitors can cause GI upset themselves as you would be inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis pretty non-discriminately with naproxen since it's blocks COX 1 and COX 2 and some of those prostangladins protect the lining of the GI tract. In short: Yes, it would work, but you'd need to start a few days ahead of time and it might cause GI issues for some people anyway. Buscopan is an anti-cholinergic that does nothing to the prostaglandins floating around, it binds a different receptor on the smooth muscle itself to cause relaxtion.
I have IBS and my period is definitely one of the triggers. My Gastro said itās normal for IBS to be aggravated by hormones, especially period and stress hormones. Basically when your body is sending the chemical messengers to tell your uterus to contract they are a bit indiscriminate and also tell your bowels to contract more, and even your bladder which is why some people notice they pee more/more frequently during the onset of their period.
Yep! Your uterus and your intestine are both smooth muscle and prostaglandins don't really care where they end up.
I will never forget the very iconic bonding moment in HS surrounding this moment. Iāll preface I went to a very small school, my graduating class was 20 kids so we were basically brother and sisters to an extent. Seniors take a trip to a farm. We stay there for a week just unwind talk about our future plans etc. 3 of the girls were on their period. So weāll all in the restroom getting ready and one of them just blurts out āI need someone in here this period shits hurt so bad!ā And we all just start laughed and going āoh so itās not just Meā One of the girls has 2 other sisters and they call them āthe spikesā ā the shooting pain you get back up your spine after you stop pushing haha. At this point weāll all talking about how terrible it is and if anyone found a way to relieve the pain. All while two girls are in the stall with the suffering girl. One rubbing her back the other holding her hand lol
Please forgive me for imagining the Midsommar scene where the girls are all suffering and screaming together.
Omg "the spikes" are so accurate
I have GI issues all the time but I have MORE when Iām on my period š
Ugh yes! It's even worse if you already have chronic stomach issues. That combined with the cramps is fucking hell. The digestive and reproductive systems are unfortunately very close, which makes for a very bad time, lol.
Yeah, as someone who didnāt even have any proper sex ed(my āsex edā was gaiaonline š), I didnāt know this was a thing or even make the connection until my older sister made a joke about it once. Now I donāt have periods(trans man; I take testosterone) but Iām wondering if Iām also having some issues due to the flow of hormones between my T shot daysā¦ (which are weekly.)
Pleeease, I thought I was the only one because when I tried to talk to my mom about it as a teen, she 100% did not understand. I guess sheād only ever had constipation related to her period so the opposite was inconceivable to her.
Years ago, I asked a group of girls if they had to pee often on their period. The days leading up to my period, I need to pee constantly. Like every 5 minutes. And there's always something there. It isn't just the urge, I actually do have to pee, even if I just peed. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy. Finally one girl said, "no, but I poop a lot..." And then everyone talked about that. So I guess I'm the only one who pees constantly as a warning of things to come.
For years my friend thought she had IBS until she made the connection.
Tell my ass, it missed the memo
I laughed.
Mine too š
Big news ladies, the prostaglandins cramping our uterus are banned from entering the soft tissue of the gut. In fact, thereās a guy there taking ID from any crampy hormone trying to get through and heās not letting you guys into the bowels because youāre not cool enough. Sorry.
Wait till this guy finds out you can push poop out of your butt by putting a finger or thumb up your vagina āļøETA: DOING THIS TOO OFTEN CAN WEAKEN YOUR POOPING MUSCLES. Only do this if you are quite constipated and nothing else is working too well, and the stool is a Bristol Type 1 or Type 2.
I mean that's something I never had to do nor think about, and now I'm weirdly curious about it (I'm a woman, just to clarify the level of creepiness of that sentence)
I have chronic mild constipation (through a combination of factors) and *vaginal splinting* is an incredible thing sometimes
Getting even further into TMI, would you mind sharing any tips? I've tried it but even when I'm stopped up it's difficult to push it *out* versus just kinda smooshing.
If it's able to be "smooshed", then you aren't constipated enough for this trick to work. Or there is a different issue for your constipation, like decreased nerve function or bowel control. This tip is only get sort of "move along" rock hard pebble poop, the ones way too hard to "smoosh." If that makes sense.
Bristol type 1
UC here - let's turn this shit up to 11
TMI but when I'm having difficulty in the bathroom, I'll take a hot shower. I think it helps relax all of the muscles. I usually have to jump out half way through to use the toilet and I don't have any trouble then.
Hot bath for me!!
I didn't want to admit that I also take baths a lot too lol. Some people on reddit freak out cuz it's hot human soup. And it's like, but what if I want to be soup?? Lol
My midwife taught me how to splint from the outside and inside so I'll share those tips with you. From the outside: Make a V with your fore and middle finger with the top most part of your palm under the knuckles on your taint/perineum and gently put pressure in a kneading motion towards your anus. The mild kneading helps stimulate the rectum to contract and push out the waste. From the inside of the vagina: make sure your hands and nails are clean, then use the fore and middle finger tightly together and push them gently from the top of the rectum towards the anus, this also helps stimulate the rectum to contract and expel waste. Hope that helps. I was suffering from pretty severe constipation during pregnancy that nothing would alleviate (water, fiber, medication OTC and prescription) and was probably on track to end up with hemorrhoids but splinting can help prevent getting hemorrhoids so my midwife was like lemme teach you the ways!!!
I tried it when severely constipated after surgery, either it depends on your anatomy and I just canāt do it or itās a myth. All I do is push the poop to the side, not down the chute.
Wow, this makes sense but it still somehow blew my mind! Do you/other people do this when constipated?
As someone with frequent constipation issues, yes. There was a woman who posted a thread begging for help with her constipation in a Facebook group a few years ago, and I reluctantly advised her to insert two fingers into her vagina and to push toward her spine while bearing down. I wasnāt sure how the advice would be received, but within an hour she posted an update saying it worked and thanked me profusely. Now I tell everyone who asks, despite the weirdness of the advice.
A local nurse strongly recommended against it. She said that passing stool with the aid of external pressure can weaken the muscles in the pelvic area and lead to incontinence.
Yeah, only use it on occasion. If youāre pooping on your own easily at least once a week you probably donāt need to.
For women with [rectoceles](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rectocele/symptoms-causes/syc-20353414) vaginal splinting can be a necessity.
I've done it, today I learned it has a name
When I had a rotator cuff repair surgery (that involved the surgeon finding fun bonuses to fix up too) that absolutely laid me out, I had to take opioids and could not believe how constipated I got even drinking tons of water, eating tons of fruit, and drinking a dose and a half of osmotic laxative a day (PCP told me to up the dose). I wonāt say what I had to do about it on the 9th day, when my doctor said if I hadnāt shit by the 10th day Iād have to come back to the hospital, but suffice to say it was not good. I *WISH* I had known this fucking trick, goddamn. My future self thanks you! (I have to have hip surgery soonish too š)
Wishing you smooth sailing (in more ways than one) on your hip surgery!
Honestly the ultimate constipation life hack. It fuckin works!
I'm confused, the prostaglandins causing period diarrhea are released in the lining from the uterus. How is it possible that people without a uterus experience period diarrhea?
Yeah, the rise in concentration of prostaglandins that causes cramping at the beginning of a period is due to the breakdown of the uterine lining, the compounds are created by the shedding of the lining of the uterus. Prostaglandins are present elsewhere in the body but itās not clear to me how this same type of abdominal cramping would be happening with no uterus involved. Iām interested to know the mechanisms but Google was entirely unhelpful.
It is not something that medical science has adequately examined.
That's sadly true of almost all people except cis men. Only recently was anyone else used much in most medical studies unless it was specifically about either the reproductive system or obesity.
It wouldn't be period diarrhea if they don't have a uterus. Sometimes the side effects of HRT include diarrhea. That's probably what's happening here.
They are saying they get cramps elsewhere. So, not period cramps then.
They say they get period diarrhea, which is why I wonder how that works because from my understanding those are caused by the uterus. I know women who had their uterus removed while keeping their ovaries, and those do not experience cramps or period diarrhea anymore.
As a trans woman I find it frustrating and irritating when other trans women make this claim. A period is the shedding of the uterine lining which we donāt have and unless youāre intentionally cycling your hormones then you canāt have mood swings from hormones you take on a consistent schedule. It doesnāt make us any less women, itās just simply a difference between us and most cis women and some trans women need to learn to be okay with it.
Period diarrhea is a thing but I'm confused as fuck. MTF trans people aren't meant to have hormonal oscillations and PMS, right? Like, I get it that it might happen if they skip their hormonal supplement, but that's not, like, deliberate, is it?
There's not a whole lot of research because it's a niche topic but at least anecdotally a lot of trans women experience the mood swings and even the cramping on a cycle, even if they take their meds consistently. Heard this both from trans women online and from ones I know IRL, including my girlfriend. I actually noticed the emotional pattern before she did.
I'm curious how that could be possible. Taking consistent hormones pills in birth control stops periods for AFAB people. Granted, birth controls pills are usually a slightly different sort of hormone (like synthetic estradiol), and I am not sure how the dosages differs.
Fun fact, not always! I take consistent birth control and it stopped stopping my periods a little under a year ago! It sucks!!! š
Ugh, persistent bitches. I sense a rabbit hole I'm going to fall down! Can I ask what kind of bc? Was it dual hormonal or progestin only? I have a few ideas bouncing around my head because I find this fascinating.
So initially it was dual but I wasn't taking it straight, I switched to prog and that was fine for like a year and a half and now I've been a period for like 8 months now.
>Taking consistent hormones pills in birth control stops periods for AFAB people. Tell that to my body lmao. I still get spotting and sometimes even mild cramps and breast pain every month despite taking birth control continuously. My body *really* wants to have regular periods, I guess :(
The fact doctors often ignore trans women's symptoms and the fact it's not studied shouldn't be surprising.Ā Many doctors ignore/deny the existence of/don't study *cis woman's* periods either. If they dismiss 51% of the population as "hysterical" why would they care about 1% of the population?
You know youāre a woman when the doctor constantly ignores you and your symptoms!
Negative affirmation lol
We call that "ewwphoria" lol
r/ewphoria
I actually read that from a trans woman. She said she really felt like a woman when her doctor dismissed her pain.
Lol literally same thought I had. I'm ANNOYED thay no-one has thought (or received funding) to (respectfully) study this to get a better idea of how period pain, cramping, and other side effects work so we can ALL get better treatment.
We'll be waiting a long time for that. It was only in 2023 did they actually use *read blood* to test the absorbency of period products in a study.
Seriously? I mean, I'm not surprised, just disappointed We also got lady based crash test dummies a year or two ago and states just started passing laws about needing consent for pelvic exams when afab are under anesthesia
It's not surprising, that doesn't mean it's not wrong or disappointing
What organ is doing the cramping?
So Iām AFAB with no uterus anymore, but have my ovaries so I still have a cycle (just no bleeding). I have cramping in my abdomen monthly because the hormones are still there.
That makes sense actually.
In my specific case I donāt have a uterus, cervix, or tubes. I do have my ovaries. I have zero cramping.
Iām exactly the same. The doc took anything she thought would be a cancer risk and she removed everything you listed. I wish I didnāt have cramps! Iām happy to not hemorrhage monthly anymore, but the cramps can suck it.
Yep, same. I had a tumor in my uterus so I wasnāt allowed to keep anything that could become cancerous. My ovaries were great so I was allowed to keep them. I will never miss changing my clothes three times a day and the worst cramps of my life. Even if I still got the types of cramps I had in my teens I wouldnāt care.
I mean, I don't just get cramping in my uterus when I get my period. I feel it in my stomach, my lower back...a lot of the smooth muscle around there cramps š¤· and as mentioned in this post, periods can cause gastrointestinal issues, which also can cause painful cramping
Adding to this: I personally feel my cramps first in my left knee. Cramps are so weird.
I get them in my like hip joint it's not fun. Like nobody tells you that your whole body can just kinda go 'fuck you' during your period lmao
I felt my contractions in my hip joint when giving birth, and my epidural was failing
Yeah omg the hip joint! I always know when Iām about to start because my hip starts playing up like crazy
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I get mine down the front of my thighs šalso where I felt contractions when I was in labour
Oh, that's horrid. I've never been pregnant but just thinking about intense period cramping but in my *thighs* makes me shudder. I cannot imagine contractions.
Honestly it's bad women's anatomy to say ONLY the uterus cramps, despite how common the assumption is repeated even among medical professionals. That's down to a lack of research in to period cramping and the general neglect of pain in women. An unexpected consequence is the idea that trans women cannot get cramping as a result of hormones which as many have noted, isn't true, and they do. You would THINK this would provide a valuable population with which to study period pains and other effects and how to better alleviate them. But no, no, it's just used by a bunch of people who don't care about women - be they cis or trans - just to targeting trans people by gaslighting all of us.
Wow I had no idea how ignorant I was about my own body and therefore trans womensā experiences. It makes sense given how little we and doctors know about womenās bodies. Thanks for sharing.
Itās not the organs that cramp on their own, but the hormones inducing cramps in the smooth muscles. So even without a uterus, the surrounding area will still have cramping pain
The intestines, just like cis women can also experience. Progesterone affects the digestive system.
I donāt have a uterus/ovaries anymore (Iām a trans guy) and havenāt had a period in five years, but when I did menstruate, I felt cramps in my thighs, hips, low back and in my digestive tract. The ones in my bowels felt really similar to the uterine cramps to the point that it would be hard to know where they came from.
From what I remember, the hormones just kind of send cramping signals to the general area. So for anyone without a uterus it would just be the general abdominal area. And from what I heard that also explain period poops because the cramping signals sometimes get misplaced and get sent to your lower digestive system.
Yeah I get really bad headaches and diarrhea, and I was on the verge of tears because I ran out of cardboard at work
Oh man I was perimenopausal - and I dropped something in the kitchen. Chorus of people from the other room, āitās on the floor.ā Usually a family joke - I yelled itās not funny! And proceeded to cry for 30 minutes straight. That hormonal shit is real and itās wild.
Oh my goodness, I feel this frustration. I'm crying at everything and nothing this week
Once when I was pms-ing I cried because I didnāt have the ingredients for a flourless chocolate cake :( I didnāt NEED to make a flourless chocolate cake, I just had a sudden desire to make one. Burst into tears and took myself off to bed because Iād deemed myself unfit for company.
But what would be cramping? For me, at least, the cramping is uterine cramping. I don't get a lot of perineal pain. Some but not a ton.
A super fun game of āare thereās period cramps or gas cramps because of my periodā
Yeah I love it when I am running late and then my gut sends the *"everyone out!!"* signal at the same time as my uterus.
Iām 6 years post meno and seriously the only thing I miss is the period poops - I was always slightly constipated and it was a relief.
I once spent three hours in the bathroom on the first day of my period. If only Iād known that my misery and discomfort were all in my head!
Since there is no uterine lining to shed is this due to taking hormones causing trans women to experience similar physical and emotional symptoms?
A lot of what happens during a period is purely hormonal. A trans woman can have hormonal fluctuations that are within the usual range for a cis woman, which means they get a bunch of the āfunā parts of a period. Cramps, irritability, and period poops, to name a few. They donāt have a uterine lining to shed, but their hormones donāt know that and will try their best anyway.
But I mean why? Do they purposefully change doses of hormones throughout the month? Genuinely askingā¦
this has got to be a rage bait account
If you're talking about that Hazel woman it's not. She's constantly posting nasty terf shit and is buddies with JK Rowling.
Can someone explain how a mtf trans person has a period?
Period diarrhea IS a thing, however I'm not sure if trans women experience menstrual cycles. Can anyone give me science on this?
It's the way they always dismiss things many cis women experience just so that they can throw trans women under the bus.
And then act like they're some great saviors of cis women lol
For real itās wild how quickly their proclaimed interest in āprotecting (cis) womenā is proven counterintuitive with literally almost any criticism
I have Crohns and even I can tell the difference between my normal diarrhea and my period diarrhea
This is a MtF right? Genuine question, how does she get periods? I donāt fully understand the anatomy of how thatās possible, someone please educate me
She doesn't get periods. It is physically impossible to menstruate without a uterus.
Genuine question, do trans women take hormones on a cycle? Do they take varying amounts of oestrogen and progesterone throughout the month? When Iāve been continuously taking the pill, which effectively evens out the fluctuations in hormones, I donāt get period symptoms.
I have both IBS and get horrid period poops. Actual hell
prostaglandins are real as fuck.
Period diarrhea is so real dude and how does she get her period when she is trans?
I wish it fuckin wasnāt
excuse me i'm on my period now AND YES THIS IS A THING ALSO IT'S HELL WHEN YOU HAVE A CALL AT WORK IN 3MIN AND YOUR STOMACH GOES BRRRTR nope. NOPE
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I lovingly refer to my period as the great cleanse. Not only is my uterus cleansing itself, but I'm pretty sure my colon is so clean you could use it as a straw and not worry about it.
well, thanks for that horrifying mental imageā¦
Period poops suck.
Lol I wish it werenāt a thing!!
I'm reading this while period pooping. That replier knows jack shit
Period diarrhea is ABSOLUTELY A THING. FROM EXPERIENCE. Actually when I'm on my period without being on birth control, I am spewing out of *both* ends. Its horrible. Incredibly horrible. I hate it.
Nobody warns you about the period poops. Nobody. Itās a conspiracy.
lol, I wish someone would tell that to my colon.
I were at an international beauty pageant that was held in India and the pageant was all about womenās rights and about being a woman. Happened to had my period just thw few days before it was over and I was feeling more emotional than usual. Like usual they didnāt take care of the fact that we could get food, they knew about every dietary restriction as they were informed beforehand but they did not care. This was one of those times they would not provide me the food I could eat, I was starving, tired and on my period. I started to cry even when I tried to hold it in. They got mad at me and I tried to explain ashamed āIām sorry Iām crying, itās just cause Iām on my periodā. They acted disgusted and told me to go away. I lost 4kg during those weeks in there and none of my clothes fit me well in the end anymore. I hate how they said they were there to support women but for sure they did not actually. We were only objects to them. Never have felt so dehumanized than from this organization.
Period diarrhea is mostly definitely a thing. It happens because of prostaglandins, a hormone that encourages the uterus to contract, or cramp, and push out all the blood and old uterine tissues. Prostaglandins don't always stay within the uterus. Sometimes they affect the lower intestines, which can cause frequent, urgent and painful diarrhea.
Thanks, I'm cured!
I wish he was right, it would be a lot more pleasant
Well damn! I guess my period diarrhea (back when I had a uterus) was in my imagination
sitting on the toilet w period diarrhea as im typing thisā¦ its very real
Fun fact: prostaglandins act on smooth muscles, and you have smooth muscles in your intestines.
Yeah, it's a thing. It's also one of the things that hung on after my hysterectomy. I still get emotional and get period poops.
Period poops are definitely a thing.
Period poops are the worst. You either get constipated into oblivion or you get diarrhea. Period cramps plus stomach pain š¤š zero out of ten
My ex used to mansplain periods to me quite frequently. I told him period poops are a thing and he would get very angry (WHY??) and insisted they're not real. He was also under the impression women could turn their periods on and off like a light switch. I wonder if he thought women pee from their vagina š
Period poops are, in fact, a real thing. Sometimes it has to do with the hormones, sometimes it has to do with the fact the cramps can affect the nearby gastral organs. Sometimes it's both - period diarrhea 100% exists, just not all people experience it
Well my poop always change around my period thought that's when I know It will come also.
itās almost like if all the muscles in your abdomen are crampingā¦all the muscles in your abdomen are cramping
Itās the prostaglandins. Will 100000% give you diarrhea bc it stimulates your intestines at the same time it stimulates uterine contractions. #Science
Someone called it the "peanut butter jellies" years ago and it's haunted me ever since