These are the top questions we hear most often from women of reproductive age when it comes to the experiences, uncertainties, and discomfort they have with their periods.
Any sound familiar?
QUESTION #1: How Long Should My Period Be?
First of all, it’s normal to experience some light spotting before your period starts, but don’t count this as the first day of your period. Your period begins when actual bleeding is observed. It can last anywhere from 3-7 days.
The first two days of your period are usually the heaviest flow, with the latter days being progressively lighter.
Keep in mind that periods can fluctuate in cycles where ovulation doesn’t occur. This is why periods can vary during adolescence, after giving birth, during breastfeeding, and during perimenopause. Women are less likely to ovulate consistently during these times and that may impact the duration of your period.
Other things that can negatively impact the duration of your period include environmental and product toxins, smoking, stress, diet, and drinking alcohol, to name a few.
Consistency in the duration of your period is possible when your estrogen and progesterone are balanced and working together as they should. An imbalance in these specific hormones is likely to lead to an irregular period.
Integrating the supplement Perfect Period.® into your daily routine can be a good natural solution for period cramps and other period-related issues. Perfect Period supports hormonal balance that can help keep the duration of your periods more consistent.
https://perfectperiod.com
QUESTION #2: Is That Normal?
In many conversations we have with women of all ages, when they’re talking about their period experience and things such as period cramps, irregular periods, heavy periods and other PMS symptoms, they will often ask “is that normal?” Many women are confused about what a healthy period actually looks and feels like.
Women have been told for far too long that the menstrual problems they experience - moodiness, irritability, brain fog, cravings, fatigue, and period-related discomfort in general - are just “how it is.” And then, over time, women began to mistakenly translate this to mean “normal.”
“Familiar” and “frequent” do not have to mean normal.
Just like no two snowflakes are alike, and no two women are exactly alike (not even identical twins), no two periods are alike. Each woman has variables that will influence how she experiences her periods - lifestyle choices, genetic make-up, daily stressors, diet, relationships, and environment, for starters.
It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s important to know what is true for you… and that comes with awareness and tracking of your own menstrual cycles over time.
Here’s what a typical cycle of a healthy period could look like:
- Healthy Cycle: 25-35 days
- Healthy Period: 3-7 days
- Spotting is not unusual for 1-2 days leading up to your period.
- Spotting for 1-2 days after your period can also be okay - this is typically leftover uterine lining that didn’t make its way out during your period.
- While respected sources, such as The Cleveland Clinic, report that the average cycle is 28 days, a recent study in 2019 showed that the average cycle may now actually be 29.3 days.
- Typically, the amount of blood shed during a period is 60ml or less (4 tbsp) and about 6-10 pads or tampons per period (light is 1-5 and heavy is 16+).
What’s true for you? Based on the above information, what things are “familiar” that you have deemed as “normal” but may not have to be that way?
You shouldn’t be having awful periods; it’s not necessary.
Supplementing your daily regime with the natural alternative Perfect Period.® can help support hormonal balance, bringing an easier and more consistent experience to your periods… whatever your “normal” may be.
https://perfectperiod.com
QUESTION #3 How Long is a Typical Menstrual Cycle?
There is a myth that a woman’s menstrual cycle lasts 28 days. For 13% of women, that’s actually true. For the rest of us, it’s not.
A study published in 2019 by npj Digital Medicine, that analyzed 612,613 menstrual cycles, found that the average cycle is actually 29.3 days long.
Depending on the health expert you talk to, the range can be anywhere from 21 - 35 days; with some reporting up to 45 days as being “normal.”
What’s important to know is what is typical for YOU - and you know that better than anyone. In order to determine what’s normal for you, it comes with education, paying attention, and tracking.
Learn more about each of the four phases of your menstrual cycle from our article Understanding Your Cycle.Introducing Perfect Period.® as a natural supplement to support hormonal balance can help create a consistent rhythm to your cycle, however many days it may be for you.
QUESTION #4: Is it Really Possible to Have a Period Without any Discomfort or Problems?
The short answer is “YES! It is possible.” And many women have to make some changes in order for that to be true.
Currently, more than half of menstruating women experience some type of discomfort related to their period. In a study done by The Office on Women’s Health:
Some things that can contribute to irregular periods and discomfort:
- environmental and product toxins (such as surface cleaners, laundry detergent, lotions, makeup, and perfumes to name a few)
- the types of foods you eat (or don’t eat)
- abnormal sleep schedules
- breastfeeding
- perimenopause
Stress is another major factor that can contribute to irregular periods and discomfort. When you experience stress, your body releases cortisol, the stress hormone. While your body is designed to manage short bouts of stress, over prolonged periods of time the cortisol interrupts the natural balance between your progesterone and estrogen hormones, potentially delaying ovulation and causing irregularities.
There are natural, alternative options that can help you create a healthier, easier period experience. They include adopting an anti-inflammatory diet (such as the Mediterranean diet), regular movement and exercise, removing environmental and product toxins, and reducing stress, to name some of the more common ones.
We all know that with the stressors of today’s world combined with the pace of most women’s schedules it can be, at times, difficult to follow all the best practices.
That’s why integrating the simple supplement Perfect Period.® into your daily routine can be a natural solution for period cramps. This helps support natural hormonal balance so you can have a problem-free period.
To hear the success stories from other women just like you who are having better experiences with their periods, check out what they shared with us:
https://perfectperiod.com/testimonials
What are your period questions?
Email us and let us know. Your email and inquiry will be kept confidential as we know this can be a vulnerable topic.
Our mission is to empower women to take charge of their lives.
Our purpose is to inform and educate.
We believe that, through education, women can have a new and positive perspective on their monthly cycles and periods, and they no longer need to feel like victims of their periods.
To learn more about how Perfect Period.® can help improve your period experience or to buy a bottle, visit https://perfectperiod.com.
Do you know another woman struggling with her period?
Forward her this article so she too can be empowered to have a better period experience.