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If you’ve ever had a period, you know all of the annoyances that can come along with it. Cramps, irritability, and ruined underwear are just some of the issues you might deal with when managing your period. Drastic changes to your skin during your menstrual cycle might also be something you struggle with. Most people who get their period experience hormonal acne, or period skin, right before or during their period week, but your skin is constantly changing throughout your menstrual cycle.

Why do hormones affect my skin?

Right before or during your period you might notice your skin is more dry, oily, sensitive, and broken out than usual. These changes in your skin are due to your changing hormones during your menstrual cycle. During your cycle, your levels of estrogen and progesterone fluctuate, and it just so happens that these two hormones greatly affect your skin. 

Estrogen is basically responsible for all things radiant and lovely in your skin. Estrogen affects your skin’s hydration, collagen production, skin thickness, skin’s ability to heal, and the effectiveness of your skin as a barrier. Progesterone, which is the other dominant hormone during your menstrual cycle, is responsible for triggering breakouts. Progesterone closes up the skin’s pores and causes a build-up of sebum to be trapped under your skin. Sebum is an oily substance produced by your sebaceous glands, which start making oil during puberty.

What type of period skin changes should I expect?

During the first week or so of your menstrual cycle, estrogen levels are fairly low. Because of estrogen’s effect on retaining moisture in the skin, your skin might feel a little dry or dull during this period. Other than that though, your skin shouldn’t be too irritated and should be looking and feeling pretty good. The next phase of your cycle, the follicular phase, occurs between days 10 and 16 in your cycle. During the follicular phase, estrogen and testosterone levels rise. Your skin will look its best during this phase because of the increased hormone levels. Your estrogen increases during this time because your body is preparing for ovulation. The next phase is ovulation, which occurs halfway through your menstrual cycle, which for most people is around day 14 of the cycle. During ovulation, your estrogen and testosterone levels begin to drop, and your skin will continue to look and feel healthy for a few days as your progesterone levels increase. The final phase of your cycle is the luteal phase, which is right before and during your period. During this phase, your progesterone levels are up, which, as we learned earlier, traps oil in your pores. Your skin will be at its oiliest and most broken out during this phase. 

Some people also report having increased skin sensitivity right before and during a period. This sensitivity is due to prostaglandins, which are chemicals that are released as your uterine lining sheds. Prostaglandins cause inflammation throughout the body in general, which we can feel the effects of on our skin during this time. 

What period skin care tips should I follow?

So what are some things you can do to manage your ever-changing skin during your monthly cycle? Experts recommend always washing your face and not sleeping with makeup on. Wash your face twice a day and be sure to moisturize, especially during the beginning period of your cycle when your skin is clear but dry. As your skin gets more oily, avoid oil-based moisturizers, wear your hair back off your face more, change your pillowcase more frequently, and avoid touching your face. Experts also say to use a gentle cleanser on your skin during the times when it is most irritated. Exfoliating or using harsh face washes will only inflame your face more, so save those for the beginning of your cycle.

Maintaining a balanced diet can also help your skin stay clear. Every article I’ve read as research recommended limiting sugar and caffeine to help keep your skin clear, which can be so hard during your period when you are craving both of those things. Flo.com has a great article with specific skincare tips for each phase of your cycle.

Are there other options for treatment?

If your skin really suffers during your period, talk to your doctor. Hormonal birth control is often prescribed to treat hormonal acne, but there are other options as well. Hormonal birth control contains varying levels of estrogen and progesterone and shuts down ovulation, so the pills can help regulate your hormone levels and manage your acne.

Now that you know exactly what’s going on with your skin each month, you should be better prepared to combat breakouts and treat your skin well. Good luck!

It’s no secret that people who get periods can experience a range of symptoms leading up to and during their menstrual cycle. Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, affects the majority of women who get their period. Symptoms of PMS include headaches, bloating, breast tenderness, fatigue, and mood swings, just to name a few. Culturally we seem to have a pretty good understanding of PMS and what that looks like, although people often mock women or discredit their mood because of PMS, which is another issue worth discussing another time. But I digress… Some women, however, experience even more severe symptoms during the week or two leading up to their period. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, is a mood disorder that accompanies the more typical pre-period symptoms in a more serious way. 

According to Mayo Clinic, mood disorders are present when your “emotional state or mood is distorted or inconsistent with your circumstances and interferes with your ability to function.” People with PMDD experience common PMS symptoms, but oftentimes the emotional symptoms are so intense they are debilitating and affect those around them. 

What are the symptoms of PMDD?

Symptoms of PMDD include regular physical pre-period symptoms such as breast tenderness, bloating, cramps, fatigue, headache, and mood swings. Emotional symptoms include extreme sadness or hopelessness, extreme anxiety or tension, extreme moodiness, and extreme irritability or anger. Other possible symptoms include difficulty concentrating, extreme fatigue, binge eating or extreme change in appetite, change in sleep patterns, feeling out of control or panic attacks, and heightened physical symptoms mentioned above. 

To be diagnosed with PMDD you must have at least five of these symptoms, only during the week or two leading up to your period, and for a few days after your period starts. If you experience these symptoms randomly throughout the month not leading up to your period, it’s possible you have a different mood disorder or something else might be going on. The symptoms of PMDD only are present leading up to your period. Symptoms of PMDD begin about one or two weeks before your period starts and quickly disappear about two or three days after your period begins. It’s also important to note that most, if not all, of the symptoms are classified as being “extreme.” 

Misdiagnosing premenstrual dysphoric disorder

About five percent of women who are of reproductive age are diagnosed with PMDD, but that’s not to say more women don’t actually have it. Unfortunately, women’s pain is not taken seriously all the time, and women who seek medical help to figure out what is going on are often told they are just overreacting and being too hormonal, so their symptoms get blamed on PMS, when in fact it’s much more serious. Some women are also misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder when seeking help for premenstrual dysphoric disorder. There aren’t any tests for PMDD, so if you experience these extreme symptoms, you should keep track of when you experience them to help your doctor accurately diagnose you.

Tracking fluctuating hormones

People with premenstrual dysphoric disorder experience these symptoms because of their fluctuating hormones during menstruation, but the cause for this sensitivity to the changing hormones is unclear. As of 2017, the National Institutes of Health did a study that discovered women with PMDD actually have an altered gene complex for the part of the body that processes hormones and stress. This is a huge discovery and not only helps validate the women experiencing PMDD each month, but also opens the door for more research. Some studies have also suggested a link between people with PMDD and low serotonin levels. Serotonin is a chemical in your brain that helps control mood, sleep, and pain.

Treatments to help PMDD

When you experience PMS symptoms, taking some pain medicine and getting some extra rest can usually help a little. Treating PMDD is a little more complex. Antidepressants that are serotonin reuptake inhibitors are used to treat symptoms of PMDD. Birth control pills containing certain hormones can also be used to treat PMDD and hopefully regulate some of the changing hormones. Natural remedies such as exercise, meditation, and other stress management techniques can also help, although sometimes these practices aren’t strong enough to treat PMDD without medication as well. 

Some people have also found that taking calcium, vitamin B-6, magnesium, and L-tryptophan can also help treat PMDD, and some have found that chaste berry can also help control some of the symptoms. Doing other things that generally help manage anxiety like cutting down on caffeine can also help. These “natural” remedies aren’t approved by the FDA, while the medicine to treat PMDD is, so check with your doctor before exploring the natural route. 

Taking PMDD seriously

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is a big deal, and we should start talking about it. Until I wrote this article I didn’t know much about the difference between typical PMS and this disorder. PMDD is a serious medical issue, and women’s pain should be taken seriously. If you think you might have premenstrual dysphoric disorder, start tracking your symptoms and see if they align with your cycle. You can also talk with your doctor about your symptoms and possible treatment if you suspect you have it.

Menstrual health is so important and deserves to be talked about. Your pain surrounding your period is valid and you’re not “crazy” for feeling emotional or not like yourself leading up to your period. It is a serious medical issue! If you suspect you have PMDD or even severe PMS, talk to your doctor. These symptoms can come on two weeks before your period even begins. Living two weeks of your month feel depressed or out of control is a long time to live that way. 

Talk with your doctor about ways to manage it. Your pain is valid. You’re not “too emotional.” You’re not overreacting. Sure, we can experience pain and discomfort leading up to and during our period, (our uterine lining is shedding after all), but it does not need to be debilitating. It should not be debilitating. Track your symptoms, talk to your doctor, and find out if there is a diagnosis that can help you treat your symptoms.

The first time I heard about menopause was when I was in grade school. My family was visiting my great aunt who is always theatrical and fun, and I remember seeing her have a hot flash. She got up and walked around fanning herself vigorously and all of the adult women in my family giggled together. Since my aunt is already so theatrical, I thought she was just being silly. I didn’t understand what a hot flash was or how intense it could be.

Menopause is something I suppose I have always known I would experience one day, but other than knowing my baby-making hormones will slow down, I’ll stop getting my period, and I’ll have horrible hot flashes, this period of time seems almost like a caricature or something scary and unknown. So other than feeling uncomfortable and having intense hot flashes, what really happens to our bodies during menopause, and what are all of the side effects?

What is menopause?

First thing’s first: menopause is when your period stops permanently and your estrogen and progesterone levels go down. You are officially in menopause when you haven’t had your period for one year. The time leading up to the last menstrual cycle that we typically think of having hot flashes and other side effects are actually called perimenopause or the menopausal transition. This transition into menopause can happen anywhere from four to seven years before your last period, and after you’re in menopause, many symptoms can last for up to 14 years!!! That’s crazy to me! That means that even after your body has gone through these hormonal changes and you’re officially not producing reproductive hormones, you can still experience these pesky symptoms for up to over a decade. How did no one ever tell me this?!

People typically enter into perimenopause between ages 45 and 55, although it could be a little earlier or a little later. This transition begins when your body naturally starts producing less estrogen and progesterone, which are your reproductive hormones. During this transition, you’ll still get a period and can still become pregnant, although your periods might be irregular due to the hormonal shifts. Other side effects during this transition period include hot flashes, migraines, anxiety or depression, vaginal dryness which can lead to pain during sex, memory loss, and trouble sleeping. 

All about hot flashes

Hot flashes are due to these dropping hormone levels and can come and go at any time. Many women will experience really bad hot flashes at night, waking them up from their sleep. These can be treated with hormones, so you can see your doctor and get help managing those. The fluctuating hormones can also cause mood changes and anxiety or depression. Similarly, you can see your doctor about this and find a treatment plan.

Because your reproductive hormones are significantly decreasing, your vagina no longer produces natural lubrication. This can lead to pain during penetrative sex for many women, and can even lead to a lower desire for sex because of how uncomfortable it is. This can be treated by using a water-based lubricant during sex, and can even be treated with vaginal moisturizers, which are put into the vagina and can be used daily or every other day to treat dryness—not just for sex-related purposes. You can also use estrogen cream or talk with your doctor about taking hormones as well. Your sex life doesn’t have to end just because you’re hormones are shifting!

Some women experience memory loss during perimenopause or feel foggy-headed and confused. Getting enough sleep, staying active, and staying social can help with this, but if memory loss is a big problem for you, talk with your doctor. These symptoms slowly start happening as you approach your last period, and like I said they can start four to seven years before that even happens. Once you do have your last period and are officially in menopause after a year of no periods, these symptoms persist. Just like any other hormonal-related thing, some people are affected more than others. Some women experience minor menopause symptoms and are generally unaffected, while other women experience hot flashes so intense they have to eat dinner outside on a cold November day to cool off (a true story my mom told me).

Talking more about menopause

Regarding menopause, I’m most struck by how no one has ever really talked to me about perimenopause and menopause, and what exactly these symptoms look like. I had no idea these symptoms lasted so long and could carry on way past your last period. From the time I was a kid, I remember hearing all about when I would get my first period and what that would be like, but no one talked with me about this transition as well. I spend a lot of time reading and writing about women’s sexual health, yet I somehow still knew very little on this topic. 

I’m honestly quite overwhelmed thinking about all of these symptoms and anticipating this time in my own life, and I think talking about menopause openly with young women could help make this time seem less scary. Women already have to work to manage their periods and period symptoms as well as their fertility during their whole reproductive life, and then after that time winds down, we then have to manage a whole new set of symptoms. We should talk more openly about our reproductive hormones and what all menopause entails. This not only will empower women as they enter menopause themselves, but will also offer support for those women who are already experiencing it.

Ahh, periods. The monthly bleeding we all know and love. Well, that might be an exaggeration, but plenty of people are familiar with this experience: once a month, if you have a vagina, you’ll release an egg from your fallopian tubes, and if that egg isn’t fertilized, you’ll have your period. This is a regular, routine part of a lot of people’s lives. Sometimes, however, you might experience some light bleeding between your period known as spotting. What’s that all about?

What Exactly is Spotting?

Spotting, also known as breakthrough bleeding or intermenstrual bleeding, is bleeding that occurs outside of your period. Spotting is usually lighter in flow and color than your regular period, even on your lightest days. Spotting is basically your body’s way of getting your attention to tell you something’s up. Spotting can be relatively harmless, but it can also signal some serious stuff is off with your body. If you experience any abnormal bleeding outside of your cycle, contact your doctor. If you call your gynecologist, you can simply ask to speak to a nurse and describe the situation. They can consult you from there and determine if the spotting is serious enough to come in for a check-up. 

What causes Spotting?

Spotting can be caused by a number of issues from hormone changes to stress to sexually transmitted infections. Spotting can be caused by ovulation or changes in your hormone levels. Some people spot a bit during ovulation due to your hormones adjusting. This usually isn’t dangerous, it’s just a reaction to your hormone levels shifting throughout your cycle. 

Speaking of shifting hormones, you might also experience some breakthrough bleeding due to hormonal birth control. If you take the pill, use Nuvaring, the patch, or the implant, or even a hormonal IUD (these all work using varying amounts of estrogen and progestin), you might experience spotting when first starting or stopping any of these birth control methods. Additionally, if you take the birth control pill and usually have a period week if you ever skip your period week and start your next pack of pills a week early, you might also experience some spotting. This is because of those changing hormone levels. 

Your “period” on the pill isn’t actually a period because you’re not ovulating, it’s actually a withdrawal bleed from the steady dose of hormones your body gets from the pill. Your body is at a certain point in its cycle with the pill before your “period” week, so if you start your next pack a week earlier than you usually do, it’s possible you could spot a little. This is also usually harmless, but call your doctor just to confirm. You can also experience breakthrough bleeding as you’re entering menopause. There are a lot of hormonal shifts going on during this time, so spotting can be a common indicator that menopause is approaching.

Extreme stress can cause breakthrough bleeding as well. Whether this stress is mental stress such as anxiety or depression, or stress on your body through exercise, weight loss, or weight gain, this can affect your hormones. Cortisol is a stress hormone, and when this hormone is wacky, it can affect your estrogen and progesterone levels.

Spotting can also occur very early on in pregnancy. Light spotting isn’t a cause for concern, but if you experience heavy bleeding, that could be a sign something is wrong. If you’re pregnant and experience spotting, even if it is light, I’d advise consulting your doctor just to be safe. 

A whole range of infections can also trigger spotting. Sexually transmitted infections, urinary tract infections, polycystic ovary syndrome, and pelvic inflammatory disease are just a few infections that can cause spotting. Because the range of causes is so wide, it’s super important to check with your doctor asap so you can treat the infection before it gets too serious.

Seeing Red After Sex

Some people also experience spotting after sex. It’s common for someone with a vagina to bleed after first-time penis-in-vagina sex, and a lot of people think this is because of the hymen breaking. The hymen is a thin membrane that surrounds the vaginal opening, and the truth is most people break their hymen in childhood riding a bike, or a horse, or doing a toe touch, and some people don’t have a hymen to begin with, so sex has nothing to do with it, but I digress… Bleeding after first-time sex is largely due to the tensing of muscles or lack of lubrication. 

It’s also common for people with vaginas to bleed after sex, even if they regularly have it. This happens when the cervix gets irritated due to particularly rough intercourse of tensing of your muscles. Call your doctor to investigate what might cause this. In general though, a great way to cut down on bleeding after sex is to use lube and make sure you have enough foreplay. The vagina needs time to relax and prepare itself for intercourse. Also, bleeding after sex or painful sex is not normal, so please call your doctor if you experience this because you deserve pain-free, pleasure-filled sex. 

As with any sort of health issue, it’s often hard to tell exactly what the cause of a symptom is. If you experience any sort of spotting, call your doctor. It is likely due to hormones or birth control, or something else that is harmless, but just to be safe, call and check-in. 

“Ingredients: Rayon and/or Cotton Fiber. Polyester or Cotton String, Polysorbate 20.” Those are the ingredients in my tampon of choice, “Playtex Sport’ unscented tampons. My “U by Kotex” menstrual pads don’t list any ingredients anywhere on the box. Even though I use these products every month, and have used them for YEARS, and will use them for years to come, I’ve never considered what ingredients I’m putting inside of my body.

Organic Ingredients?

If you’ve ever listened to literally any podcast with women on it, you’ve probably heard an ad for Lola. Lola is a subscription-based period product company that uses 100% organic tampons. With Lola and other organic cotton period products becoming popular, there’s been a lot of talk about what ingredients are in menstrual products and whether or not they are safe for us.

Several years ago the Menstrual Products Right to Know Act of 2017 was created. This act proposed that manufacturers had to list all of the ingredients of period products on the box so consumers could be one hundred percent informed. I didn’t realize this wasn’t already enforced, and because the pads I use don’t list ingredients, it seems this act didn’t get passed, so it’s hard to know what you are putting in or close to your body each month.

Finding Research on these Ingredients

From all of the research that I’ve done, it seems people are very unclear about which chemicals in period products are actually bad for us. I found numerous conflicting reports about similar ingredients, so honestly, I’m still not sure which ingredients are truly “good” or “bad.” It is important to note, however, that most of the articles I found talking about how toxic tampon and pad ingredients are were written five or more years ago. This shows that more research needs to be done on this topic so we can have more conclusive and definitive answers. I think part of the reason extensive research on this topic hasn’t been done is that there is such a stigma surrounding menstruation and so much shame in talking about it. We need to talk about periods, and we need to get that research done! But I digress…

Toxic Shock Syndrome

If you use 100% organic period products, obviously you don’t need to worry about any chemicals in your body. Although organic cotton period products don’t have chemicals in them, it is still possible to get Toxic Shock Syndrome from leaving a tampon in for too long. Don’t get lulled into a false sense of security and leave your tampon in for more than eight hours. You’ll still be at risk for TSS, even if your products are organic. Menstrual cups are also recommended as alternatives for tampons and pads that are full of chemicals. Most menstrual cups are made of body-safe silicone or rubber, last for up to 12 hours, and don’t have the same chemicals in them that tampons do.

From what I’ve found, it seems chlorine, dioxin, BPA, rayon, and “fragrance” are the most harmful chemicals overall. Although there are some misconceptions about chlorine and rayon used in tampons.

Chlorine 

This was used for bleaching tampons in the 1990s, but actual chlorine is no longer used. All brands use chlorine-free bleaching agents to clean their products, and according to the FDA, this is safe. When it comes to tampon production, “bleaching” is used to clean and purify the fibers of cotton or rayon used in the product. The tampon being “bleached” white isn’t the goal or reason for using chlorine in this part of the process.

Bleaching is done to reduce the levels of dioxins in these products. Dioxins are “chemically-related compounds that are persistent environmental pollutants.” What does that mean? Dioxins are a grouping of dangerous chemicals present in our environment that can be very damaging if high levels of exposure persist. Through these chlorine-free bleaching methods, the levels of dioxins in tampons are severely lessened to a supposedly safe level, and the levels of dioxins in our environment pose a much greater threat than those in our tampons.

BPA 

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical found in plastic. You probably see refillable water bottles advertised as “BPA-free”— this is that same thing. BPA has been linked to disrupt hormones and cause other health issues. BPA would only be present in your applicators and not in the actual tampon itself, so look for BPA-free applicators, or use cardboard applicators or applicator-free tampons instead if this is a concern.

Rayon 

This showed up as a “bad” chemical in a lot of my research, but I also found just as many sources saying it’s okay. According to Tampax’s website and the FDA, the rayon used in menstrual products is completely safe. Rayon has been called unsafe because it’s a synthetic material, so people fear that it could increase the likelihood of toxic shock syndrome if any rayon fibers are left behind in the body. This is hasn’t been proven, and just as I said before, even organic tampons can still cause TSS.

Fragrance

You should never use ANY vagina products that list “fragrance” as an ingredient. Fragrances will not only disrupt your vaginal pH, which can lead to infections but products are not required to list what exactly goes into that “fragrance.” Always get unscented tampons, pads, or toilet paper, and stay away from vaginal hygiene products.

Oh and that polysorbate 20 that was one of the ingredients in my tampons? It’s apparently used in a lot of skincare/makeup/hygiene products to help with odor and is “supposedly” not harmful for your body.

Like I said before, it’s hard to know what levels of which chemicals are actually safe for our bodies because of the lack of scientific research done to regulate these products and all of the conflicting information out there. It seems that cotton and rayon tampons are okay, but if knowing completely what ingredients are in your menstrual products is important to you, using 100% organic cotton tampons or a menstrual cup would be the safest. These products don’t use chemicals found in other tampons, and they are fragrance-free.

As I mentioned before, the conflicting reports on ingredients I found while doing research just further show that menstrual hygiene and women’s health needs to be a priority so we can be fully informed on what we’re putting into our bodies.

Soy has become increasingly popular over the past few years with more people cutting dairy and meat out of their diets. Soy is full of nutrients and an excellent source of protein, and it serves as a great meat alternative for anyone wanting to cut down on meat consumption. With the increased popularity of soy, there has been some concern over how soy affects estrogen levels in the body, and what that means for overall health.

What is Soy?

Soy comes from soybeans, which have very high concentrations of isoflavones, or plant estrogen. This plant estrogen is similar to estrogen in the human body, but it’s a bit weaker. Because it is similar to human estrogen, the estrogen receptors in our bodies can bind to these isoflavones, which in theory could mess with estrogen levels in people. The main concern with these isoflavones and human estrogen is an increased risk of breast cancer or thyroid issues.

Despite these concerns, there is no definitive answer to whether or not soy negatively affects your health. Infants and women are at higher risk of being affected by this because of how estrogen affects their bodies. 

Research and Effects

A lot of studies have been done on animals, and in these studies, soy does negatively affect estrogen levels. Although this might seem like an indication of how it affects humans, it doesn’t really help much. Animals and humans metabolize food so differently that scientists can’t really use the animal study results to predict human results. Studies on isoflavones in humans have also been done, and these studies have shown no clear evidence that it increases the risk of breast cancer or thyroid disease. Studies have even shown that soy can help decrease your risk for breast cancer and cardiovascular disease. Some studies have suggested there’s a possible link between soy and increased risk of breast cancer in women who have a family history, but overall it’s unclear. Overall though, if you eat a “moderate” amount of soy, that is one or two servings per day, you should be okay.

As far as how it affects your thyroid, that is also unclear. There have been no conclusive studies showing that soy increases the risk of thyroid disease, but it could possibly affect medicine taken to treat hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is when your thyroid doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone. People who have this can take prescription medicine to treat it, and people have thought that soy can interfere with the body’s ability to absorb this medicine. Again, there’s no clear evidence to support that soy significantly impacts the body’s ability to absorb the medicine, but it’s suggested that people that take meds for low thyroid wait at least four hours before eating soy just to be safe. 

Benefits of Soy

Although there is still research being done to determine if soy can negatively impact your health, the positive impacts are definitely clear. It has many nutrients in it including B vitamins, fiber, potassium, magnesium, and protein. It is an especially good source of protein because it contains all nine essential amino acids that our bodies get solely from the food we eat. Coming from a plant, that is especially awesome. It is often used as a meat substitute and cutting down on the amount of meat you eat can improve your health. Cutting down on the meat you eat also positively impacts the environment, which is an added bonus. Because of the estrogen present from the isoflavones, some women have used soy to treat menopause symptoms like hot flashes, but again, it comes as no surprise that definitive research hasn’t proven if this scientifically works or not. If you try it and it works, more power to ya.

As a soy lover myself, it can be a little scary to hear that it can negatively impact my health, but it’s also frustrating to know that there is no definitive answer for if this is true or not. Based on all of the research that’s been collected so far, it seems overall that a bit of soy in your diet definitely does more good than bad. I’m going to keep loving tofu until science tells me otherwise.