Heavy periods affect each woman differently, and can impact their lives in several ways. For some women, their periods force them to miss out on activities with family and friends. Whether it’s sneaking out of a sports game, recital or party to deal with a leak, or opting out of a family outing entirely due to menstrual pain – if this sounds like you, it’s likely that your period has too significant of an impact on your life, and potentially the lives of those around you.
If your period is so debilitating to the point that its cutting in to moments spent with family, it’s time to act. The good news is that you have resources, and you are certainly not alone. As a matter of fact, 1 in 5 women suffer from abnormal uterine bleeding that deters them from living their lives to the fullest.1 Here’s how you can cope if your heavy period is starting to impede on time spent with family.
Talk to your loved ones
Whether you sit down with your partner, sister, mother or child, you’ll feel liberated by telling someone close to you about what’s going on. When it comes down to it, women can’t plan their lives around their periods (or vice versa), so having this discussion will bring some peace of mind when trying to decide if you can make it to the next big family event. Not only will this discussion engage an open and honest conversation about your health, but it will clue your family member in to how you’re feeling, and how they might be able to help you.
Speak up to your doctor
It can be hard to find the words, and it may feel easier to brush under the rug when speaking to a doctor, but it will be immensely helpful to have an open and honest conversation so they can help you get back to doing the things you love with the people you love. If you’re having trouble starting the discussion, try these helpful conversation starters, or rehearsing the conversation with a girlfriend.
Join a Community
Remember, you are not alone, and there are plenty of women out there hoping to regain freedom from heavy periods and focus on the more important things in their life. Join a community of women, like Change the Cycle, for helpful resources to manage your period and get back to your routine.
To help normalize the conversation about heavy periods, encourage the women in your life to speak up about theirs, too! Eliminating the stigma around period-talk, starts with doing just that – talking about periods!
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heavy menstrual bleeding. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/blooddisorders/women/menorrhagia.html. Accessed July 05, 2017.