5 things men should know about "Periods"

The topic of "Periods or Menstrual cycle" isn't taboo anymore and people today openly discuss about them which is a great thing barring a majority in the society who are still hesitant to even say the word out loud. In simple terms 'Periods' can be defined as, "the flow of blood and other material from the lining of the uterus, lasting for a few days and occurring in mature women at intervals each month".

It may come as a surprise that most of the male population is ignorant on the topic. Well, it's not necessary to have a detailed knowledge on the process but it's utmost important to have a basic understanding of it.

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Listing down below are five things every men should know about periods:


1. There's a lot going on in a female body- The menstrual cycle is more than just a period. It’s how the female body prepares to get pregnant. Hormonal changes happen on every day of the cycle, creating symptoms that are subtle (cervical fluid) and not subtle (painful cramps). The period can be divided in four phases- Bleeding, Follicular, Ovulatory and Luteal. It's important for men to understand, every female has their own experience of cycle-related symptoms. Try not to make incorrect assumptions based on what one woman has gone through or on other illogical information. 


2Time frame of the cycle- The body is not a clock. Every woman’s cycle is different. On an average a period lasts between 3 to 5 days. That means the first day of menstruation can often be a surprise. The heaviest bleeding is usually one of the first few days of the period, so when the period has a surprise start, it could be on the heaviest day. Menstrual cycles that fall outside of these ranges are considered clinically “irregular” which is considered normal for a girl in the beginning. During this time, the duration of a girl periods may vary from as short as 2 days to as long as 7 days. Cycles that are very long, heavy or painful can signal a serious medical condition.


3. Premenstrual Syndrome (the mood swings)- Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects a high percentage of women of childbearing age, with many women feel mood changes in the days before menstruation. And while menstrual symptoms like irritability, anger, and mood swings are a monthly bother for most women, severe PMS can be emotionally debilitating for some. What’s important to understand is premenstrual symptoms are not only about mood swings or chocolate cravings; there could be various other uncomfortable reasons as well. Most of the women experience cramps every cycle. These are painful cramps that make it difficult for them to concentrate or focus on day-to-day basic works. There are other severe issues as well like acne, diarrhea, headache, bloating and many more. Mood swings are natural.The emotional behavior and their intensity during this time are unique to each person, from mild to deliberating. Most of the times, it affects personal relationship and makes it difficult for women. Men need to understand this is a hard time for women. Getting annoyed or mad at them is a loss for them only. Men need to learn about the premenstrual symptoms and coping strategies of women they are close to.


4. The Fertile window- A woman is only fertile for about 7 days every month. the seven-day time frame when intercourse can lead to pregnancy (called the “fertile window”) is seven days long because that’s how long a male sperm can live inside a female body. Figuring out those 7 days requires more than counting days. The day of ovulation often happens around mid-cycle, but this is different for everyone and can fluctuate cycle-to-cycle. It is possible (although unlikely) for someone to be fertile during their period. This is especially true for anyone who has a highly variable or short cycle. If you’re trying to stay child-free, counting days is not much better than guessing. This is why there are “surprise periods” and why there are surprise pregnancies. The latter has higher consequences.  Getting a more accurate idea of ovulation timing requires methods like certain medical tests like- ovulation test, blood tests etc.


5. Best time for sex- The most common misconception men have is,"If a women is having period, she can get pregnant". It's not true completely. There are certain factors that comes into play here. On one hand, periods make females feel heavy, bloated, sluggish, spotty and for most of them all around less sexy in general. On the other, lots of women also find themselves feeling more turned on around that time of the month – a change that's thought to be because certain hormones spike when they're ovulating, increasing levels of desire. So really, it's down to a guy and the girl to figure out if they're both okay with it. Having sex during a period can ease cramps and other PMS symptoms and even help the blood come out faster, so it's not a bad idea technically.



Other than helping with medical stuffs or giving your support whenever required there's not much men should do at this moment. Men can easily go over board with there too caring behavior that can easily piss off their partner. They just need to act normal as they would usually do. Your female partner wont complain if you treat this as a normal thing, that's all they need.  Men can never experience what it's like to feel menstrual cramps or the anxiety that comes with unexpected periods, unintended pregnancies or the physical consequences of things like hormonal birth control, abortion etc. Discussing and understanding how your partner is affected during those phase can only be a great thing for their health and for your relationship moving ahead.

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