What’s Your Flow

Generally, as a woman our period should come at the same time every month except for when it doesn’t which could be as a result of so many things which are generally termed as 'irregularities'. Suddenly, without warning  you are early or late - your flow is heavy, light or shy (and you know you are not on birth control pills, neither are you pregnant nor lactating). I am sure millions of women are with me on this, most of us understandably get worried. Is this normal? Or is something terribly wrong somewhere?

 As for me, my period came around as usual, I had taken certain precautions so I won’t be caught unaware. But this time…It was a tsunami with many waves, one would probably think I just had a miscarriage or abortion complications. I had to change my sanitary pads more frequently as the flow was heavier than usual, thus I visited the toilet more often than necessary. Annoying, right? You can’t imagine. This got me scared, so many thoughts flew in and out of my head. The very first thought was fibroid, as a close friend had the same issue, but thank God for early detection it was treated. I had so many other assumptions. GOSH! Am too young to be worried sick about this so I had to reach out.

Truly! I was nervous. It's impossible to tell how first all these assumptions entered into my brain, but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. So I booked a visit to see a gynecologist.“How exactly do you feel?” that was the first question I had to answer, and I answered like a proper Nigerian woman, “where do you want me to start from?” we both chuckled. That broke the ice and an enlightening session ensued.

 Apparently, the medical name for this condition is called Menorrhagia (very heavy flow). According to Dr.Akinsanya, a normal menstrual flow should range from a dot to (35ml) that is like 2 full teaspoon.While, Menorrhagia would start from (80ml) – (540ml) that’s like 2 tea cups. Studies have it that 25% of women will experience very heavy flow during their menstrual cycle, especially women in the reproductive bracket. According to the Mayo clinic, one of the major causes of Menorrhagia is hormonal imbalance. In a normal menstrual cycle a balance between the hormones:  Estrogen and Progesterone regulates the build up of the lining in the uterus (Endometrium), which is shed during menstruation. If there is an imbalance, everything goes south. The endometrium develops in excess and eventually sheds by way of menstrual bleeding. This is among other major causes like: small benign growths on the lining of the uterus (Uterine polyps) or certain drugs, including anti-inflammatory medications and anticoagulants. All these can contribute to very heavy menstrual flow.

So far I had enjoyed listening to all the medical jargons, but I needed a fix, “so what are my options?” I asked. “I will prescribe progesterone therapy” you can imagine the look on my face when she said so. “Therapy?” my mind showed flashes of images, until she explained further. “The progesterone (Progestin) hormone has been synthesized and its orally micronized to suite ingestion”. The progestin when ingested will help restore the hormonal balance which will in turn slow down or stop the heavy bleeding. Also, Ibuprofen, extra salty drinks and increasing my dietary or supplement iron can also do the trick. 

I had sigh of relief. Living a healthy life is something we all desire,but the key to peace of mind sometimes is talking to a qualified health practitioner when in doubt.

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Few Tips on Using Sanitary Pads Properly

It is incredible to imagine that a woman will use around 10,000 sanitary pads during her lifetime, if you don’t believe me sit down and do the math! 

So, it makes sense that serious consideration should be given as to how we use sanitary pads for optimum results. 

UNICEF 2010 asserts that one out of every 50 women use sanitary pads wrongly (some ladies use one PER DAY with no change). Ideally, the standard time to change a sanitary pad is once every 6 hours, although naturally this depends on your needs. Whilst some women with a light flow can afford to change every 6 hours the same can’t be said about women with heavy flow because they need to change theirs at shorter intervals. 

Here are a few tips on using your Sanitary Pads Properly.

Selecting a Pad 

* Always choose a pad that meets your peculiar needs; sanitary pads vary from length and absorbency level depending on the flow. We can use the super absorbency ones for the first few days, the longer for nighttime. 

* Using a scented sanitary pad is usually not advisable as it contains chemicals that can be harmful to our sensitive part. Also, panty liners shouldn’t be used as a substitute for sanitary pads irrespective of the flow, especially during menstruation. 

Putting it on 

* Remove pad from individual wrapper

 Most pads are individually wrapped,and the wrappers should be removed but don’t throw it away … use it to wrap your old pad conveniently before you place it in the dustbin. 

* Take off the adhesives and fold out the wings   ( if you use the ones with wings) . Wings usually help to provide extra comfort with super adhesive to fit perfectly into the panties. 

* Stick the adhesive part of the sanitary pad in a position where it is directly beneath the vagina, one should also ensure the pad firmly clips the panties by aligning it a little further back to prevent leakage. 

* Many of us dig out our old panties or our granny pants during this time of the month so we should probably leave our thongs for another day!

Disposing Used Pads

*It’s very important to maintain a high standard of hygiene while menstruating. At every change, one should thoroughly wash the hands.

*It is really important that we DO NOT flush sanitary pads. They will block the sewage pipe Instead, wrap the used pad properly and place discreetly in the trash. When removing the pad from the underwear, pull from the top end and hold firmly before wrapping for disposal. 

Do not forget to carry an extra sanitary pad as most come in individual packs and are purse friendly for those unusually heavy days.

Have a pain free period!

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Panty Liners and Uses

Despite our wide and far-reaching medical advances, the human body is indeed still a mystery in many regards.  There is no bigger a mystery for teenagers than when they start puberty.  Huge changes to their bodies take place, which can be quite unsettling.  In particular for girls, once puberty starts naturally they will experience an increase in vaginal discharge.  This can be quite upsetting if they are totally unaware of what it is and why it is happening, especially if they have yet to start their periods.  They may feel embarrassed, ashamed, even worried which is why it's important our young girls are educated in all things vaginal ahead of time.

Vaginal discharge can occur at any time throughout the month, but may be linked to a girl’s cycle.  Everyone is different, even down to how much is produced.  What is consistent for everyone though, is that discharge in this area is completely natural and essential.  The secretion of the discharge serves as a regulator for the vagina; it’s not something that can be stopped.  It acts as a kind of self-cleaning mechanism that also acts as an indicator when something is not quite right.  Ordinarily the discharge will be white, creamy or sometimes colourless.  It could also be sticky.  What it shouldn’t be is smelly or green.  Plus, if it is accompanied with itchiness this may indicate an infection and you should visit your doctor.  This area of a female’s body is very sensitive to pH changes so it is important we manage it effectively.

So how can vaginal discharges be managed?

A panty liner is a perfect solution for managing discharge. Worn in the underwear, the panty liner serves to collect the discharge and protect the underwear from being stained.  The panty liner can easily be changed to maintain freshness all day, whatever the time of the month!  Being very small and thin they fit compactly into any sized handbag.  So, just as we carry along a hairbrush, compact mirror or notebook so too we should have our panty liners in our bag on standby.  

As a side note, it is really important that we don’t ‘wash’ the vagina.  This area is very sensitive to pH changes and the use of soap or shampoo inside the vaginal walls can easily upset its natural balance.  When this happens thrush may occur which is both itchy and cumbersome when experienced.

What other ways can we use panty liners?

As young girls, it can take a while… sometimes years… to fully get to grips with what is happening to their bodies on a monthly basis as they progress through puberty and beyond.  As they change so too can the discharge and the periods.  This is where panty liners can serve a really useful purpose and should be something every young girl has in her possession. 

They are really useful both at the start and at the end of a period.  Many young girls and ladies experience irregular periods.  This can be a nightmare as we go about our regular life, out and about, both in the classroom and the office.  Some periods can also take three days to ‘start’ with a brown, sludgy discharge taking place as a precursor to the main event.  Panty liners, therefore, offer that required protection and confidence to manage this onset.  Such that, if someone does get caught unawares and her period starts she doesn’t have to drop what she’s doing to sort it out.  As a young girl, coping with everything else, her body is throwing at her this small bit of confidence could be massive in any given day.

As you know, many females around the world wear tampons.  Again, panty liners offer protection against any leakage since some days periods can be heavy and some days period can be light.  The presence of the panty liner manages that for you. 

It is so important that our girls know what to expect and know how to look after their vaginal health.  Let’s educate them and demystify this area so we can remove any uncertainty and provide knowledge so they can progress through life confidently and meet their daily challenges head on.

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Panty Liners and its Uses

At a tender age of 11 a female depending on her nature will most likely experience vaginal discharge, physicians asserts that the vagina serves as a passage between the outside body and the inner reproductive organs. Thus, as the mouth is constantly made moist by saliva, the vagina discharge is absolutely normal, as it is as a result of hormonal changes in a female body. Experts say that the discharges help keep the pH level balance of the vagina intact which ultimately prevents infection from occurring. So a healthy vagina is the one that secretes fluids to cleanse and regulate itself, basically the discharge is a natural lubricant but when not properly managed it becomes harmful.

So how can we manage vaginal discharge? Panty liners are the perfect options for managing discharges. As the name implies it lines the pant to prevent the vaginal discharge from staining the pants and eventually causing irritation. Gynaecologist, Dr.Angela Abiodun, says normal vaginal discharges vary in consistency, as they might be thin and slightly sticky, they can also vary in color some can be clear, cloudy, bloody, whitish or yellowish. So the panty liner comes handy, instead of discharging straight to the pants it goes to the liner which serves as a form of protection. Panty liner aside from being a form of protection for the pants can arguably be said to be more hygienic and comforting.

What other ways can we use the panty liner?

Ideally a panty liner is the same thing with a sanitary pad, but much thinner and lighter as it is not for menstruation. However, a panty liner can be used as a precursor for irregular periods (just in case), when period is almost over.

Panty liners can be used as a leak guard when using tampons for heavy menstruation, as leaks can be very embarrassing, really panty liners rock at keeping giving you extra protection.

Panty liners can be worn during gym and work out sessions as it is normal to sweat during work outs, these sweats can be harmful to the vagina and over time can cause bad odour, the panty liner can come in handy in such situations.

Panty liner can be used to lessen the effect of wearing jeans, leggings, and even G-string; it cushions the female delicate body parts and makes it more comfortable to wear all sorts.

It is important to know that a woman can negatively impact her vagina’s natural pH balance if she uses vaginal douches and fails to properly take care of her vagina. It’s absolutely not advisable to use scented feminine products as it is very harmful.  So watch out for scented sanitary products, allow the vagina to smell like….well the vagina.

                                                                                             

                                                                                                 Copyright ©2015 Wemy Industries.