Gain more control of your period!

It has been suggested that some women can control the flow of their periods, and in my experience this is somewhat true. While I cannot completely stop the flow (or rather, "hold" it in to be released later), I have noticed an increased ability to control the cramps I get, making them work to my advantage to "push" the flow out.

The secret? Kegel exercises. BOTH kinds.

You might be wondering what I mean by "both," or you may not even know that there are two kinds of Kegel exercises, Well, there are! Type one is when you squeeze the pelvic floor muscles, while type two involves "relaxing" or "pushing out" with the pelvic floor muscles, and these exercises are easier than you may think. The easiest way to perform both exercises is while peeing. Start by peeing just a little, then squeezing in to stop the flow. Hold for a few seconds, then forcefully push out as if trying to force the flow to go faster. Alternate back and forth between squeezing in to stop the flow, then pushing out. There you go! Two exercises! Practice this every time you need to pee, and you'll eventually gain much more control over your pelvic floor muscles.

How does this work with your period? Well, the cramping sensation you get means your muscles are pushing out your flow. Use this to your advantage by flexing your abdominals from top to bottom as the cramp progresses, ending with a push using your pelvic floor, thus forcing the flow out. As you gain more control over those muscles through practice with kegel exercises, you may even feel a small "gush" of fluid when you push out. Obviously, to (at least somewhat) hold the flow in (presumably until you can get to a toilet or get a pad/tampon/cup in place), squeeze the muscles to stop (or slow down) the flow.

I, myself, have been doing this for about 5 or 6 months, and have noticed a remarkable difference in how I bleed. I haven't been able to completely stop the flow, but I can slow it down or force it out by doing these exercises, and it has definitely helped with the cramping. Yes, the cramps still hurt, but I use them to my advantage and work with them to push things out, thus giving me more control over my cycle, It just takes some time, practice, and a bit of body awareness,

Good luck!

Cleaning Reusable Pads

This is the method I use to clean my reusable pads; it works on every type I have, including pads made from fleece, flannel, cotton, and jersey knit material, and it works on every color, as well. While I have a decent collection (about 15 or so), there are 4 pads that I use for every cycle, as they are my favorites (most comfortable, longest-wearing, fastest drying, easiest to clean), so I use this method throughout my cycle and wash all my pads in the laundry when my cycle is over.

1) Rinse the pad(s) with cold water, just to remove the majority of stain and/or "gunk"- Do NOT use hot water, as this will cause the stain to set.

2) Soak the pad(s) for a few hours in a bucket or sink with cold water and 2-3 cap-fulls of hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide with bubble up after a bit and help break up the stain. Drain water.

3) Rub pad(s) with soap of your choice (I use handmade vegetable glycerin soap, but almost any soap will work, or use diluted laundry detergent) and rinse again with cold water until water runs clear.

4) Hang to dry.

When my cycle is over, I will do steps 1 - 3, then put all of the pads I wore into a lingerie bag and toss them in with my delicates and wash with regular laundry detergent, then hang to dry.

Period(ic) Balm

One of my favorite period remedies is a balm/massage oil that helps not only moisturize my skin, but also helps lighten my mood and ease cramping. It is SUPER easy to make, and can be customized to suit your individual tastes/needs. You can also double or even triple the recipe (this stuff lasts a LONG time, so I usually make up about 4 cups at a time). Some alternative ingredients are listed below the recipe. To use, just scoop some balm from the jar, and massage onto stomach and lower back, or anywhere you feel cramping/pain/nausea.

Ingredients:

1 cup Coconut oil
1/4 cup Chamomile flowers
1/4 cup Lavender flowers
20-30 drops total of Essential oils as desired (Optional)

Method 1: Gently warm the coconut oil, add the chamomile and lavender flowers, and allow to steep on low heat for 1-2 hours. Strain well, pour coconut oil into an airtight container, add essential oils, shake, and enjoy!

Method 2: Warm the coconut oil until it is just melted. Pour the lavender and chamomile flowers into an airtight jar, then pour the warm coconut oil over the flowers. Seal and place in a sunny window for 3-4 weeks. If the oil has solidified, gently warm it using a double boiler until just melted. Strain, pour coconut oil into a clean airtight jar, add essential oils, shake, and enjoy!

Method 3: Warm the coconut oil in a crock pot on low (or set it to "warm" if yours has that option), add lavender and chamomile flowers, cover, and allow to steep for 1-2 days. Strain, pour oil into an airtight jar, add essential oils, shake, and enjoy!

Alternative Ingredients and their uses...

Peppermint leaves or oil: helps with digestion/upset stomach, helps ease nausea, helps ease cramping, smells yummy, may irritate skin, usually causes a tingling sensation

Frankincense oil: helps ease cramping, smells nice, anti-inflammatory, good for skin

Lavender oil: eases cramps, eases stress/anxiety and depression

Chamomile oil: anti-inflammatory, eases cramps, eases anxiety/stress and depression

Cramp Bark: just like its name, this is AMAZING for reducing cramping

Raspberry flowers/leaves: eases cramping

Ginger (fresh, powder/grated, or oil): good for digestion, helps ease upset stomach/diarrhea/nausea, test on a small patch of skin first if using oil as it may cause irritation

Sadomasochistic Cycles

I'm firmly convinced that my body is bipolar in the sense that it swings from masochism to sadism.

For the sake of argument, I'm gonna go ahead and stipulate that pregnancy and childbirth are glorious, freaky, awesome, weird miracles. Think about it... Out of nothingness a woman's body produces this thing (an egg) that, with some help from a dude's thing (a sperm) also produced from nothingness, can grow into a living, breathing being with its own consciousness, thoughts, feelings, personality, and abilities.

That said, pregnancy and childbirth wreak havoc on a woman's body. I, being a subscriber to the idea of positive reinforcement, feel that I should not be punished for sparing my body such havoc. And yet, there it is. My body spends 3/4 of the month begging for punishment... "Please, please, please have sexytime! Let's get preggers! Inflict that torture on me! Do it! Do it now!"

Masochist.

Then, when I don't get knocked up, it punishes me for NOT inflicting torture. For at least a week, from hormone induced PMS to the last bloody drop, it's like a coked up, psychotic Dominatrix using every sick toy and implement in her arsenal.

Sadist.

"Monsteration" relief Slushies

Do you feel like a monster when your period rolls around? Or maybe your period IS the monster. Either way, enjoy this delicious, healthy, vegan-option treat to help soothe the savage beast. Measurements are estimated, I just eyeballed everything and went by taste/feel (I'm a full contact cook).

3 cups raspberries
3 cup strawberries
1 cup maple syrup or honey, or ½ cup agave nectar (or just sweeten to taste) - optional
1-2 cups Chocolate chips of your choice or 1 cup shaved chocolate - optional

Blend raspberries, strawberries, and sweetener. Use as is, or strain out seeds (I was lazy). Stir in chocolate if using, pour into molds and freeze. Enjoy during "that time." The strawberries are packed with stuff like vitamin c, potassium (helps with muscle contractions), folate, and fiber, while raspberries are packed with vitamin c, manganese, and fiber (and they are known to help reduce cramping!!!), plus, y'know, chocolate. Store in an airtight container, and they'll last several months in the freezer (three months later, and the first batch I made is still tasty).

My order arrived!

(No, I was not paid for this post, just for the record. Just mentioning an order I was excited about receiving. Originally posted Oct. 25th, 2014 to my regular site.)

I am sooo excited! My package from Precious Stars arrived today!

While I have the skills and materials to make my own reusable cloth pads (and I have made a decent-sized stash already), I still wanted to support this young lady and her small business. I found her YouTube page a few months ago when I was looking for reviews on cups, as the Keeper I'd used for 14 years had to be tossed. Given that they're only supposed to last 10 years, I think 14 is pretty good.

Anywhooo...

Thanks to Bree's tutorials, I designed and created a small stash of pads for myself, which I have now used through three cycles. I've noticed a definite decrease in cramping (I'd say it's about half as bad as it used to be), along with a shorter cycle (now about 4 days, used to be 6-7 days). Plus, y'know, they're reusable, so they're not only environmentally friendly, they're also more economical. In addition, I don't have to worry about TSS, funky chemicals, having a dry/irritated vagina (thanks to tampons absorbing EVERYTHING), or odors (the ONLY odor that I've ever had with my cycle was a result of the chemicals in disposable pads/tampons, and when my Keeper started wearing out, but since switching to bamboo fleece and 100% cotton reusable pads, there is NO odor AT ALL).

Below are pics (front and back) of the pads I ordered. With shipping and the conversion from US dollars to UK pounds at the time my order was placed, these cost me about $24 - not bad considering that in about 2 cycles they will have paid for themselves (based on what I used to spend on pads/tampons every month). This month's cycle has already ended, so I won't get to try these out until next month, but right out of the bag, they are SUPER well made, INCREDIBLY soft, and surprisingly thin.

For those who prefer cups, Bree also sells both MeLuna and Ruby cups, and has done numerous reviews on various cups available in both the US and UK. I highly recommend the silicon cups instead of rubber (e.g., the Keeper), though I did notice that using a cup did not reduce my cramping - your experience may vary.

I'm including the links to her Facebook page, her company website, her YouTube page, and one of her YouTube videos with a side-by-side comparison of her pads vs. disposable pads.

https://www.facebook.com/preciousstarsYT?fref=nf

http://www.preciousstars.net/

https://www.youtube.com/user/preciousstarspads

My switch to reusable pads

Ladies only! This is the first in a series of posts focusing on female body cycles. It will include my own tips, recipes, and methods for coping with and gaining more control over these cycles, some of which may seem controversial. If you choose to try any of these methods, do so at your own risk.  

(Gentlemen, you have been warned...)

(Icky girl talk ahead...)

(Don't say I didn't warn you...)

And away we go!...

For the past 12 years I've been making a much more drastic effort to alter/improve my health, and one of the many changes was the switch from regular menstrual products to something more natural and less costly. At first I purchased a Keeper cup; at the time it was about $30/$35, and though hesitant about dropping so much all at once, after 3 months I realized that it had paid for itself, as I used to spend about $10-$12 a month on stuff at the pharmacy. With thorough cleaning it lasted 14 years, which is 4 years longer than the manufacturer designed, so I'd say it was a solid purchase. After a while, though, the rubber started to wear and it started to smell bad, despite every effort at cleaning (vinegar, baking soda, boiling, and every kind of soap/cleanser I could get my hands on)...it just smelled horrible, like decomposing rubber, and I KNOW it was the cup because my lady bits had no smell whatsoever when the cup was removed (and my bits still don't smell when I have my cycle). So, I decided to toss it out and find something else.

Enter the Instead Softcup. Ugh. To start, it's a bit of cheap plastic bag-type material stuck to a flexible, yet hard plastic ring. The idea is to squeeze the ring closed, insert it and hook it behind the cervix, then hook the front of the ring into the little groove between the G-spot and the cervix, at which point it will spring open, form a seal, and catch the gunk. The problem I encountered, and every other woman I know who has tried that stupid cup, is that my vagina isn't that long. Sure, I can get the back of the ring hooked in behind my cervix, but the front just hangs out and the ring is so large that no amount of prodding and squishing and maneuvering will make the front of that ring hook into place. Which, y'know, totally defeats the purpose, as, instead of catching the gunk, it was just funneling it out. Fun!

Short on cash, and at the recommendation of a friend, I decided to research my options for cups. I came across some YouTube videos reviewing various cups, and kinda got sucked in (Damn you, Youtube!), at which point I found this teenage girl reviewing cups and pads, and demonstrating how to make your own reuseable pads. So, with a little bit of sewing I fashioned a handful of pads to get me through my next cycle. I then bought three pads, two regular/heavy pads, and one overnight pad.

I'm now into my 5th month of using only reusable pads, and while my cycle started getting shorter (from 7 days down to 4) after only 3 months, I still had horrible cramping. Like, doubled over in constant pain, unable to go to work kind of pain. This month has been the first time ever that I've had almost no issues. Two cramps hit the night before it started, and the first two days were crampy, but now I can't feel a thing. Plus, the few cramps I had were not nearly as painful as they have been in the past, which ALSO means that I'm no longer taking tons of pain relievers, so no more ingesting harmful chemicals.

I may end up buying another cup, but for now, I'm incredibly happy with the reusable pads, and I highly recommend making the switch if you have heavy periods and lots of cramping.