Do you remember the first time you got your period?
Cause I do.
I was 11 years old, strutting the streets of New York City for the first time wearing white shorts and pigtails.
I was having pain in my side, but I ignored it.
Then I went to the bathroom and noticed this brown discharge on my underwear that I had never seen before.
That’s when it hit me: I got my period.
What then proceeds from that moment on has been countless painful periods, midnight pad runs, and the internal fight I have every time someone tells me to take Midol for the pain or that I am being too emotional.
If you have a period, then I am sorry.
I don’t mean it in an “I’m sorry you have a period” type of way.
I mean it in an “I’m sorry that for years you weren’t properly taught how to enjoy your period. Or at least make it less miserable.”
PMS symptoms make menstruators feel like they are losing their fucking minds and makes life feel dull, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
After 11 years of having my period, I have stumbled upon some tips and tricks that help make my period manageable and, dare I say enjoyable?
#1) Drink tea
Drinking tea sounds like it’s too simple to help but hear me out. You can’t just drink any old tea from the store. You have to drink some special type of shit.
I learned about this tea from Tiktok, and it’s called red raspberry leaf tea.
Many menstruators claim that it helps them with their period pain and even shortens their periods.
But while this is a good option, if you are willing to take it a step further, I highly recommend that you go to Etsy and type in the search bar “period tea.”
A bunch of loose-leaf tea options will pop up, and I recommend picking one and buying a small sample pack.
I am telling you this is the best option if you can do it. The teas are hand-made and have a mixture of other herbs that support the reproductive system.
Some herbs include chamomile, yarrow, hibiscus, cramp bark & many more.
Not all teas have the same herbs, but all the herbs are there to help ease the pain.
Be sure to read the reviews.
Plus, you’ll be supporting a small business; what better way to feel better on your period than by doing that.
My favorite store to buy tea from on Etsy is the BohemianTeaPeddler.
The tea they sell for periods is called “Mooncycle Herbal Tea.”
It’s become a staple in my daily life.
It induced my period, making it come one week earlier than it was supposed to.
This was great because I was leaving for a trip the next week, and I did not want to sit on a plane for 4 hours with a pad on.
So thank you, BohemianTeaPeddler.
As for my PMS symptoms, they were next to nothing.
So if you can, give it a try.
P.S. Talk to your doctor to be sure that it’s okay that you take these herbs and that they won’t interfere with any medication you are taking.
Related Article: Birth Control Episode 1: The Pill [The Basics YOU Need To Know]
#2) Orgasm, orgasm, orgasm
Do you know how you are horny during your period?
Yeah, well, you can blame the fluctuating hormones for that.
Isn’t it odd that the time of the month where we feel our less attractive is the time of the month that we want to get it on the most?
Anyways, there is a bunch of research showing that orgasms can help reduce menstrual cramps and any other pain you experience during your period.
Cramping happens because the uterus is contracting to shed its lining. It is causing these muscles to be in a contracted state. When you have an orgasm, the uterine muscles contract and release, causing some relief.
It releases the muscle tension and then triggers the release of endorphins, oxytocin and dopamine, making the whole experience the best over-the-counter period pain relief you can get.
Moreover, orgasms can cause your period to be shorter due to the same muscle contractions because it is helping the uterus shed quicker by contracting more.
Lastly, you should take advantage of the fact that the vagina and vulva are swollen up with all this extra blood.
Thus making you feel extra sensitive down under making the experience more intense.
So grab your vibrator or partner and get down and nasty to surf the crimson wave.
#3) Hot Bath with Epsom Salt
Now you may be thinking, won’t my period blood get everywhere?
And the answer is no…at least not in my experience.
I thought this would happen, but it didn’t, so now I take a hot bath on the 3rd day of my period.
Why?
Because it makes me feel good.
It helps me relax, and I feel like I am being wrapped in a warm blanket, but I get to be naked.
It also helps relieve any period pain I am dealing with such as cramps or backaches.
Plus, you can make a fucking evening out of it.
Here’s how I do it:
- I tell everyone in my house (I live with my parents) that I am taking a bath and shouldn’t disturb me.
- Then I lock my bathroom door
- I get mostly naked (leaving the underwear on until the water is ready)
- Turn the facet to the warm setting to fill up the bathtub
- Do a face & hair mask
- Pour in the Epsom salt
- Take off my underwear and get in
- Then I soak for 20 minutes.
Sometimes I watch a show, listen to music, or affirmations on Youtube.
It feels like I am taking a moment for myself.
You can also combine this tip with tip #2 and masturbate in the bathtub.
It’s great because don’t have to worry about cleanup, and you are already in a relaxed state of mind.
Just be sure to keep it down if you live with your parents like me!
Related Article: 4 Things I Wish I Knew Before Buying My First Sex Toy!
#4) Lay a towel down before going to sleep
I just started doing this tip last year.
So I have a heavy period and usually have to double up on pads at night to ensure there aren’t any leaks.
Some times it worked, other times not so much. I guess I move around a lot in my sleep.
So I had a lightbulb go off in my head and thought it would be a great idea to take a hand towel and put it in my sleeping shorts.
So the layers are pads, underwear, and then a hand towel.
I placed the hand towel vertically in my shorts. That night I went to bed looking like I was wearing a diaper, but I didn’t care because as long as my bedsheets and mattress weren’t stained in the morning, I was a winner.
And guess what?
I woke up a winner.
My period didn’t stain my sheets, and the hand towel caught any blood that passed the pads.
I now do this every time I have my period.
I finally have peace of mind knowing that my $200 mattress and $20 Amazon sheets were saved from the wrath of my uterus.
But if wearing a hand towel in your shorts to go to sleep is not for you, but you are still worried about staining your sheets, you can try adult diapers.
Many menstruators have said that it’s the best investment they’ve made, so it could be worth a try.
Bonus: Feel Your Emotions
Let it out.
I know people call menstruators overly emotional on their period, and guess what? For some of us, it’s true, and we should not feel any shame for that.
It’s not us.
It’s our hormones.
So if you feel like crying, screaming, laughing all in one minute, then do it.
We are literally bleeding from our private parts, and society expects us to carry on like it’s nothing.
I am tired of that and refuse to do it anymore.
If anything pretending like you aren’t in pain or sad during your period is anti-feminist, we are not about that here.
So feel your emotions because they are valid.
Periods don’t need to suck
It is sad that we have pushed periods to the back burner and pretended that they don’t exist when they are a significant part of people’s lives.
If we could learn how to live happily with our periods, we wouldn’t be so miserable.
So when your next period comes, take the time to try different pain relief methods.
Explore other options because you no longer need to suffer in silence.
