5 Menstruation Myths Debunked
Dr. Silvia Prieto, MD, MPH grew up hearing old wives tales about the menstrual cycle. So she’s not alarmed when parents visit her with concerns about their daughter’s possibly loosing their virginity to a tampon.
As a physician and Area Health Officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, she’s had numerous parents reach out to her with concerns regarding the topic. But as the doctor explains, this and other similar urban myths are nothing more than wrong information being passed from generation to generation.
Through her practice, she encourages parents to have an honest and open conversation about puberty with their children, and for them to reach out to their doctors if they need clarification about the topic. Below, she demystifies some of the most popular myths she’s heard and explains why young girls and their parents should understand that menstruation is a natural process.
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First myth: “Cramps are something you have to deal with and there’s nothing you can do about them”
Dr. Silvia Prieto, MD, MPH: There are a few things you can do to lessen the pain of cramps. Some women, for example, feel better by placing a warm compress on their stomach area. Most of them also find that taking non-steroidal medicines such as Motrin, Aleve and Advil, lessen and sometimes eliminate their cramps. Others find that birth control pills also reduce severity of their cramps and lighten their flow.
Second myth: “You’ll faint if you exercise during menstruation”
Dr. Prieto: Not necessarily. If you were to lose a lot of blood and have clots during your menstruation, you may become anemic. Very rarely though and if a woman has a heavy period and other health issues, she can feel dizzy and potentially faint. But teens can lessen their chance of becoming anemic or lightheaded by eating well and staying active all of the time- including when they are menstruating.
Third myth: “Don’t use tampons because you might shove them too far in and cause them to get lost”
Dr. Prieto: Tampons cannot be “lost”. The vagina has “pockets” that surround the bottom of the uterus so tampons can potentially be pushed too far into the vagina that the string is not visible or becomes detached. But given the case, all you need to do is stick your fingers into your vagina and pull it out, or see a gynecologists so that he or she can take it out for you.
Fourth myth: “If your menstrual cycle begins at a young age, it means that you’ve done something bad”
Dr. Prieto: Puberty is due to changes in your hormone levels. It’s something completely natural and it is not a result of having done something bad.
Fifth myth: “If you use a tampon it means you are no longer a virgin”
Dr. Prieto: This is certainly not true. A virgin is someone that has not had sexual intercourse, and using a tampon has absolutely nothing to do with this.
According to Dr. Nieto, another main concern of parents whose children are going through puberty is in regards to the attention they might receive from the opposite sex. She states that the best way to deal with the new attention is to be aware of the physical changes and understand that they are part of a natural process. “A person should always seek to have healthy relationships with both boys and girls,” she adds. ”Males might be attracted to the new physical changes in a young lady, but a female should not avoid the opposite sex due to these changes because the changes are perfectly healthy.”
So now that Dr. Nieto has helped rid our minds from false information, let’s accept menstruation for what it is- a natural physical process- and move on with our daily routine. And I know you may be thinking “how can I move on with my daily routine when I’m on my period?!” Well ladies, it’s much easier than it may seem to you right now, but with the help of Dr. Nieto once again, you’ll be able to run, skip, and swim worry-free even when on your period. But that’s another monster to tackle so stay tuned for next week when our doctor slash bff helps us take the necessary precautions in order to avoid any embarrassing situations when Mother Nature pays you her monthly visit.
This post is also available in: Spanish
