[SAFESPACE] Woman Thread - All Things Women. Period.

[meridian]

Whee! I started yesterday.

[lucrezaborgia]

Have they tried diflucan at all???

Was this towards me? Diflucan is an antifungal, not effective for bacterial vaginosis. I had diflucan multiple times against the usual thrush side-effect of the antibiotic courses. Possibly also another antifungal at some point, but I don't remember well.

Really? I've had it multiple times for yeast infections.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000119/

"Fluconazole injection is used to treat fungal infections, including yeast infections of the mouth, throat, esophagus (tube leading from the mouth to the stomach), abdomen (area between the chest and waist), lungs, blood, and other organs. Fluconazole is also used to treat meningitis (infection of the membranes covering the brain and spine) caused by fungus. Fluconazole is also used to prevent yeast infections in patients who are likely to become infected because they are being treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy before a bone marrow transplant (replacement of unhealthy spongy tissue inside the bones with healthy tissue). Fluconazole is in a class of antifungals called triazoles. It works by slowing the growth of fungi that cause infection."

[Griffin]

If Diflucan is an antifungal, then of course it would work for yeast infections. All yeast species are fungal, not bacteria. I was under the impression was that her problem was bacterial in nature, not fungal, and thus it wouldn't help.

[Shro]

To also be noted:
Bacterial Vaginosis is one thing. Vaginal Yeast infections (the oral form is generally known as thrush) are another. A UTI is a urinary tract infection. Bacterial Vaginosis is usually an imbalance of bacteria in the microflora of the female reproductive tract, there's certain kinds of bacteria that grow too much. Contrast that to a yeast infection, which also starts with an imbalance of microflora, but this time, it's yeast that grows too much. Yeast is a fungus, thus gets treated with an antifungal, like monistat (topical), or diflucan (oral). Bacterial Vaginosis is usually treated with antibiotics.

Also to be noted:
Pfizer is recalling a specific brand of birth control pills.

"The problem affects 14 lots of Lo/Ovral-28 tablets and 14 lots of generic Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol tablets. Both products are manufactured by Pfizer and marketed in the U.S. by Akrimax Rx Products under the Akrimax Pharmaceuticals brand."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/ ... siness_pop

[lucrezaborgia]

Ah got it! Sorry.

[Cathy]

Jumping on the shark week bandwagon!

Will it be cool or just creepy if all our cycles sync up?

It would be pretty hilarious if our cycles synced up. Mine still starts around the 22nd, give or take 5 days.

[poxic]

Mine just sort of wanders around, doing whatever it feels like, whenever it wants. Always has, and by now that's not going to change.

I do NOT look forward to going through menopause (just had my first few baby hot flashes last year). I do very much look forward to being on the other side of it.

[existential_squirrrel]

curses... shark week came to visit- EARLY!! dammit >.<

not to mention that the weather decided to change, and my body isn't handling that well at all.
sick, tired, achy, and feeling stupid. I broke my glasses this morning and only just now figured out how to put the screw back in its proper place.

[Aaeriele]

the prospect of bridal gown shopping is simultaneously exciting and terrifying.

[cephalopod9]

I just started on birth control pills, and didn't even think about planning when my periods are (supposed to) going to be. I took the first one last Friday, so... somewhere around the 17th?

But actually Shark Week is happening now, also all of the time! I'm going to complain now*. (with explicit language, and details that offend one's better sensibilities)

Spoiler:

I talked to a doctor and got a prescription of Apri- (which still looks like an abbreviation, but isn't) so I'm wondering what I did/said differently this time than the other times when I went in for the same reasons and did not get a prescription. (I did get sonogrammed, and most probably don't have PCOS)
I was trying to say the same thing, "I'm having really heavy, irregular periods", but I don't know how well that got across, and I might not have gone into enough detail. Irregular is a vague description, and I'm still not sure if I said everything I should have.
I said "fleshy" a couple times. I feel like if that sorta thing was an imminent concern, I would have gotten some questions, but maybe I should have hollered more about the gobs of tissue that sometimes drop out of my lady business.
I did start keeping a period calender, so when getting asked about my last period I was less "How should I know?" and more "yes, the days with red corners are menstruation days".

Blood has pretty much been comin' out of my every day since the 13th, and 2 1/2 weeks of December before that.
It was mostly stopped around Saturday after I took the first pill, but since Tuesday has been getting heavier again. This stuff is a little different than the perioding that was happening before, so I think the pill is doing something. I'm really sick of the bleeding.
I want it to stop.

There was also just a little bit of cramping, and a few moments where my nipples hurt. Barely noticeable, except for the part where it would actually be kind of a bummer for my boobs to get bigger, and that could be a thing.

Also: Eczema.

I got diagnosed with it at age 6 or 7. It's never been serious, just a bummer to have. (like in highschool, when it attacked my eyelids). These past couple years, it's only been noticeable when I let my hands get dried out, or something.
But,
Since Friday, I've been just a tiny bit extra itchy, and I've got this flaky patch off the side of my eyebrow that I'm pretty sure wasn't there before.
So I'm a little anxious the new hormones are going to make eczema explode all over my skin.
And guess what?
Anxiety makes my eczema flare up.

Augh. Also, gosh darn, confound it.
here's hoping that obnoxious rant helps me be less pointlessly nervous.

*pay no attention to me, I don't have real problems, everything is fine.

[dragon]

The asterisk sounds like you think this is trivial/not worth complaining about. I heartily disagree. Speak to your doctor. Even without the (possibly anxiety-induced) eczema flare-up, the ongoing bleeding is plenty of reason to get shifted onto an alternative pill, pronto.
Changing pills to try to get a less unpleasant side-effect profile is pretty common.
Oops, I think I misread. Six days in. I'm not sure if that's long enough for evaluation. Less helpful! (I still think your ranting is totally valid though.)

[PictureSarah]

the prospect of bridal gown shopping is simultaneously exciting and terrifying.

I recommend going shopping and trying on different styles to find out what basic style looks great on you, and then hitting up Etsy or a local seamstress to make something that will be *just right.*

[Shro]

I just started on birth control pills, and didn't even think about planning when my periods are (supposed to) going to be. I took the first one last Friday, so... somewhere around the 17th?

But actually Shark Week is happening now, also all of the time! I'm going to complain now*. (with explicit language, and details that offend one's better sensibilities)

Spoiler:

I talked to a doctor and got a prescription of Apri- (which still looks like an abbreviation, but isn't) so I'm wondering what I did/said differently this time than the other times when I went in for the same reasons and did not get a prescription. (I did get sonogrammed, and most probably don't have PCOS)
I was trying to say the same thing, "I'm having really heavy, irregular periods", but I don't know how well that got across, and I might not have gone into enough detail. Irregular is a vague description, and I'm still not sure if I said everything I should have.
I said "fleshy" a couple times. I feel like if that sorta thing was an imminent concern, I would have gotten some questions, but maybe I should have hollered more about the gobs of tissue that sometimes drop out of my lady business.
I did start keeping a period calender, so when getting asked about my last period I was less "How should I know?" and more "yes, the days with red corners are menstruation days".

Blood has pretty much been comin' out of my every day since the 13th, and 2 1/2 weeks of December before that.
It was mostly stopped around Saturday after I took the first pill, but since Tuesday has been getting heavier again. This stuff is a little different than the perioding that was happening before, so I think the pill is doing something. I'm really sick of the bleeding.
I want it to stop.

There was also just a little bit of cramping, and a few moments where my nipples hurt. Barely noticeable, except for the part where it would actually be kind of a bummer for my boobs to get bigger, and that could be a thing.

Also: Eczema.

I got diagnosed with it at age 6 or 7. It's never been serious, just a bummer to have. (like in highschool, when it attacked my eyelids). These past couple years, it's only been noticeable when I let my hands get dried out, or something.
But,
Since Friday, I've been just a tiny bit extra itchy, and I've got this flaky patch off the side of my eyebrow that I'm pretty sure wasn't there before.
So I'm a little anxious the new hormones are going to make eczema explode all over my skin.
And guess what?
Anxiety makes my eczema flare up.

Augh. Also, gosh darn, confound it.
here's hoping that obnoxious rant helps me be less pointlessly nervous.

*pay no attention to me, I don't have real problems, everything is fine.

Period calendars are a wonderful idea. I've tried downloading every single app for that I could find, but nothing really comes close to what I'd like. I bolded a couple of things in your post, first of all, nipple/breast tenderness, cramping, spotting are all issues that you should probably keep track of if you're willing. How is the flow you're experiencing different that your normal period flow? Gobs of tissue are usually not something to worry about.

If you start on hormonal birth control, and the symptoms it gives you were worse that the reason you went on in in the first place (this may take a cycle or two to figure out), then do not fret about getting your butt to the doctor and asking for a different type of birth control.

[cephalopod9]

Yeah, it hasn't been a full week yet, and things aren't worse than they were before. I figure at this point changing medication would take as long, if not longer to see the effects of that, than to give this one more time to run its course. I wasn't expecting it to be an instant fix or anything.

Period calendars are a wonderful idea. I've tried downloading every single app for that I could find, but nothing really comes close to what I'd like.

What sort of thing are you looking for?
I have "Period Tracker! (lite)", don't quite remember how it's listed in the app store.

This one gives you a calender, and for each day it has a space to type things in, 3 options, "period started", "period ended" and "intimate today" to turn on and off, then a list of symptoms to set as high, medium or low, a place to pick your mood for the day.
It works for me because it lets me look serious using my iPod touch; "yay, you have symptoms, you get to play with your tiny computer".

I try to be vigilant about making notes of things, but it's not super precise because it only breaks things down by the day, and I do shy away from graphic details just a little out of concern that someone else might see it.

Another thing is that I'm not 100% of how to differentiate between "menstruating" and "spotting". I have what's happening now down as "spotting" because

Spoiler:

it's fairly light (just enough to ruin clothes, not enough to quite use up a regular-day pad) and there was a break in the bleeding. but it's never been super clear to me, especially since it's been a long while since my cycle has actually been predictable cycle.

Also,
I started an iron supplement (I got Ferrous Fumarate, instead of Ferrous Sulphate, but I can't find any info on there being a difference in effectiveness).
While looking for info on whether or not the pill could agitate my eczema, I found at least one person claiming that the hormones deplete B vitamins. I'm having a hard time finding reliable information on the topic, Does any know if that makes sense? Or have advice on picking a good multi-vitamin?

[DSenette]

for period tracking my wife uses cyclepages.com (or something to that effect) sends her an email a week before Shark Week. as long as she keeps the service updated with her actual cycle info it's pretty darned accurate.

[sophyturtle]

I also use the cyclespage.com Have been since 2009 I guess, and it is kind cool to see the bar graph of how long each cycle was. Also, yes, you can set up reminders.
I like it.

[lucrezaborgia]

I'm using the MyDays app for tracking periods and whatnot...tho with my luck I'll probably end up pregnant before I can get much use out of it.

[existential_elevator]

I've been using monthly info and myDays. I uh... don't really like either. Monthly info is good, but... well, I just wonder if anything out there is better at giving predictions to someone who is pretty irregular. Like: a worst case scenario prediction on either side of where you should be. That would be really useful.

[Isotope_238]

I used to use some period-tracker website, but I don't remember which one. I think I figured that there was no way to predict when the next one would show, so red dots on a calendar and small notes would suffice for record keeping.

So! I made it to Germany! With only some motion-sickness to mar the beginning of my study-abroad adventure!

I think Shark Week is jet-lagged. I didn't know that was even possible; I've always assumed that the volume of flow depended more on level of activity, but it's apparently dependent on my internal clock. I'm hardly bleeding during the day, but at night, it's like I'm staging an axe murder in my pants (other euphemism I use regularly: the Red Screen of Death). That is not what normally happens.
Also, asking my female professor about the vocabulary for sanitary products: less awkward than I expected. Tampons or Binden for tampons or pads, and the euphemism for having Shark Week is "Ich habe meine Tage," for the curious.

[Ashlah]

So I decided to try skipping my periods for a while. I successfully skipped one, and went the whole three weeks after without spotting, until today. Spoiler for slight TMI:

Spoiler:

Sexy times coaxed out some old brown blood.

Tomorrow is the start of a week of placebo pills, and now I don't know whether my body is trying to have a period, or if I should keep taking active pills and hope that was a one-off thing. This is the only reason I don't like skipping periods. The random spotting is almost more annoying than a whole period, only because it's unsuspected. I guess I'll just see what happens today, and decide what to do based on that. It might just be that my body is only capable of skipping one period at a time (at least on these particular pills).

[semicharmed]

I think Shark Week is jet-lagged. I didn't know that was even possible; I've always assumed that the volume of flow depended more on level of activity, but it's apparently dependent on my internal clock. I'm hardly bleeding during the day, but at night, it's like I'm staging an axe murder in my pants (other euphemism I use regularly: the Red Screen of Death). That is not what normally happens.

When I first arrived in Ukraine, I started spotting at the airport (right on schedule) in DC and then... nothing for about a week. And then when shark week properly arrived, it was floodgates. Or as I was referring to it, like my vag was playing an extra in Kill Bill.

That was also my first shark week post-IUD, so I was unprepared for the change in the... distribution. Especially for the first 6 months or so, it wasn't that I was bleeding more so much as it seemed to all be coming out at one. Occasionally in chunks. The divacup I ordered that October (IUD was put in in March) was probably the best $30 I ever spent.

[suffer-cait]

So I decided to try skipping my periods for a while. I successfully skipped one, and went the whole three weeks after without spotting, until today. Spoiler for slight TMI:

Spoiler:

Sexy times coaxed out some old brown blood.

Tomorrow is the start of a week of placebo pills, and now I don't know whether my body is trying to have a period, or if I should keep taking active pills and hope that was a one-off thing. This is the only reason I don't like skipping periods. The random spotting is almost more annoying than a whole period, only because it's unsuspected. I guess I'll just see what happens today, and decide what to do based on that. It might just be that my body is only capable of skipping one period at a time (at least on these particular pills).

if i'm skipping periods, i try to plan a time to have a period. so maybe i have one every 6 weeks instead. this makes me spot less, and i just don't like the idea of having dried blood inside me.

[Cassi]

Things that are annoying: immediately after coming back from my break at work and therefore unable to go to the toilet, feeling Shark Week starting...

Things that are less annoying: Shark Week starting earlier than expected in the week before seeing the boy, meaning it will hopefully be out of the way before visiting instead of starting while I'm there!

[Sungura]

late to the party but my shark week was 31st - 4th this cycle (longer than normal with my t-bird but still light spotting for mostpart so acceptable) so some of us are magical internet-synched, ha!

[mayhaps]

this may be a dumb question, but how does menstrual syncing work? if it works how I'm thinking it works, I'm confused as to why the whole world of women isn't on the same cycle... if I sync with my roommate but my roommate syncs with me AND her colleague, but her colleague is synced with their sister... etc etc... then wouldn't we ALL be synced by now?? (and yes a decent google search might help out with this more but I don't have time!)

also, I get to go to a viennese ball this week. so.excited! fancy dresses, dancing, and my boy even got me elbow-length black gloves! wheee!

[PAstrychef]

There's this idea that pheromones will cause a woman's cycle to match up with that of other women nearby. The evidence for it is scanty and anecdotal. I suspect, that to the extent it happens at all, there is an exposure threshold so that people who are just work colleagues don't automatically come into synch.
Have not looked up any experimental data at all.

[Virtual_Aardvark]

Selection bias also plays a part. When I say to a coworker "Ugh, Shark Week started yesterday." and she responds "Gee Willikers! Mine started today!" the usual conclusion is "Gee Willikers! We synced up!" This doesn't take into account my other three coworkers who aren't on their periods and therefore didn't feel like chiming in.

[poxic]

There has been research, though I only vaguely recall reading about it some years ago. (They had various people swab their armpits with cotton, then wiped that cotton on their test subjects' upper lips, among other methods. Ick.)

The sync'ing doesn't really work with less than eight hours' close exposure to other women -- for example, sleeping dormitory-style is most likely to do it. Some women will set the cycle and some will follow. That's as much as I remember. I'll see if I can dig up more.

[Chandani]

Here's a link to a blog post about the subject. It has citations for the studies mentioned, if you want to look at them.
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/con ... synchrony/

(Note: I really like this blog. She focuses on women in science and the issues which surrounds it as well as the female reproductive system)

[poxic]

Hmm, perhaps my foggy recollections are foggier than I thought. An interesting read. Thanks!

[bluebambue]

Anecdotal evidence:
I was on a trip with 7 other women for 5 weeks. The first week in, after everyone was spending time together for almost all of the day, 5 of us started within 4-ish days of each other. The remaining two (one of which was on birth control) were together midway through. Then, near the end, the group of 5 started on the same day.

I'm a believer in synching, whether it's because of hormones/scent or because of the psychology of belief.

[eaglewings51]

On the subject of syncing, everthing I have heard and read says that it usually only happens if you're living with the person(s) for some length of time.

On the topic of shark week but kind of off-topic,

Spoiler:

has anyone ever used a menstrual cup? I seem to remember seeing posts about them a few (or a few hundred!) pages back but don't feel like digging through some 600-odd pages to find it. I got fed up with Shark Week this last time. It started about one day before my boyfriend's family came up to visit. So that whole weekend, I'm going to be out and about with my boyfriend and his family while on Shark Week. On top of that, I was out of pantiliners and couldn't get to the store so I either had to use the super big over-night pads to catch any leaks or wear no pad and cross my fingers that the tampon wouldn't leak. Also, I don't carry a purse so I was carrying spare tampons in the cell-phone pocket on my coat. Which makes for awkward moments when you're sitting in a restaurant. Hmm, do I carry my coat to the bathroom and look weird? Or do I try to slyly slip a tampon up my shirt/jacket sleeve to hide it while I walk to the bathroom? Anyway, fed up, I started researching cups again (I had researched them a few months before but never ordered one because I couldn't find a site I trusted) and bought a Divacup from REI. I tried it even though I wasn't on Shark Week anymore. It was painful to put it in and painful to take it out. While it was in, though, it was more comfortable then a tampon! I couldn't feel it and there was no string hanging out. I'm hoping it gets less painful with practice. I'm not giving up yet because reportedly, you can wear them for up to 12 hours! That would be amazing! Also, no more running out of tampons and pads and not being able to get to the store.

[sophyturtle]

I have the Keeper and I love it. I have been using it for a while, and have heavy flows so it saves me a ton of money. Also, it is pretty easy to use. My only issue is that after many days of having to empty it every 2 hours I can get a little sore (mine has a rim around the top and I have not figured out how to properly fold this in while taking it out so it rubs and eventually is irritating.)

[Enuja]

I have and love my cup! Here is the super-useful livejournal menstrual cups group, although I can never find the really useful pages complied over time by experienced folks without direct links or searches. What fold are you using? I use the punch-down, and it's perfect for me. Here's the fold post with pictures.

[KestrelLowing]

I've got the Diva cup and I LOVE it. I also initially had a bit of pain putting it in, and switching to the push down style helped a bit. Also, practice makes perfect.

And, perhaps TMI:

Spoiler:

during Shark Week, you're usually a bit more lubed up, so for me it's not as painful to insert because it's just that much easier to insert

Sometimes when I'm 'tight' it's still uncomfortable but it's a moment of discomfort for a sooo much better period and not having to worry about leaking too much (I still put a pantyliner on as I'm paranoid, but I don't need it)

[eaglewings51]

And, perhaps TMI:

Spoiler:

during Shark Week, you're usually a bit more lubed up, so for me it's not as painful to insert because it's just that much easier to insert

Yea, that's what I've been told.

And I have been using the punch-down because it makes the end smaller at first so it's easier to insert.

[Cassi]

I use the 7 fold because I found sometimes the punch down wouldn't pop open very easily. I've had my cup for about three and a half years now and would definitely never go back. I actually have 2 now, after losing one and buying a replacement, which of course meant I immediately found the original one...but as I'd had it 3 years at that point, it was a more than worthwhile investment regardless so I didn't really mind getting the new one.

[eaglewings51]

What is the 7 fold? Is that different from the other one (folding in half) besides the punch down that they mention in the instructions?

[AnnaArmour]

I have a mooncup, and I'd totally recommend it. There's definitely a learning curve, but it gets easier. Plus, it's much cheaper than tampons/pads in the long run.
I use the triangle fold, shown here at 0:50. For removal, I use a finger to flatten it into a c shape, then pull it out by the stem. In general, I've found the rip-off-the-bandaid approach to be best. If you try to ease it in or out, it'll unfold halfway through.

[Cassi]

What is the 7 fold? Is that different from the other one (folding in half) besides the punch down that they mention in the instructions?

It's in the fold post Enuja linked to.

When I actually think about it, I'm not quite sure how I take it out...I think I do a sort of c shape thing and just angle one side out first? I don't really think about it anymore though, it's just whatever seems right (and it can vary a bit depending on how full it is, I think).