connected to her cycle…no moodiness or PMS, no cramps, no bloating, no food cravings, nothing. Huh? Can this be accurate? How can some of us be so HIGHLY effected, and others not at all? Is it that some women are unaware of the effects of their cycles or is there really such a discrepancy amongst menstrual cycles?My best friend S and I fall into the highly effected category. We both experience severe moodiness, emotionally charged fits of unexplainable crying, breast swelling, cramps, bloating…the whole nine. We have discussed over the years how many women we know that are not in tune with their cycles. These women admittedly are not sure when they ovulate, and generally do not seem to recognize the signs their bodies send them to note which portion of their cycle they are in. Our friend Em clearly gets moody, but doesn’t realize that she is pre-menstrual. We know it, but she doesn’t.
S and I are very familiar with our own cycles. We have even developed our own terminology to define different parts. Some examples of this are: Good Guy Week and Bad Guy Week. These terms have nothing to do with guys, as in men. We refer to ourselves as either Good Guys or Bad Guys depending on the emotional state of the week. We are two menstrual superheroes. We fight the good fight for half the month with the likes of
Wonder Woman in the Hall of Justice, and then cross over to the dark side to join forces with the Legion of Doom.There is a clearly defined happy-go-lucky, yet very productive week within both of our cycles. There is also a very emotional, unproductive, tired and moody week for both of us. The in-between weeks tend to be a slightly downscaled version of the following week. There is the Week Before Bad Guy Week, which is bad, but not the worst of it. Then, there is the Week Before Good Guy Week, which is good, but it will get much better. We speak in terms of our menstrual cycles on a regular basis. I had a job interview, and thank goodness it fell during Good Guy Week! Can you drive tonight because I am in Bad Guy Week and I just can’t handle it!!! S gets severe skin reactions during Bad Guy Week. I get a scar under my lip that disappears and reappears every month. When I was younger, I thought it was a pimple. It is not a pimple. It is clearly a scar. For most of the month it is nowhere to be found. Then, bingo, it shows up. I also get muscle spasms in my upper left back, an old injury from a car accident, only during Bad Guy Week. Never feel it otherwise. S needs chocolate during Bad Guy Week. I need WHOLE BAG. It doesn’t have to be chocolate, just a WHOLE BAG o’ something. Feel free to fill in the blank with Oreo’s, Extra Cheddar Goldfish, Turtle Flavored Chex Mix, or all of the above.
When I was younger, it was harder for me to identify the signs of my cycle. I was definitely a nasty cat for part of the month. My mother would always say that horrible line to me, “You must be getting your period”. That one sentence was enough to throw everything into overdrive. You want a bitch, now you got a bitch! I would be extra nasty to her, and whomever else wanted to challenge me at that time. Everyone, that is, except for my brother. I can remember several occasions when my brother would call me out on it, “Why are you being such a bitch?”. OUCH! That would be all it took for me to gather up my nasty and tuck it away for a bit. He called me out on my behavior, instead of defining my period as an excuse for treating him badly. It is no excuse. I know that now. It is still not always easy to STOP the MADNESS when it takes effect. I have to do a lot of explaining when I am in Bad Guy Week. Look, I am pre-menstrual so I don’t know why I am crying right now. I am fine though. -OR- It is best if we just don’t hang out tonight because I don’t want to be mean to you, but I am not sure how not to right now.Without consulting a calendar, I can predict when I am ovulating based upon how I feel. You know, it is those days when you feel like the prettiest little flower in the garden. Hormonal dip the other way? I am the fattest, ugliest piece of whale dung on the planet. About to get my period… I may have the one and only urge to clean or organize something in my house. It’s just like the nesting thing that pregnant ladies get. My entire month is ruled by my reproductive system.
I am SO effected by my menstrual cycle.
Are you?
1 comment:
I remember reading once how important it is to know your cycle so that you can specifically plan important activities around it. I try to do that as much as possible & I have found it really helps. When I can't I make sure that I can compenstae in some other way like getting extra sleep or doing something else that I need, even if it is a bag of cookies!
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