There are so many misconceptions about periods and even talking about periods is often considered taboo, which leads to a lot of girls and young women afraid to ask questions or ask for advice. This leads to a lot of confusion for both men and women. Here are 10 misconceptions about menstrual cycles.
1. You can turn it on/off just like a faucet.
Nope, that is not how it works at all. You cannot control when your period starts or stops.
2. Everyone with a period menstruates at the same time.
Believe it or not, women aren't like werewolves, aka we don't all start our periods when there's a full moon.
3. If you always eat clean, you'll never have a period.
No matter how much lettuce and broccoli I eat, I'll still get my period every month.
4. You never know when it's coming, so you could become like the Niagara Falls at any given moment.
A lot of people like to use period tracking apps so they have a heads up and can prepare. If you're on birth control, however, you'll be able to track your period that way, too. Most people know roughly when their cycle will begin unless you have irregular periods.
5. You get to choose when your period starts.
I can't choose whether or not I want it to start on Monday and end on Wednesday, that isn't how it works. It happens whenever it wants to, usually around the same time of each month.
6. Cramps are the equivalent to a stomach ache.
During a period, a woman's uterus will shed its lining by contracting. Cramps vary by each individual, but generally, cramps feel like an uncomfortable tightening feeling felt in the lower abdomen and in the lower back. Cramps can cause a stomach ache as well as nausea or vomiting.
7. The only thing women want when they're on their period is chocolate.
Some women love to eat everything in sight when they're on their period, but not all women. Throwing a girl a chocolate bar and walking away isn't a good solution... or a solution at all.
8. Any woman who is mad, annoyed, or irritated is automatically on her period.
Chances are if she's upset with you, you probably did something stupid and she more than likely has a reason to be upset with you.
9. Women always wear a feminine hygiene product just in case it shows up unexpectedly.
Similarly to #4, most people do know when they are going to begin their cycle, so wearing a pad or tampon 24/7 is unnecessary.
10. Tampons shouldn't be free because women should learn how to control their bladders.
I don't even know where to start with this. It's important that you know that a woman's bladder does not control their period. Hormones in the body cause ovaries to release one egg and the lining that was shed from the uterus, thus creating the menstrual cycle once a month. The bladder has nothing to do with a menstrual cycle.
