5 questions about menstruation to ask your teen
Do you remember when you started menstruating? How did you feel each month prior to, during and after your period?
Getting my period was like a right of passage and I was later to the game than many of my girl friends. I remember when it arrived in grade 8, I was so excited to go down to the office and get the brown paper bag containing a maxi pad! That was the start of my period journey, and to be honest I remember my monthly visitor as not much more than a bit of a nuisance most of my life, but I had many friends, including my sister, who struggled with really heavy flows, migraine headaches, severe cramping and more.
In my days we didn’t talk about terms like PCOS, PMS, PMDD or dysmenorrhea, probably because the internet wasn’t a big thing then. I don’t even remember commercials on tv talking about using tampons or pads for all different flows!
Teens today are growing up in different times and social media plays a major role in their lives. But the message I think we are not getting out to them is that having a monthly period is part of their natural health journey as a woman. It is a passage of life that helps with reproduction in the future (if that is her choice) as well as supporting her bones and brain as she ages.
Typically many Western physicians put teens/young women on birth control pills or IUD (intrauterine device) to mitigate the pain, heavy flows or discomfort related to menstruation, but this is only an artificial fix. There are other ways to support your menstruating teen that can help sync her hormone cycle naturally.
If you notice that your menstruating teenager or grand daughter is having a really hard time each month, talk to them about it. Painful periods are not normal and it may not be the only thing your teen may experience… she may feel anxiety and depression each month that may be compounded by STRESS, overexercising, being too sedentary, not sleeping well, not eating well, having digestive issues and more.
Below are a few simple questions to help you start a conversation and 5 ways to support your menstruating teen!
5 questions to ask your menstruating teen
- How are you feeling right before your period?
Some of the answers may be emotional in nature (sad, anxious, depressed) or physical (headaches, back/abdominal pain, nauseous, digestive issues). - Do you feel better when your period starts?
Some of the answers may be yes or no I feel tired, worse or bloated. - Does your period come every month?
Maybe yes, maybe no…but important to know. - Is your period really heavy and clotted or very light and barely there?
This is important to the overall picture of her period and of vital importance. - How do you feel after your period is done?
Answers might range from fine to really tired and fatigued.
Now that you have started asking some simple questions, here’s some of the things you both should know moving forward…
- Within the first few years of menstruation, the pituitary gland begins to talk to your ovaries, creating a very important connection or pathway of communication
- It can take up to 5 years for this pathway of communication to establish, which may create an imbalance between your sex hormones in the short term, but level out over time
- Progesterone is known to be an anti-anxiety/antidepressant agent, but it can be slow to arrive in the first few years of your menstruation journey, leaving you feeling sad and blue sometimes
- Stress management, restful sleep, good eating habits, limited caffeine, not overexercising or under-exercising can support your body's ability to produce a balanced amount of sex hormones
- Taking the contraception pill in the early years of menstruation (to help cope with pain and heavy bleeding) may disrupt the important endocrine pathway (pituitary/ovaries) - this connection may never be developed properly
- Holistic treatments such as acupuncture, herbs and naturopathic medicine can help you manage and improve the symptoms associated with amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea and everything in between
If you live in Toronto and would like to explore TCM acupuncture or traditional Chinese herbal therapy to treat your teenagers period woes, book an appointment today. If you don’t live in Toronto contact me for a referral to a therapist near you!
5 Ways to support your menstruating teen
- SELF CARE!!! – it is really important that your teenager does some self care during and after her period, this could include resting, doing some light stretching/exercise and getting a good nights sleep
- EAT To NOURISH – this is important during and after her period. Foods that are iron rich such as spinach, sweet potatoes, lentils, beets, liver, fish, meat, poultry can help with the loss of menstrual blood
- STAY ACTIVE – exercise can help support her whole body’s health, it keeps qi flowing and her body strong
- STAY HYDRATED – this helps to nourish her tissues and cells and regulate bowel movements
- REDUCE STRESS – simple ideas include breathing deeply, meditation, walking in nature, self care, yoga, swimming, painting or journalling
How does traditional Chinese medicine look at your period and issues associated with it?
This section of my post will get a little technical when it comes to how traditional Chinese medicine talks about menstruation, but you don’t have to know TCM to begin to understand a bit of why your teenager may be struggling with her monthly menses.
- Tian Gui is the name given to menstrual blood in TCM. It’s considered a precious fluid and the direct manifestation of your kidney essence. This blood is not thought of as the same kind of blood that supports your muscles and tissues.
- The heart governs blood and is directly connected to your uterus (through the Bao Mai channel), supporting the transformation of yang energy to yin and vice versa. This helps to regulate bleeding and ovulation each month. When the heart is impacted by worry, overwork or emotional trauma this can cause anxiety, amenorrhea (no monthly bleed) or irregular periods.
- The uterus is closely related to the kidneys, which supplies vital essence for normal menstruation. If kidney essence is weak your teen may experience irregular menstruation, amenorrhea (no monthly bleed) or infertility down the line.
- The uterus is supplied with blood from the liver as well as a special vessel called the Chong Mai. They both help to regulate menstrual bleeding each month. If liver blood is deficient your teen may experience scanty (very little) bleeding during their period. If liver qi is stagnated this can bring pain, irritability or clotting.
- The uterus can be affected by cold, dampness or heat which can lead to cramping pain, dark clotting, heavy bleeding or irregular bleeding.
TCM recognizes and defines imbalances in the female reproductive system to provide treatment options for practitioners to use to help regulate menstruation.
Getting your teens period back to “normal” is a whole body holistic approach to healing that will always include taking the time to improve upon the things that support and nurture her body every day.
The colour of your period
Thanks to Thomson Chinese medicine clinic for providing such a great visual (see figure 1). This simple colour chart can be helpful for your teen to take notice of, especially if it changes over time.
- If you have a lot of clotting when you menstruate this may be accompanied by stabbing pain, migraines, irritability or anger
- If your bleeding is really heavy and bright red that may be accompanied by excess heat, acne, digestive issues
IF you live in Toronto, come in for some treatment and let’s get to the root of the problem.
So what’s the big take away?
Talk to your teen about her body! Remind her that menstruating is a natural part of being a female, but pain is not.
Seek the help from a health care practitioner, but think holistically…it can get better! And better health will support a better quality of life to come.
Resources:
The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, Giovanni Maciocia, 2nd edition
Rushing Woman’s Syndrome, Libby Weaver
www.thomsontcm.sg/articles/what-the-colour-of-your-period-tells-about-your-health-and-fertility/
www.sydneynaturalfertility.com/bao-mai
https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2023/09/18/no-more-just-deal-with-it-helping-teens-have-easier-periods/
Cindy is the owner of the Women’s Health Centre. She is a registered acupuncturist, certified Pilates instructor, holistic nutritionist and a foodie. She works with her patients to support their whole body health, emphasizing self care, living a positive life and nourishing the body and mind.
Cindy is the owner/creator of My Fit Over 50, a website dedicated to health of women through menopause.
