It has occurred to me, while sitting here, hunched over in absolute agony that there are very few things that feel worse than periods in the moment to most women. A staggering percentage of anywhere between 16-91% of women will at some point experience period pain and the discomfort that comes from the uterus wrenching that is our period.
And just like sex-we feel like it is taboo to talk about it.
The horror!
More to the point! Some also feel that during this time, we are not deserving of sexual fulfillment. I call bullshit and I think it’s time we took our periods back!
Period pain is usually a product of hormone like chemicals known as prostaglandins which occur naturally in our body when our progesterone drops before our period begins. This hormone causes muscles to contract in the uterus to shed the lining which causes us to bleed.
Too much of this hormone causes the muscle to contract too fiercely, reducing blood flow, starving oxygen flow and creating a lot more pain. There are of course other underlying conditions that also make this worse such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, cysts and more.
But guess what-
There are some little tricks that you can use to help the pain, and they’re not as complicated as you might think.
Simple tricks such as stretching and yoga can help to increase the blood flow to the uterus and help cultivate the oxygen supply, lessening the cramps. Try rubbing the area as well using essential oils. Try WIldfyre Original Oil with it’s combination of Lavender, rose geranium and sandalwood essential oil.
Add some heat. Warm up a heat pack, apply a hot water bottle or in the hotter weather try some warming lubricant to ease the tension without adding too much heat in our already very hot climate.
Next up is an orgasm. Wild right? Vaginal orgasms and clitoral orgasms have actually been shown to assist in the management of pain and are very helpful for period pain and menstrual health. Regular orgasms throughout your period can shorten your period and the flow. But it shouldn’t be a surprise that when we orgasm a flood of endorphins are released into the system along with serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin.
Along with these lovely happy chemicals flooding our systems our threshold for pain is decreased after an orgasm, so we are more capable of dealing with the discomfort of pain and finding relief.
But what about the mess? I hear some of you say? The best advice and best purchase I ever made was FunFactory’s FunCup. Some people are still surprised when they see it stocked on our shelves because it isn’t an adult toy. But as I like to remind people. We are more than your average adult store. We are all about breaking down the barriers about regarding all things sex and sexual health. And periods are just one of those things. As for why it’s called a fun cup? Why shouldn’t periods be fun? This menstrual cup is 100% the best lifetime investment for anyone who has a period.
And what about having sex on your period?
Definitely still possible. Yes there are condoms. Of course. But those who are still concerned they would still need to put down a towel or only feel confident on the shower during that time of the month may I suggest using a love sponge? Heard of those? I haven’t either. I was on my way to a party and bemoaning to a new friend who threw me her most gorgeous smile ad handed me an individually wrapped pink sponge “It’s a sex sponge” At Caringbah we currently stock both Sax and Joy division. They are soft absorbent tampons, easily inserted and can be moistened with a little water and can be worn during sex, when swimming and sport without being felt. Though if worn during sex, please discard afterwards.
Lets not be afraid to talk about our periods, the pain, the questions, our pleasure.
Take them back. Be proud of them.
At your Service,
Tiffany,
Oh Zone Adult Store Sales Assistant, Educator and long time battler.