This is about people who menstruate. If that isn’t you, or makes you uncomfortable, scroll away. Trigger warning: speak of blood and discomfort.
I went a full two years without getting a period. What a glorious time. I was living the fucking life. For anyone wondering “how?!”, not that you would, but if you were. I haven’t had a period since I got pregnant with Joey. Between pregnancy and then breastfeeding I managed to go a full 15 months postpartum without getting the dreaded visit from Aunt Flo. It was great because periods are wack and I’m tired of being punished by the universe for not being pregnant. Why can’t Joe be the one to get the period?
Well anyway, I got it back at 2 years to the day and I’m fucking struggling. I didn’t remember what it was like to have a period and I’m honestly already over it. It is whooping my butt. I’ve been very run down since it started. I slept until 11:30 this morning and still woke up exhausted. Big props to Joe for recognizing that I really needed it and letting me sleep. I appreciate you. I have very little focus and I have been incredibly irritated. Not to mention the cramps.
See I remember my first postpartum period with Mark and Rose to be very uncomfortable and I was waiting this time for the Hell that was the cramping and overall discomfort. When it didn’t come I got a little too used to it. Yesterday I sat down on the toilet to take what seemed like a very familiar period poop. I’m hoping someone will know what I’m talking about when I say that. I didn’t think too much into it though. As I stood up from the toilet, it looked like a murder scene and all I could do to keep myself from screaming was let out a sigh and tell Joe that we needed to go to CVS. I haven’t had period products in the house because I haven’t needed them. Rookie move.
What has been making this particularly bad? I have low iron. I’ve struggled with low iron for a while now, particularly during pregnancy. The hematologist I was going to during my pregnancy wanted me to get my levels tested after my period came back because obviously the blood loss and whatnot with already being on the low end with iron. I’m assuming my iron is low currently because of the overwhelming exhaustion I’m feeling coupled with the headache that just won’t go away. A constant pounding in the center of my noggin that feels like there is not a single thought in it.
I’ve always wondered if one symptom that accompanies my period is felt by other menstruating people as well. My labia get so fucking sore. It feels like someone just straight up punched me in the cooter and it’s just bruised to shit. Anyone else? It’s my tell-tale sign that my period is arriving. Right before it starts my labia feel sore and it lasts like three days and it’s absolutely terrible. Like what do I do? Just ice my labia? How am I supposed to deal with this?
And I know that there are a lot of menstruating people that get terrible cramps to the point that they can’t perform daily functions. I’ve never had them be that bad, but I sympathize with you because my cramps do get pretty bad. I’m lucky enough that I’m not having too much trouble with it right now, but yesterday I couldn’t move for a solid 30 minutes because I was in so much pain.
I’m going to go off on a tangent now on how I think periods are unfair. Why is it that people with a uterus get a period and those fortunate enough to not be born with one never have to experience this? This is such a scam. You get tortured with a period every month for the better part of your life, you have to carry and birth the children (if you have any), and you have to deal with the other issues that accompany that. In addition to all of that, you still have to go to work, be a wife, a mother, a friend, a sister, a daughter, and just function as a human while it’s happening. It’s pretty wack that I have to deal with this and still pay bills and be an adult. Why can’t Joe get a period, or have less useless nipples, or carry a baby? Something! Anything! Give him any of these atrocious side effects of having a uterus. I’m begging the universe at this point to stop. I’m over being an adult woman. Over it. And it’s not even like when you go through menopause it’s any better. Hot flashes?! No thank you. Just let my period go away and leave me alone peacefully. Send me a text when I’m ovulating instead, please. Thanks.
Sincerely,
Struggling.