If you read our last blog post, you'd know I for one didn't track my period in my younger years. And you'd be surprised to know, I still don't. There's something about ruining every pair of my undies with blood stains that I just can't give up. I joke, I really gotta get with it.
But talking my my pals about this same topic (because periods let's talk about them eh 😏 ) I wanted to get some other peoples opinions on the matter - semi informed we'll say. And I don't know if I have an overly wild and chaotic friendship group, but generally none of us track. It becomes a bit of a guesstimate as one of my friends said. Glad to know I wasn't alone.
But this then posed the questions, why should we track, if we are just accepting of the odd blood stain, surely it doesn't matter.
Well, after some research, I can say I will be tracking my period from now on. Even just throughout the monthly cycle, it can be interesting to see what happens when. So if I seem to be crying a little more than usual over a Grey's anatomy episode it might just be a PMS symptom.
Why it's important to track your period?
If you think you have irregular periods, try tracking it. You may find that rather than being irregular, your cycle just isn't the standard 28 days. Menstrual cycles can be any time between 21-35 days long. By knowing the length of your cycle, you can also determine when you ovulate, so when you are most fertile.
Using a tracking calendar can also track your PMS symptoms. Some PMS symptoms are normal, but suffering with some symptoms consistently can sometimes indicate an underlying menstrual issue, or liver and thyroid problems. Tracking this to tell your doctor can provide more information.
What should you be tracking?
In a nutshell, everything really. Even if it is just for a couple of months, this can give you a more in depth understanding of your cycle.
- the day your period starts
- the cycle length - including how heavy the flow, and colour
- and signs and symptoms of PMS
How can you track?
- an app
- bullet journalling
- calendar
- or if you're really high tech an excel spreadsheet