Dot Period Pt. 4 - Kendra, Sasha
Yay! It’s our third Dot Period post!
Once again, the point of these posts is to start a conversation and help normalize periods and hormonal issues. I wanted to talk to women about their personal struggles, and help to make them feel less alone with them.
Each conversation starts with the same four questions:
How old are you?
Are you on birth control?
What is/was your go-to feminine hygiene product?
What has been your #1 biggest issue related to your hormones/period/etc?
From there, the conversation begins! Keep reading below to hear what Kendra and Sasha have to say.
Kendra
How old are you?
I’m 22
Are you on birth control?
I am currently on a non estrogen birth control.
What is/was your go-to feminine hygiene product?
I used to prefer tampons but after switching to bamboo fabric liners and the diva cup, I will never go back.
What has been your #1 biggest issue related to your hormones/period/etc?
I wanted something that would regulate my period as I had never really experienced a predictable cycle. I tried the IUD but my body rejected it and then my number one issue was finding an oral contraceptive that didn’t worsen or trigger my acne.
Steph: So I’ve been on the non estrogen (mini pill) before and had awful side effects, so I’m curious as to if you have had any weird ones!
Never heard of bamboo fabric liners! That sounds great! I am also on the cup and will never go back.
K: I’m currently on a brand called movisse, it dries out my skin and I have cramping from time to time. More so a few hours after I take the capsule.
S: It can be really hard to find a good, compatible birth control though.
And ouch. That sucks
I can’t remember which brand I was on, but I had to take it every day. Personally, it made my period sporadic, I was sort of a bitch all the time, I had mild depression (could have been cause by my relationship at the time, or a combo of both) and I just hated it.
Spoke to a friend about the symptoms and she said she had the same, went off the pill and everything leveled out, so I did the same and had the same thing happen!
K: It’s actually crazy how contraceptives can affect you like that. I have a few friends (myself included) who felt “crazy” on the IUD due to intense mood swings and very sporadic spotting.
Now that you mention it, the non estrogen birth control I’m currently on does not have a different coloured “sugar pill” and my period is still pretty unpredictable.
S: Yeah I’ve had bad side effects on BC so I’m too scared to try the IUD haha. And yeah I believe you take the same pill every day at the same time? Sometimes I had a period that lasted two weeks, didn’t have one at all, etc.
K: Yes. If you miss it you have to take it within a couple hours AT MOST of else you start your cycle.
S: Right right. You said you tried the IUD – how was your experience with it?
K: The first few weeks I experienced a lot of cramping and I felt really out of tune with my emotions. I really liked not having my period, no weight gain and it didn’t affect my skin.
S: But the emotional side effects are what made you get it removed right?
K: No. I got pelvic inflammatory from it.
Sasha
How old are you?
22
Are you on birth control?
I was for 2 years. I went off from it since October 2017. I was on Alesse and then Alysena birth control.
What is/was your go-to feminine hygiene product?
Tampons. Tempting to try Lunette.
What has been your #1 biggest issue related to your hormones/period/etc?
I have 2 issues. First issue is my mental health deteriorates a lot during pms. I became mentally unstable for a week or two. Lastly, my second issue is that I have deliberately painful period cramps. I have to miss school/work days every month because of how unbearable it is.
Steph: How come you went off of BC? I was on Alesse the first time I went on BC.
I use a Diva Cup and it’s great. I’d definitely recommend you try a menstrual cup!
I do find my mental health also slips about a week before my period. Negative thoughts come back and it’s not nice.
I’m curious as to how you feel about having to use sick/vacation time off for symptoms like cramps. Sometimes it feels like we should get a free pass or two haha!
Sasha: I went off BC because I wasn’t feeling like myself at all. I didn’t realized how abnormally anxious and more mentally unstable I was when I was on BC. I was more snappy too. Worst part is that I grew up with severe anxiety caused by my undiagnosed(now diagnosed) ADHD.
After going off, I have felt more normal and my anxiety is now more manageable. So the birth control makes my anxiety worse, basically.
I tried using a Diva Cup(the smallest size available) and tmi but it doesn’t fit. :S I was suggested to see a Lunette. I love how much it reduces my carbon footprint.
S: YES. Alesse gave me migraines (super dangerous while on the pill) and the mini-pill gave me mild depression and my period was super irregular.
SA: I have a family history of high blood pressure too and not to mention, anger issue. So it’s not a good combo. haha
S: So since going off the pill you have felt better? Most people I know who’ve gone off of BC, it’s because of crazy mental reactions. And is lunette the smaller one? It’s nice that there are different options!
SA: I have felt a lot better actually, mental health wise. Except my painful period cramps came back. D: lol
I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one out there.
And yes Lunette is the smaller one
S: Oh okay! Feeling well mentally is huge. It’s crazy what our hormones can do eh. Sucks about the cramps though my back always hurts because of them. And you’re definitely not the only one! There’s plenty of us lol.
I have read that some people find their cramps feel less intense while using a cup…maybe due the suction? I have no idea haha.
SA:
S: I can’t back that up by science though hahaha
SA: I should give the cup a second chance then :3 I’m sick of tampons lol.
Whenever I have cramps, I am literally curled up and bedridden. The pain spreads from the groin area down to my knee and up to my belly button. There are times where it was so painful that I threw up. That’s when Extra Strength Midol became my best friend.
S: Yes! It makes life easier lol. You go an entire workday and don’t have to change a thing!
And yeah midol/maxidol = life savers.
SA: I do agree with you on having a menstrual leave. Apparently, some countries have that. It saves a lot of women’s lives.
S: Wow! I wonder how it would work though…like if you’d get X amount of days?
SA: I think 3-7 days sounds more reasonable depending on your health. There is this BuzzFeed girl who has endometriosis. She often has to stay home because of how bad it is.
S: Huh. Interesting. Oh yeah I’ve seen those videos!
SA: Even I might have it too. I should get my ultrasound scan soon…
S: You think so? Worth a shot getting it looked at!
SA: Oh yeah. I definitely should. Just that I’m kind of hesitant. Idk if I am being dramatic or it’s actually a real thing. Before discovering that the severity of my period cramps is not normal, I used to think that it’s me being dramatic or I am just being weak.
S: I feel like we think we’re being dramatic because people don’t talk about this enough or people look down on us for being weak or not being able to deal with the symptoms.
SA: Oh yeah definitely. It’s sad tho. It’s very sad how society puts this mentality on us. It’s a lot worse in many Asia’s intense work and social culture.
And that concludes the third post in the Dot Period series!
Feel free to leave any comments below and get the conversations flowing!