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Menstrual Symptoms
As a teenager I read a lot of that stuff, but I didn't have any female friends I was close enough to talk about it with - I was halfway going by Heinlein's "real women don't have PMS", because it was clear none of the "my body" books were describing my body in that respect - and as a result it wasn't until I joined a tmi-focused lj community that I started to realize that the things my body was doing were things other people's bodies do, too. Sadly, that community has died down a lot with the exodus from lj and I haven't found a good replacement yet.
But as a service to humanity, here is a list of things that I know for a fact are regular menstrual or pre-menstrual symptoms for more than one person who menstruates, not a symptom of any particular disorder or any problem beyond "having a healthy uterus". If you know of ones I've missed, feel free to suggest them in the comments and I'll add them to the end of the post! Anon is turned on.
Pain
1. stomach/abdominal cramps
86 (91.5%)
2. lower back pain
65 (69.1%)
3. heartburn/reflux
9 (9.6%)
4. breast pain or tenderness
56 (59.6%)
5. sudden stabbing pain in the lower abdomen, often only on one side
42 (44.7%)
6. burning/soreness of the vulva region
20 (21.3%)
7. headaches
36 (38.3%)
8. general body aches (like the flu)
39 (41.5%)
Digestion
1. diarrhea/loose stool
71 (78.9%)
2. constipation
32 (35.6%)
3. nausea (+sometimes vomiting)
25 (27.8%)
4. reduced appetite
24 (26.7%)
5. increased appetite
26 (28.9%)
6. changes in appetite/cravings
40 (44.4%)
7. bloating/changes in clothing size
46 (51.1%)
8. water retention
26 (28.9%)
9. gas/flatulence
35 (38.9%)
Sleep
1. insomnia
19 (28.8%)
2. increased sleep
13 (19.7%)
3. general fatigue/tiredness
58 (87.9%)
4. increased energy
5 (7.6%)
5. unusually vivid dreams
11 (16.7%)
6. nightmares/night terrors
4 (6.1%)
7. pregnancy dreams
3 (4.5%)
8. sex dreams
17 (25.8%)
9. really weird sex dreams
11 (16.7%)
Emotional/Psychological
1. irritability
62 (76.5%)
2. depression/despair
51 (63.0%)
3. emotional numbness/anhedonia
19 (23.5%)
4. mania
6 (7.4%)
5. anger
26 (32.1%)
6. cheerfulness/feeling of well-being
3 (3.7%)
7. mood swings
33 (40.7%)
8. anxiety
33 (40.7%)
9. difficulty concentrating/memory lapses
21 (25.9%)
10. switch from extrovert to introvert or vice versa
4 (4.9%)
11. other ongoing psychological or emotional conditions being altered
13 (16.0%)
Sexual
1. increased libido/desire
53 (74.6%)
2. decreased libido/desire
23 (32.4%)
3. changes in sexuality or sexual orientation
10 (14.1%)
4. changes in erogenous zones
6 (8.5%)
5. changes in ease or experience of orgasm
24 (33.8%)
6. changes in preferred kinks
11 (15.5%)
General/Other
1. changes in body odor or perspiration
24 (27.0%)
2. coming down with a cold or other illness/existing illness getting worse
21 (23.6%)
3. existing illness going away/getting better
2 (2.2%)
4. acne/pimples
53 (59.6%)
5. changes in the way medications or drugs work
7 (7.9%)
6. sensory changes (increased or altered sensitivity to smell/noise/texture/etc.)
23 (25.8%)
7. UTIs or yeast infections appearing or going away
14 (15.7%)
8. easier bruising/reduced clotting ability
6 (6.7%)
9. changes in body temperature/feeling hot or cold
31 (34.8%)
10. changes in body size/fit of clothing (including breasts, waist, feet, etc.)
29 (32.6%)
11. blood and chunks of flesh dripping out of the vagina
78 (87.6%)
Additions from the comments (part one)
Most people only have a small proportion of those at any one time - thank all the gods there are - but if you experience any of them, just know you're not alone. And that it's normal for which ones you experience to change over time.
Just for fun, I've made this a poll, so if you want to register which ones you've experienced at some point in your life, you can!
And then ask why evolution ever though it was a good idea do make us go through that every month, instead of once a year, like more sensible species. (On the plus side, at least we don't have deal with male hormones, which fluctuate unpredictably ALL THE TIME. Poor delicate males.)
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