Attitudes about menstruation: for everyone [may get graphic]

[Odd1Out]

I used to menstruate, but thankfully don't anymore! I had a hysterectomy at the age of 28.

Periods had always totally grossed me out. I am not at all squeamish about any other source of blood, but menstrual blood is the ultimate in disgusting to me. There is nothing grosser. Even shit and puke are less repulsive than period blood to me.

Period blood has a particularly repulsive stink, regardless of how often one changes one's pad/tampon. That smell is there despite even extreme attempts to keep clean 'down there' during the period. When I had a period, I'd bathe up to 4 times every day (esp. in the summer) and use those pre-packaged sanitary wipes or baby wipes between baths in an attempt to stay clean and period-blood-stink-free, but it never worked nearly as well as I wanted it to and I could still smell that nasty menstrual blood odor from myself even when I was fresh out of a long, hot, soapy bath. It is an odor that clings and lingers. Ugh!

I hated the extreme emotionality and bitchiness I was prone to on my damn period. Normally, I am quite level, almost unemotional. I dislike emotions, hate having them, and do not trust them. I am also usually a fairly easy-going, slow-to-anger sort of person. Periods made me into a depressed, weepy, extremely emotionally-labile, grumpy, impatient, easily-annoyed sarcastic bitch-from-hell. I hated the person I became when on my period, under the influence of those unwanted hormones. This contrast between normal me and on-the-rag me was so pronounced that it was instantly obvious to anyone who knew me even casually when I was having a period. I really hated that!

I also hated the pain and other physical issues that came with it. I was plagued with severe, heavy periods that could last more than 2 weeks (longest one was 18 days!). Though the pain was worst on the first three days, it remained for the entire duration. And it wasn't just tummy pain.. it was back and leg and breast pain too. And because I was losing so much blood for so many days in a row, I ended up severely anaemic and had to endure painful iron solution injections in my butt. Those iron shots hurt like a sonofabitch!

Periods were a major migraine trigger for me. The worst migraines always hit me during my period, and I wound up driven to the hospital ER by the severity of the migraine pain many times, frantic for any kind of relief from the agony.

Getting the hysterectomy was the best thing I ever did! No more horrible, repulsive, grotesque, nasty periods ever again! Woo-Hoo! Yay! Yahoo! *Odd does happy dance*

[Parth]

Awesome! You've won me over. Soon I shall save up and try to get a hysterectomy. The fact I'm infertile should be reason enough to want to not have periods. My sister has been trying to talk them up but I am really against the idea of getting periods. That's the biggest reason I'm extremely reluctant to go back on my estrogen pills. Breasts I can handle, periods, well that's just the deal-breaker. If I ever want to bleed, I'll cut myself.