HOW I REDUCED MY MENSTRUAL PERIODS FROM OVER 7 DAYS TO JUST 4 DAYS LONG
Sometimes I still wake up in shock that my period is over, four days after my period started. I remember when I first heard about women having short four days periods because they made some small changes in their diet, hygiene and lifestyle. I was skeptical to say the least. But, years later, this has become my reality and a norm for me that I greatly appreciate, because my periods used to be a screeching trainwreck!
If you want to jump right into learning some of the herbs I took that can help with both fertility and an easy periods flow, take advantage of my discount offer on my Sister HealThyself Herbals Fertility Herbs Masterclass..
If you follow me on some of my social media, every now and then I post about my period. I know, I have to ask myself WTH am I doing too. But there is something liberating about openly discussing your period and where you are at during your cycle. For many women, the only time we get to discuss our periods without shame, guilt or threatening the status quo, is in the doctor’s office or in small private groups where you share your status with other women suffering with infertility.
But I don’t care much for hiding my fertility status because as a Fertility Coach, I know that one of the ways I can help women out of this shame-guilt complex that plagus women surrounding their fertiltiy is to be open and vocal about menstruation, ovulation, sex, vagina’s infertility, fibroids, and any and everything relating to fertility and reproductive health. If me speaking about women’s reproductive health is too much for you online, my off-line sermon’s are a whole culture shock in and of themselves.
So much so that I created a meme that states, “When a woman has knowledge of her fertility, everything she speaks will be about vagina’s”.
But I wouldn’t be able to sing these praises, if I didn’t experience the blessings of an easy fertile menstrual flow for myself.
The Americal College of Obstetrics and Gynecologist states that 85% of menstruating women experience one or more premenstrual symptoms.(1) That’s a huge portion of women suffering each month. But girls get PMS too!
I got my period at just 9 years old. I don’t know many people that can say that. But at just nine, not knowing what the hell was happening, I found myself on vacation in Jamaica with my Dad, washing blood out my panties in cold water, away from my Mom–crying!
I was so confused! No one ever told me I was going to feel like I was bleeding to death from the stomach, but I was going to live to tell the tale. I had no clue why I was washing the blood out my underwear instead of running and screaming for help in the middle of the countryside in Negril. I really didn’t know why my Dad wasn’t rushing me back on the airplane to safety instead of telling me I wasn’t washing my draws right.
Today I laugh about all this, but I still get glossed eyed when I relive that day.
We had just landed in Jamaica and everything was going great! We drove to negril on the little roads that overflow with river water during rainstorms and can wash whole trucks away, but never mind that, my periods have been worse.
Then we arrived at my uncle’s house. It was a little cabin style house with wood floors you could see right through to the ground outside. And my baby cousin was on the front porch crawling backwards. I was young, but I just knew babies didn’t crawl backwards.
My dad, grandma and aunt started talking to my uncle (and his wife? I don’t know) about how my cousin’s mom just dropped him off on that same porch one day and never returned.
You think that’s crazy? Nevermind that! I just knew this next thing wasn’t supposed to happen either…
The next thing I know, I’m bleeding from my ‘pocky’!
When I went to the beach I was bleeding. And my aunt was telling me that your period stops in the water. Why did she tell me that? When I tell you that Sharks could have came for me that day…I was not coming out that water! But eventually I did.
Shout outs to my My aunt, if she ever reads this. She was a major source of support during this slaycation.
So eventually at some point the bleeding stopped. And I don’t remember anything about my trip to Jamaica after that.
But when I finally made it back home to my mom I was bleeding again. This time I got a better understanding of what was happening to me. But that didn’t explain why I was feeling pain.
If you don’t have an Aunt or Mother like I did to help guide you or need that support now, I would love to help you. You can Schedule a 15 minute Fertility Call with me now.
For years ever since the first period I had in Jamaica I had the worst painful period. It was torture, but It just became my life. By 14 yrs old, I had accepted that God just hated this little Black girl that he chose to create a womb in because Eve ate an apple. I was utterly confused, but I knew that one thing I could rely on was that two days before my period came each month, my stomach would rearrange itself in the most unbearable ways. Then I would bleed for seven days, and then for another three or four days there would be some brown stuff that wiping aways could not solve.
Month after month, year after year, I felt like I was bleeding for ever. And my period was such a big rain cloud over my life.
But then there was a turning point. A glimmer of hope. And now I don’t even think about my periods much unless I am intentional.
After a series of fertility scares, I began to change my diet from carnivorous meat-eater to vegetarian. I wasn’t even a great vegetarian, I just stopped eating meat and replaced it with soy. I ate that way for about five years until I improved my meals to include more superfoods and whole vegetables. One year, I stopped eating sugar completely. My periods improved, but I still bled for seven days.
When I was about twenty-eight I went fully vegan. But not your average vegan. I was eating exotic ancient grains, organic everything and stopped using commercial pads. I was doing yoga, and using herbs on a regular daily basis. Sometimes several times per day.
I wasn’t even taking these herbs or making these changes to my diet on purpose to improve my menstrual flow. It just sort of happened. Everyday I took some herbs from a green smoothie, I later went on to formulate my self and some other herbs were a combination of milk thistle and beet root powder. I really only took these herbs because my new love was as herbalist and put me up on a bunch of herbs that we ordered over $600 worth of.
I had no idea the effect they would have on my body and the levels of bliss, relaxation and ecstasy I would be in. I still question whether these had a similar effect on him or not because I as on cloud 9.
Some of the herbs I took are listed below. Many of them are not in my Fibroid Fertility Yoni Steams that you can get on my Pre-Order waiting list for now HERE
HERBS THAT IMPROVE YOUR MENSTRUAL FLOW:
Red Raspberry – Uterine tonic; contains ferulic acid, a uterine relaxant beneficial for period cramps. (3)
Ginger – Used to warm uterus during menstruation; Reduces menstrual cramps.(8) Reduces intensity and duration of menstrual pain.(9)
Milk Thistle – helps reduce PMS & heavy periods by stimulating liver function to excrete excess estrogen hormones; Good for infertility. (4); contains Silymarin and helps repair damaged liver cells; Reduces inflammation; Phytoestrogens may help regulate cycle (5).
Dong quai – regulates menstrual flow; acts as uterine tonic, reducing excessive uterine cramps; traditionally prescribed for dark, sluggish, congealed blood flow, blood clots and endometriosis ; also used in TCM for absent periods.(6)
Vitex – May regulate flow that is too heavy; regulates menstruation after stopping birth control; helps maintain regular cycles in perimenopause; Helps with PMS and menstrual cycle irregularities.(7)
I had no clue these foods, activities or herbs were were going to have an affect on my fertility. I was just taking them because I was newly in love and it just seemed like second nature to do all these wonderful things.
But one day I woke up and realised my long, painful, heavy, periods were gone. Even after I had a baby and my periods returned, they were light, short and sweet. And after having baby after baby since then, they have not returned to being the beast they once were.
One thing I can admit is that some months where I have eaten a little more starch and processed foods and not taken my herbs or ate enough fruits and vegetables, my period ‘cramps’ can be a little more noticeable, but I don’t even think I can call them cramps anymore, because they don’t actually hurt at all.
In Womenshealth.org, they state that premenstrual symptoms (PMS) can occur up to two weeks before your period ranging from barely annoying to unbearable, where you’re unable to function.(2) If I do get any sort of cramp it’s not even annoying, it’s just like, “Oh, I feel something.” Usually, that something is not even triggered by pms, but by drinking red raspberry tea which can cause your uterus to gently contract.
So nowadays, when I wake up on my cycle day 5, like I did today and there is no blood, no brown blood, and I made it through a whole menstrual phase with not one single cramp, I am so grateful. This cycle, I didn’t even consume any herb capsules and have not been doing so for the last two months.
The only thing I did do this month was two mini yoni steams for about 15 minutes each. I also drank some womb tea Sheseka from @lovenmidwife gifted me after our radio show together on Misconceptions About Misconception.
My diet has not even been that great during my last cycle and my period cramps and heavy bleeding have still not returned.
Although I didn’t take my usual selection of herbs last cycle, I know that the reason my periods are more manageable and stays that way is because my overall diet, hygiene and lifestyle has improved.
You don’t even have to change everything all at once and it doesn’t have to take you years if you have the right guidance and support. All you need is a goal and a plan and support as you move in the right direction towards improving your overall fertility health and you can achieve a more fertile flow like I did.
To learn more about the fertility herbs I took to improve my fertility and menstrual flow, I’m running a Flash Discount on my Sister HealThySelf Herbal Fertility Course HERE. There are over 30 herbs in this 3.5 hour course and if you take it now I will even give your my updated Bonus Fertility Herb Guide PDF Downloadable to use when your on the go.
If you prefer some direct one-on-one support to improve your fertility and your menstrual flow, as a complementary offer, you can Schedule your 15 minute Fertility Clarity Call with me HERE.
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