Important Things You Should Avoid During Periods

by Paul M. Tyson [MD]
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Every woman suffers a variety of menstrual symptoms throughout their menstrual phase of the month, including backaches, exhaustion, cramps, etc.

The consumption of nourishing foods may reduce the severity of these symptoms.

Exercise and diet have a variety of positive effects on your health, including a less troubled menstrual experience.

Health experts inform us of the period no-nos that we were unaware of, including over-washing, unprotected sex, flat whites, and fasting.

Every woman has different ways to deal with their periods, such as having food cravings, wearing a period patch, and curling up with a hot water bottle.

However, numerous factors might be contributing to the discomfort of your period.

In this article, we will be looking at some of the important things that you should avoid when you’re on your period.

Important Things You Should Avoid During Periods

Important Things You Should Avoid During Periods

Here are some of the few important things you should avoid during your periods-

  1. Stay Away From Alcohol

    Alcohol is the first and most important thing that you should consider avoiding during periods.

    While many people think that alcohol could lessen menstrual cramps, the effects are only short-lived.

    Alcohol use may cause irregular periods and increase PMS symptoms over time.

    You should avoid having it throughout your menstrual cycles because it could also make you feel more bloated.

    Alcohol may harm your body in several ways, including making your period symptoms worse. It could result in digestive issues like diarrhea and nausea.

    Additionally, drinking alcohol might dehydrate you, making your headaches worse and also resulting in bloating.

  1. Never Go To Sleep Wearing Tampon

    More than five hours with a tampon increases your risk of TSS (toxic shock syndrome). This is when the staphylococcus bacteria’s toxins begin to enter your bloodstream and induce potentially fatal reactions.

    You may start to have a temperature, feel dizzy, and sick. Consult a doctor right away if you think you may have toxic shock syndrome.

    Therefore, do not forget to replace your tampon. This may sound like a no-brainer, but people who experience light periods should take note.

    We usually encourage ladies to change their tampons every five hours. Do not wait any longer because there could be a chance of bacterial infection.

    For women with milder periods, this is less of a problem, but even they need to remember to change the tampon even if it isn’t completely used up.

  1. Reduce Your Caffeine Consumption

    Caffeine-rich drinks and meals, such as tea, coffee, chocolate, and sodas, may make women feel more pain in their breasts, depressed, and anxious.

    This could be a contributing factor to your excruciating bloating and stomach cramps.

    It is advised to either limit your caffeine-containing beverage intake or completely avoid it.

    The easiest way to relax is to drink coffee or tea, but you could be consuming too much caffeine during your period.

    One of the causes of your bloating or severe stomach cramps might be because of this.

    This is because of caffeine’s ability to retain water in your body, which in turn may upset your stomach by interfering with bowel movements.

    This could cause diarrhea and an occasional set of migraines. It is better to choose drinks that have no caffeine or keep to two cups of caffeine per day.

  1. Stay Away From Unprotected Sex

    If you want to avoid getting pregnant, avoid having unprotected intercourse while you are on your period.

    Although it’s untrue, we’ve all heard at some point that getting pregnant during your period is impossible.

    You may be experiencing ovulation and mid-cycle bleeding at that time if you have irregular periods, so you may become pregnant when you’re on your period.

    Just because you’re bleeding doesn’t imply you’re not fertile at this time.

    Self-protection is also a good idea during periods because blood is a good transmitter of illness.

  1. Stay Away From Processed Foods

    Although they might be quite alluring to you during your period, canned goods, pickles, and fast food are not the ideal options for you to eat at this time.

    These foods contain preservatives and unwholesome ingredients that could mess with your hormones and make you feel worse.

    Therefore, to lessen your symptoms, consume healthy cooked meals rather than junk foods.

    Because processed meals mess with your sugar levels, they may leave you exhausted and irritable. Fill your plate with fruits and vegetables rather than that pasta.

    Although many women enjoy carbs during their period, a small dish with green salads may be enough to offset any potential problems.

  1. Avoid Refined Grains

    Refined grains lose a significant amount of their nutritious content, similar to how processed foods do.

    The grains lose a lot of their nutrients and vitamins during the refining process, which causes them to affect your sugar levels and thus create cravings.

    Avoid foods like cereal, pizza, and bread as these could cause constipation and bloat in your periods.

    Instead, choose whole grains, which have a lower GI index and could not only maintain the health of your digestive tract but also ward off your hunger sensations.

    The glycemic index assigns a score to all carbs-containing foods based on how rapidly they may lower or raise sugar levels when consumed on their own.

  1. Reduce Dairy Products Consumption

    It may come as a surprise to you, but foods to stay away from during periods include dairy foods like milk, cheese, and cream.

    They contain a lot of arachidonic acids that cause menstruation cramps.

    Dairy products are also said to be a major contributor to adult acne in women during periods because they contain artificial hormones.

    Therefore, it is strongly advised that you discuss dairy consumption with your doctor if you have been dealing with illnesses like endometriosis, PCOS, etc.

  1. Avoid Smoking

    Avoiding smoking is the best course of action in your period. If you are on your period, you should stop it immediately.

    Smoking women frequently experience severe painful menstruation cramps.

    Additionally, irregular periods and inflammation may be exacerbated by smoking. So be cautious to refrain from smoking when you are menstruating.

  1. Avoid Oil And Fat Rich Foods

    Hormones are affected by fatty foods, which could also cause you extreme cramps and also make you feel gassy.

    Since your skin is already sensitive during this time, making poor food choices during your period might exacerbate this problem and make it even dehydrated and drier.

    Additionally, diets with high saturated fat content may boost the production of prostaglandins.

    It is a substance well known for reducing period discomfort. Ideally, you should steer clear of creamy desserts, burgers, and fatty foods.

  1. Avoid Waxing Or Shaving

    Do not remove your vaginal hair while you are on your period. The pull of the wax strips could hurt because the area is delicate, which would only make you feel worse.


    Because of the flow of the menstrual cycle, shaving might prove to be an incredibly messy process.

    If shaving causes you to cut yourself, the infection that results could be serious.

    Therefore, to lower the likelihood of discomfort and pain, schedule it a few days after your period.

Conclusion

Some lifestyle changes and food adjustments could help women with their menstrual symptoms or keep them healthy while they are on their periods.

For instance, when a woman is losing blood, eating foods that are high in iron might assist replenish their iron levels.

Other minerals like magnesium and zinc could relieve symptoms as well. Occasionally, over-the-counter drugs could assist manage period symptoms like pain and bloating.

However, a woman might want to take additional measures to ease their symptoms and promote their overall health when they are menstruating.

If a woman has irregular or painful periods, they should see a doctor since they might have an underlying disease that has to be treated.