12 Things Everyone Should Know About Their Period

It's okay to skip your period—really

If you occasionally hack your birth control to avoid your period (say, during a vacation), you're not alone. And fortunately, it's safe. "The idea of having a menstrual period every month is an outdated mindset," Adam R. Jacobs, MD, medical director of the division of family planning at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, tells Health.

When you use hormonal contraception continuously, "the endometrial lining is thinned, which means you don't need a period to get rid of it," explains Dr. Jacobs. If you're on the pill, talk to your MD about skipping the placebo pills and immediately starting a new pack. You may also want to discuss types of birth control that are designed to reduce the frequency of your period.

The pill isn't the only option for heavy periods

From 10% to 30% of people deal with heavy menstrual bleeding, or menorrhagia—a condition that's often accompanied by painful cramps and, if left untreated, can lead to anemia.

While many people turn to birth control pills for relief, there may be a better option out there: the Mirena IUD. A UK study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that it was more effective at relieving menorrhagia than oral contraceptives and nonhormonal antibleeding drugs. The Mirena IUD releases a small amount of progestin, which thickens the cervical mucus, making it harder for sperm to reach an egg. It also makes the uterine lining much thinner, decreasing bleeding. Another hormonal IUD on the market, called Skyla, has similar effects.

Other hormonal contraceptives, such as the birth control shot, can also be used to manage your flow, Ana Cepin, MD, an ob-gyn at New York-Presbyterian at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, tells Health. These birth control options will not only make your period lighter but also shorter, she adds.

You don't need organic tampons

If you're prone to irritation down there, organic tampons might be a better choice, Monica Svets, an ob-gyn in Cleveland, Ohio, tells Health, because they're free of fragrances and dyes. But otherwise, you don't need to splurge on the organic kind. According to the FDA, tampons have been tested and found to contain only trace amounts of chemicals (if any), and there's no evidence of adverse health effects from using nonorganic tampons.

Menstrual cups and period panties are eco-friendly options

You can expect to go through more than 10,000 pads or tampons during your lifetime on average. Luckily, we now have options that are better for Mother Nature.

Menstrual cups are made of flexible silicon and sit in the vaginal canal to collect (instead of absorb) menstrual blood. Most cups can stay in for up to 12 hours, and reusable versions can be kept for years, significantly reducing the amount of waste you'd have if you used a disposable product. The cup is reusable because you empty and wash it before reinserting, which might not sound as appealing as tossing it in the trash, but it's a lot more eco-friendly.

Like the cup, period panties are reusable after washing, meaning they have a smaller environmental footprint than disposable products. Period panties can hold up to three times the amount of blood one tampon can absorb. If you’re not into pads, these panties are still useful for backup coverage. Wear them with a menstrual cup or tampon to stop worrying about leakage.

Your periods may get worse during perimenopause

Before they stop altogether when you reach menopause (the average age is 51), your periods will likely get longer and heavier, suggests a University of Michigan study. When researchers tracked more than 1,300 women between ages 42 and 52, they found that 91% reported their period occasionally lasted at least 10 days, 88% reported frequent spotting, and nearly 78% recorded at least three days of heavy flow.

"It's really disconcerting for women whose periods were regular and predictable in their 30s to find them suddenly going haywire in their 40s," says Dr. Jacobs. The good news: If you're suffering from bad cramping or anemia, or you just want a shorter, less heavy flow, hormonal contraceptives should help.

Natural PMS remedies may help

Forward bends, twists, and many other poses help stimulate the digestive tract and help keep you regular.

Yep, you can get pregnant if you have sex during your period

It’s very unlikely you’ll get pregnant while on your period, but it is possible. Though you typically ovulate about 14 days after the start of your period, some people can ovulate unpredictably, Felice Gersh, MD, ob-gyn and founder/director of the Integrative Medical Practice of Irvine, California, tells Health.

Sperm can live inside your reproductive tract for up to seven days, Dr. Gersh says. So if you have sex on the last day of a seven-day period, and your partner’s sperm is hardy enough to stay alive inside of you for another seven days, suddenly it’s been 14 days since the start of your period—and you could ovulate and then conceive.

Bottom line: If you don't want a baby, always use birth control...no matter what time of the month it is.

You probably lose a lot less blood than you think

It only feels like you’re gushing a torrent of blood each month. The truth is, you only lose on average only about three to six tablespoons.

If you think your flow is a lot heavier than that, Dr. Gersh suggests keeping track of how often you have to change your tampon or pad. If you have to change it more than once every few hours, "that’s probably excessive,” she says, and is something to discuss with your ob-gyn. Losing too much blood puts you at risk of anemia, which can in turn cause fatigue, dizziness, and cold hands and feet, among other symptoms.

Cramps that get more painful can be a sign of something serious

Many people get cramps during their period; they're the result of contractions in the uterus that help shed the uterine lining. The pain from these contractions can range from mild discomfort to serious agony. Over the counter anti-inflammatory pain meds can help (especially if you take them before your cramps get super awful), as can old-school remedies like a heating pad and massaging your lower abdomen.

If you don’t usually get cramps or the pain is no big deal—and then suddenly it feels like someone is tying your uterus in a knot every month, that’s cause for concern, Dr. Cepin says. When cramps materialize out of the blue or intensify, it could be due to a more serious condition, such as uterine fibroids, benign growths in the uterus. It could also be a sign of endometriosis, when uterine tissue or tissue similar to uterine tissue grows outside the uterus.

Seek treatment if your cramps are significantly inhibiting your life or if they’re progressively getting to the point where they might, so doctors can diagnose what’s going on and take steps to ease the aching.

Period tracking apps help you stay on top of your cycle

If you have an irregular flow (and you probably do, since few people have periods that operate on a strict 28-day schedule), apps like Clue, Eve, and Flo Period & Ovulation Tracker keep tabs on your cycle to alert you when your period is due.

These apps can be especially helpful if PMS hits you hard in the days before your period actually arrives. By tracking when your PMS symptoms hit each month, you’ll know exactly when to expect the bloating, mood swings, pre-period cramps, or other body issues—so you can take steps to minimize their impact. “If you’re trying to figure out a cause and effect, it’s certainly nice to have a record so you can track things over time and see if there does seem to be a causality,” Dr. Gersh says.

Period sex has many benefits—and one potential drawback

Period sex has lots of advantages; it can cut down on pain from cramping (or at least distract you from it), and the extra lubrication can make penetration feel even better. Just remember to use a condom if you aren't sure of your partner's STI status, because your odds of contracting a sexually transmitted infection are higher at this time of the month.

“The microbial population of the vagina will be different during a menstrual period than it will be during a different time in the cycle,” Dr. Gersh says. Translation: the acidity of your vagina during shark week is at a point where it’s easier for microbes to get into your system. Also, cervical mucus might be decreased, so you don’t have that layer of protection keeping bugs out.

Your partner is also at higher risk of getting an STI from you. “Blood is a vehicle that transmits infections,” Dr. Gersh says. Get it on during your period when you're carrying something, and your flow could end up giving it to your partner.

Spotting between periods isn't always a bad sign

Depending where you are in your cycle, levels of estrogen and progesterone change, and sometimes that can result in spotting—aka, a small amount of bleeding, say enough to stain your underwear or a pantyliner. This between-periods bleeding might be annoying, but it’s nothing to worry about, says Dr. Gersh.

However, other causes of spotting can be a concern. Cervical cancer, uterine cancer, uterine polyps, and other serious conditions can also trigger abnormal bleeding, she adds.

So how can you tell if your spotting warrants a conversation with your doctor? If you’re spotting because of normal changes in hormone levels, the bleeding will likely happen at the same time each month, Dr. Gersh says. That's why it’s useful to keep track of your symptoms on an app or calendar. If you have that data available, your doctor can determine if the bleeding is occurring during a point in your cycle when hormones are in flux.

If you’ve never had spotting before, it happens randomly, or it goes on all month long, it’s time to tell your doctor. “It’s never normal; it doesn’t mean that it’s something terrible,” Dr. Gersh says. “It could be that a woman has a hormonal imbalance, but it always requires a comprehensive evaluation if a woman has random spotting.”