Dr. Tanya McEachern

A woman’s menstrual cycle, aka period, flow, or time of the month, is a window into her overall functioning & balance. Many women have abnormal periods and don’t even know it and/or also really hate their periods. But they don’t need to be living this way

What does a healthy period look like? Women have the following questions:

• Is my period heavy compared to others? 
• How long should my flow last & how often should it come? Does spotting count?
• Is it normal to feel really tired? 
• Should I need to take pain relievers every month/is this level of pain normal?
• What colour should it be?

Questions answered:

-Flow should be 30-60ml. A Diva cup holds around 30ml, super tampons & pads hold around 10ml. Common causes of heavy flow are thyroid problems, iron deficiency, fibroids and endometriosis. The heaviest days should be days 1-2

–Chinese Medicine, one of the oldest systems of medicine on Earth, tells us that a period should come between every 26-32 days & should last 4-5 days. Shorter periods usually indicate estrogen deficiency & ones that come far apart can be due to progesterone deficiency and/or stress hormone imbalances (ex PCOS). Testing is important to figure out what is going on here. Spotting at any time of the month isn’t ideal & doesn’t count as your actual period

-Fatigue is not normal & indicates possible iron deficiency. You should be able to continue most of your regular activities during your period. What is normal is a desire to rest – your period is a time for your body to detox & rejuvenate. But not to the point of feeling exhausted

-You should absolutely not need to take pain relievers! Cramps shouldn’t be this bad. Women who have period pain often need magnesium. The right amount & form of magnesium will get rid of cramps within one cycle. Pain relievers are super harsh for the liver & gut. Normal is to have a sensation that you’re having your period, but not discomfort or pain

-Colour & texture: Absolutely no clots or strings. None. Ideal is medium-dark red at the beginning, which may get a bit lighter near the end or a little bit browner. There shouldn’t be any additional colours or strong odours of any kind

Book an appointment to heal your cycle with me