A little TMI

So, I don't normally go into this because it's usually not a problem. It was a huge problem last night. A problem that woke me up four times and kept me awake for three hours the last time I woke up.

Cramps. Killer, killer, killer cramps.

It's been interesting to watch my body change with regards to menstruation as my weight changed. When I was heavy, my periods were random and irregular. They were often long... way too long and way too heavy. But there was almost no pain associated with them.

As I lost weight, my periods became more regular. Showing up in monthly intervals and behaving more predictably. Really predictably... Almost exactly 31 days after my last one started. I also get a little twing about two days before it will start to warn me. When I got down to around 130 and under, my periods have been very short, more on the three day spectrum than the five day that they were while I was 135-145 lbs. However! The lighter I have gotten, the more intense the cramps have gotten.

And what's weird, the cramps themselves are so predictable. About 12 hours after my period starts, I am in for about four hours of pain with the last hour being almost crippling. When I was at work and they hit, no amount of paid meds would help, and I had to take a long lunch and just sit, read and work through the pain. I have to sit pretty much doubled over. Bleh.

Unfortunately, last night, the cramps hit at 11 PM. I had already been asleep for an hour. They were tame enough, I fell back asleep till they woke me at 12ish... same process till I got woken at 1ish. Then the monster cramps hit at 2 AM and rocked my body for about an hour. I tried to distract myself from the pain by playing games on my phone... but it was a long hour. Then, I was so jerked awake and reeling from the experience, I had a hard time falling back asleep. But the pain stops IMMEDIATELY after the really bad  cramps... there is no slow ebbing of the pain. Just about an hour of pain and then back to normal. I am usually exhausted, after, though.

So. One day a month, I get three uncomfortable hours and one where I feel like I am giving birth (not that I know what that feels like, but I cry almost every time this hits). It's not the worst situation. 12 days a year with a section of that day being pretty uncomfortable.

Just throwing this out there, wondering about other women's experiences!

Did your period change for the better or for the worse after losing weight, or not at all?

I think, in the end, mine changed for the better, despite the pain. They are short and predictable. After living a decade of unpredictable and super long periods... to the point I was sure I would be infertile!... I am glad for regularity.

So, yeah, maybe TMI, but an important topic, I think. Our bodies and our reproductive bits deserve to be understood!

Have a great day!