LETS TALK ABOUT 'THE TIME OF THE MONTH'

January 15, 2016

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MONDAY, 30 NOVEMBER 2015

A little bit of an unspoken subject on my blog to be honest, and not really something I openly discuss.. however all of us ladies go through it so I thought why not share a few pieces of advice, provide some information and also inform you about some new products I have been using when its my time of the month. You guys know what I'm talking about (probably from reading the title) but also because WE ALL GO THROUGH IT, I dont understand the taboo of talking about periods to be honest, its very natural and we should all have a mutual understanding of what it is like to go through what can be a horrible time on some occasions.

I don't know about you guys but my story about starting my period for the first time ever is pretty funny to be honest.. but also quite devastating at the same time. I'll fill you in now don't worry! So basically it allll happened on my 14th birthday.. I woke up on the morning feeling a little bit groggy/moody and got myself ready for school, I walked to school with my friend who lived next door and we used to stop off at a little lane near the school so that some of the girls I was friends with could have a cheeky cigarette. Anyway, when I got there I was happily welcomed by about 10 girls jumping on me and surprising me with the birthday beatings.. usually I'd just grin and bare it and man up and take the punches. HOWEVER, on this occasion I burst into tears, absolutely balling my eyes out which was so mortifying because yes they hurt, but not to the extent I was crying! It was my hormones, and little did I know what was about to arrive on that day (poor me). My day went on like normal.. school started, school ended, and then on that night I was having a big birthday party. My outfit consisted of a little denim mini skirt and a little white top with big heels, and then BAM when I was getting ready it happened. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAUREN. It really did ruin my night!

Starting your period as a young teenager is a very scary thing. You feel things you have never felt before. Have to endure emotions you did not even know existed, and found yourself to suddenly be extremely volatile and have horrendous mood swings constantly. I also was not very lucky in that I got horrendous pain when I started and obviously that was always the icing on top of the cake. If I do have any younger readers who I am terrifying as they read this post, not everybody's experience is the same.. some people have no mood swings, no issues at all in fact and just breeze through the whole thing. However, sometimes it isn't as nice as that and you do suffer a little bit - but you just need to remember that it won't last forever and they only take up a week of your whole month.

I do feel that because of the horrendous experiences I have had with periods, I can offer some form of advice to people who are maybe struggling to deal with it and are looking to try some things out to help ease everything a little bit.

Its quite a scary thought but the misuse of sanitary items when you are on your period can cause many complications and also in general can be quite an unhygienic process. Therefore, it is really important to maintain your hygiene when using items such as tampons or sanitary towels. Firstly, its important to find the item that suits you.. not all ladies like using tampons and sometimes they can be quite difficult to get the gist of using.. therefore you just need to be sure that you feel confident about what you are using. Items such as tampons can result in conditions such as toxic shock syndrome, which to be honest is just as scary as it sounds. It is rare, but not unknown so therefore it is important to be aware that your hygiene when using sanitary items is extremely important and to remember that the items that you use are foreign bodies and the source of infection if not used appropriately. It is down to personal preference but you should usually change your tampon every 4-8 hours unless there is a reason why this needs to happen sooner. Tampons are foreign bodies which are designed to sit inside you and collect blood, therefore this is obviously an infection risk if left for any length of time.

I was recently sent these veeda products to try out and review. The lovely ladies I spoke to from veeda advocated the product extremely well and voiced how great these products were in that they are free from toxins and also extremely affordable. In this day and age products like this can be quite pricey so therefore it is great to be able to find a product which is safe but also affordable. When I gave the products a go recently I found them to be extremely comfortable, easy to use and I literally did not have a bad word to say about them. I am normally a little bit of a creature of habit which is not always a good thing, and with products like tampons I tend to stick to companies I know about because of the nature of the product! However, these ones just go to show it pays to try out other companies! I would recommend giving the Veeda products a go ladies.. you will not be disappointed.

I really do hope you all have learnt at least one new thing when reading this post, and I haven't scared any of you too much if you are yet to go through any of this. All you need to remember if you feel like you are having a hard time through it all, is that it will pass.. if its mood swings then they will be gone in a week. If its pain then it will be gone in a week. Unfortunately for us ladies it is just something we need to get through, and by going through it we need to look after ourselves and our bodies the best we can.

Lauren