A Public Service Announcement for Ladies

When i taught at a tertiary institute some years back, no girl in the class could answer me how often a girl should be having periods.

Most of the  5ft 3in girls who were a slender 40 kgs(88lbs) did not know the answer.Someone said,”Once in 2 months?”

I never was more shocked. No one knew the answer!

Someone actually said, “Once in  6 months!”(If only…)

And the government wonders why the birthrate is falling.

This was a third of all the girls. I finally said,”Once every month! Any less than that is abnormal!”

This means a third of all the girls need to schedule a meeting with the gynecologist. i never thought people had to think this hard to answer this question.

Well, the hospital scheduled a meeting with the gynecologist because the doctors who treated my stroke thought that my 1 week period was a trite long. they were worried I was losing too much blood in my periods. The gynecologist rolled her eyes because she said, ” You have more blood in you than some people walking around!”( Well, this is bearing in mind that I have the Thalassemia trait. I make faulty blood cells that deplete oxygen to the brain.)

Because I did not have a blood transfusion and was not severely anemic the gynecologist ruled my week long periods as normal!

I quote the gynecologist, “A one week period is normal.” But to rule out fibroids and other complications, she scheduled me to have an ultrasound. The great thing about a gynecology clinic is the presence of so many ladies. There is at least a bunch of people I with whom I could do a comparison.(I have few female friends.Owing to my personality, I have many male friends. Mostly gay. Gay men cannot be relied on for gynecological comparisons. Honestly…. but ask them about men-related issues, you will get a good estimation of what is norm for a guy. I mean, I am one of the few ladies who know about HIV testing and what not like best brand of condom for Asian men.)

The nurse I spoke to said 1 week was ok because she had a friend with 2 week-long periods. She thought it was abnormal.Comparison is good, at  least I am able to say what norm is.

My doc said the bloodwork was okay. So week-long periods are here to stay. she looked as if they won’t find a damn thing to worry about. I am hoping her instinct is accurate.