How Gut Health Affects Your Menstrual Health

What is Gut Health?

Good gut health is essential for a healthy, successful life. It’s one of the most important parts of your immune system and it affects how your immune system works. In fact, you have more bacteria in your gut than you have cells in your entire body! Gut health is closely linked to how well your body digests food and gets the nutrients it needs to thrive. It also has a lot to do with how well you absorb the vitamins and minerals your body needs for energy, mood, and to keep your immune system strong. Your gut is properly referred to as your “second brain” because it produces 90% of your serotonin, the happiness hormone and one of the most important neurotransmitters in your body. In addition, gut health can affect your stress levels and overall mood.

The gut is home to all of your intestinal bacteria and yeast. The type of bacteria and the ratio of good-to-bad bacteria can make a huge difference in your ability to lose weight. Furthermore, research has shown that some people are more sensitive to certain types of bacteria, which may cause inflammation and a breakdown of the gut wall. This can lead to a leaky gut, which triggers your immune system to attack healthy and undesired weight-loss-friendly bacteria. The gut is home to trillions of microbes and yeast, which are also called probiotics. These tiny organisms are more than just your friendly bacteria – they are a major part of your immune system, protecting you from pathogens and even cancer.

How Does Your Gut Affect Your Menstrual Cycle?

Experts say that our digestive system is the foundation of our health. The good bacteria in our stomachs can have a positive or negative impact on our overall well-being. It’s estimated that up to 70% of women suffer from some form of gut imbalance, which can affect their menstrual cycle. Women’s menstrual cycles are affected by many factors, including the gut microbiome. Research has shown that changes in what you eat can alter your gut microbiota and lead to irregular periods. It is possible that the connection between the gut and the reproductive system is explained by hormonal signaling from the gut to the brain via chemicals in our digestive tract which impact appetite, mood, energy levels, metabolism, libido, cravings, and weight.

How the Microbiome Plays a Role in Your Menstrual Cycle?

The gut microbiome is made up of trillions of microorganisms that live in the intestines. These microbes are responsible for breaking down foods, fighting off pathogens, and producing vitamins. New research suggests that these bacteria can also affect your menstrual cycle. The gut microbiome has been found to make small changes in the levels of hormones like leptin, which can lead to hormonal imbalances. This can cause irregular periods and other symptoms sometimes associated with PMS. Studies also show that women taking probiotics to balance gut bacteria may be relieved of symptoms of PMS.

Foods That Help Better Digestion

In order to help our digestive systems, we should always focus on the types of foods that will help us feel better. It is important to drink plenty of water and eat a diet high in fiber, which will keep you feeling fuller for a longer period of time. Fiber also helps food to move through your digestive system faster.

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You would have definitely heard about claustrophobia, aerophobia, hydrophobia, and cynophobia. But what is the deal about menophobia?

A greek word (meno) for month + phobia( fear)

Menophobia is an irrational fear about menstruation or periods. Periods is a monthly cycle wherein a woman bleeds through the uterus discharging blood and other substances. This monthly cycle starts from the age of puberty and lasts until menopause.

Who can have Menophobia?

Menophobia is not only subjected to menstruators, Men can also have menophobia as it is a psychological process. The severity of this phobia depends on the personal level of anxiety. The anxiety occurs when the person does not know why are they bleeding or how long will it bleed. However, some also fear unbearable pain and mood swings they might suffer during periods.

The person may feel terrified just at the sight of period blood even if they are not bleeding themselves.

Women with menophobia may find periods filthy and gruesome. Most of them experience extreme bouts of anxiety and pain during periods. Though the menstrual cycle lasts roughly around a week for some women with menophobia it’s a week full of dread and stress.

Such women not only experience extreme physical pain but also go through a lot of mental stress that mounts up to depression, mood swings, nausea, and lethargy.

Symptoms

There can of symptoms suggesting menophobia. These symptoms range from physical pain to mental stress and anxiety here we have listed them below.

1. Fear of bleeding: In menophobia, there can be an irrational fear. The fear of bleeding (hemophobia). This fear further emanate the feeling of disgust; The disgust of staining clothes.

2. Fear of Pain: Though pain in lower abdomen, thighs and backaches are common during periods but in menophobia the level of pain and anxiety surpass the extreme levels. Phobias are anxiety disorder that incapacitates a person and interferes in their normal functioning.

3.Fear of mood swings or hormonal changes: Menstruation result in mood swings that further leads to changes in hormones. However, when these mood swings and hormonal imbalance occur at an extreme level and emanate pain and stress, menophobia occurs.

4. Avoidance: Menstruation is a natural cycle that can not be eliminated or avoided. Thus, people with menophobia try to avoid menstruation through artificial methods like pooping birth control pills. Trying out artificial methods to avoid periods doesn’t help but only exacerbates the situation.

5. Duration of 6 months: Six months is the minimum time duration to establish any bunch of symptoms as a phobia. Hence, it is advisable to notice the persistence of the above-mentioned symptoms for at least six months.

Causes

There is not a particular cause behind developing menophobia. Someone with a family history of mental illness or anxiety disorder is highly susceptible to full-blown menophobia.

1. Genetics/Family History: It is most likely to be caused of genetics. A person with a family history of mental illness or anxiety is susceptible to menophobia.

2. Less/No knowledge about menstruation: A teenager in their first period might develop menophobia due to less or no knowledge about menstruation. They feel terrified by seeing blood developing a disgust for stains and period stench.

3. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: OCD can be a prime cause of menophobia. It develops anxiety and fear by concentrating one’s attention on a particular area such as menstruation or fears attached to it.

4. Other reasons: Having sex with a person who is on their period may also develop menophobia. Though some people do not really care about it others are highly affected by it.

Treatment

Like all other phobias, there is no particular treatment for menophobia . However one can go for the below-listed treatment/therapy to pacify the effects of menophobia.

Talk Therapy: It is a psychological issue and a biological one. Hence, Talk therapy can be greatly helpful talk therapy will enable the person with menophobia to talk about the underlying issues that lead them to develop a fear of menstruation. Talk therapy will provide verbal data to the therapist that will help him address the issue efficiently.

Exposure Therapy: Just as the name suggests Expose therapy helps in mitigating the effects of menophobia to a great extent. In this therapy, the patient is exposed to their fears. For this, the therapist might expose the person to a picture of bleeding women, and show them educational videos on periods. Such exposure will desensitize the person from their fear of menstruation.

Anti-anxiety medication: A person with a with a history of anxiety and stress can also go for anti-anxiety medications. However, medication alone might not be helpful in the long term. One should go for therapy along with medication for the long-term benefits.

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