Know your cycle

Michelline Nawatises
Tanya Thanises and Trusila !Khuchas

Kuisebmond Secondary School as usual commemorated its annual health with a bit of a twist this year. This year we decided to dedicate a whole entire day to just educating pupils about menstruation! Boys and girls were situated at different places where they were the made aware of the importance of being aware of your cycle and what menstruation is and what pupils can do in the event of a leak.

To start off with, scientifically, menstruation is the discharge of blood and mucus from the uterus of females starting at puberty from as early as 10 years. The menstrual cycle is a 28 day cycle that continues until one reaches menopause at about the age of 45-50 years. The cycle is controlled by the female hormones to ensure that the production of an ovum is synchronized with the readiness of the uterus to receive the ovum. As soon as a girl starts to menstruate (bleed), she is automatically fertile and is prone to falling pregnant if she engages in sexual intercourse, thus, the usage of contraceptives and especially sex education is to be done by both the teachers and parents.

Master of ceremonies, Mrs. Namweda, who is also a Life Science teacher educated the girls especially the little ones who just started menstruating about menstruation. She gave strong emphasis on the correct usage of pads, as well as what to do when there’s a leak and also how to prevent falling pregnant. A couple of girls also went on stage and gave a brief demonstration of how to wear a pad correctly, and also how dispose it.

Menstruation is a cleansing mechanism in women, and it is also a pride of woman because it displays womanhood. In the same lane, knowing your cycle is just as important because it can give you confidence and not to forget, save you from embarrassing moments.

Here are a few tips for the ladies on how to track your menstrual cycle.

Firstly, if you have a smart phone and access to the internet, I recommend you use an app (examples, the Clue app, Flo Period and Ovulation, and Dot) which is completely free on the app store. It is quick, super easy and totally reliable. Helps manage your time wisely and your social life, so you don’t have to worry about when your next period is going to kick in while being out with your friends and in between busy schedules.

Another technic you could you use to track your cycle, is by drawing up a period calendar. First thing write down the first day of your period, which is the first day of your cycle. Note when and if you got your cramps or any other symptoms too. Make sure you mark the end of your period and indicate the number of days it lasted. Now all you have to do is wait until the first day of your next period. This will be your one cycle length. A normal cycle is 21-35 days, but could be longer or shorter and still be considered “normal”. This actually helps by mapping patterns, help you notice if there is any sudden change in your period flows.