Hi, my name is Dr. Natasha Bhuyan.
I'm a family physician at One Medical,
and today I'll be breaking down some myths about period.
Separating fact from fiction.
(upbeat music)
Your period stops when you take a shower.
That is actually a myth.
Your period continues even if you're showering.
You might not notice, but there might be
a little bit of blood going down the drain,
that is perfectly safe.
Birth control might make your period go away.
There are certain forms of birth control
that can make your period go away
and this is perfectly safe.
One of the common ones is the shot, and also the IUD.
You can also control your period
with different types of birth control,
like the birth control pill.
You can actually take the continuous active pill
and skip your period all together if you choose to.
It's not healthy to not have your period.
This is actually a myth.
It is totally fine to skip your period,
especially if you're on birth control,
because when you're on birth control,
you don't build up the lining of the uterus,
and so your body doesn't actually need to shed
any sort of lining of the uterus.
So it's perfectly safe to not have a period
when you're taking birth control.
People have their period sync up.
This is actually a myth that has been going on
for about four decades.
There's actually been recent research
that shows this is just not true.
So unfortunately, our periods don't really sync up,
even if we live close with somebody.
Your period stops when you're in water.
Your period doesn't actually stop
when you're in a body of water
like a pool or a river or an ocean.
But, you might notice that you're bleeding a little bit less
because your period has to battle the current of the water
and the pressure of the water, so your period
might not flow out as easily when you're in a body of water.
You can't get pregnant on your period.
That is a myth.
You can actually still get pregnant,
even if you're on your period.
That's because ovulation's a little bit unpredictable
in some people, and you might be able to get pregnant.
You can't have sex on your period.
That is a myth, you can easily have sex on your period,
and some people really enjoy having sex on their period.
Your period blood could act as a natural lubricant,
and when you orgasm, you can actually alleviate
some of that menstrual cramping that you have.
The only risk is you might get your sheets dirty,
but there is great detergent out there to address that.
Your breasts change shape throughout your cycle.
Yes, throughout your monthly hormonal cycle,
your breasts can change shape and size.
The other thing is each breast might act differently,
so one side might feel more full.
It's perfectly normal given the hormonal fluctuations
that people go through in a month.
You will get toxic shock syndrome if you wear a tampon.
This is mostly false.
The risk of getting toxic shock syndrome
these days is very low.
Back in the '70s and the '80s,
we saw a rise of super absorbent tampons.
So people would leave tampons in for over 12 hours.
When you leave a tampon in for a very long time,
that increases your risk of toxic shock syndrome
because it allows bacteria to grow, but for most people,
we tell them to change their tampon
every three to five hours, and with tampons these days,
your risk of toxic shock syndrome is very low,
so you should not be afraid to use a tampon.
Everyone's sex drive changes throughout their cycle.
This is true.
Everyone's sex drive does change throughout their cycle,
so for some people their libido
and their sex drive is highest during ovulation,
but for other people, they actually have a higher libido
when they're on their period.
It's different for every person,
and those changes in your sex drive, completely normal.
You can't pee with a tampon in.
That is a myth.
The risk is, you might get the tampon string wet,
but here's a trick.
Use one hand and move the string to the side,
with your other hand, have your toilet paper ready,
and you can urinate safely with a tampon in
and your string won't even get wet!
Your period makes you a target to wild animals or sharks.
This is a really common myth about periods,
and it's absolutely not true.
Your period does not put you at risk
to attacks from wild animals or sharks,
and we've got research to prove it.
We actually had scientists look at bears
and expose them to used tampons and expose them
to people who are menstruating, and we found that the bears
were just not interested at all.
So, if you're on your period, you should feel totally safe
going scuba diving and going hiking.
You are not at risk for an animal attack.
Everyone has the same period symptoms.
That's a myth.
The range of symptoms associated with periods
is very, very wide, and often times
most of those symptoms are all normal.
If you're experiencing symptoms though during your period,
and you're not sure if it's normal,
you should talk to a primary care provider.
Your tampon will get stuck in your vagina.
This is a little bit of a myth.
I don't want people to be afraid
of their tampon getting lost in their vagina
because your vagina is kind of a controlled space,
and your tampon can't migrate
into your body or into your abdomen.
If you feel like your tampon is stuck inside your vagina,
it's actually a condition called retained tampons,
and we see that very commonly.
So, don't be embarrassed if your tampon gets stuck,
or if you can't get it out, we doctors see that
all the time, and we are happy to take it out for you.
It's dangerous to have dark red blood on your period.
That is actually a myth.
The color of our blood during our period can change greatly.
Sometimes when the blood is dark,
that means the blood is a little bit older,
it's been hanging out a little bit longer,
and it got oxidized so it changed colors.
Other times you'll see bright red blood,
you might also even see clotting during your period,
all of that is perfectly normal.
There are so many myths about periods out there,
and often times those myths are rooted in shame
or stigma or making us feel bad about getting periods.
And I don't want people to ever feel bad
about getting a period, it's a perfectly normal
part of your life, and we should try to bust those myths
and make sure that we don't have any shame around periods.
(upbeat music)