Menstruation, the be
ginning of the Ovarian formation and reproductive years of the woman is a stage that forms the active part of the woman’s lifespan. It begins at the age of 12-14 and last till about 50-55. Though a natural experience it has so far constituted a major stress syndrome particularly in recent times when medical awareness even the trado-medicine has given it an undue popularity to the extent that it has interfered with the woman’s daily life.
The first menstruation known as the menarche and the last of it, the menopause, each has its accompanied stresses. Being married or bearing children sometimes seems to increase the likelihood of the stress and has also formed a major platform of divorce in recent times.
For these problems, the Natural Remedy Encyclopedia (Sixth Edition) revealed that there are over 150 symptoms that are linked to it with the most common of them being abdominal bloating, anxiety, backache, breast swelling, acne, depression, cramps, fainting spells, fatigue, joint pain, Insomnia, nervousness, drastic mode swings, constipation, dizziness, skin eruptions, impatience, lethargy, indecisiveness, angry outbursts among others.
Hormonal imbalance however, has been a major cause of the menstrual stress syndrome which a number of women are unaware of and this is how it works. The liver regulates the hormonal balance by selectively filtering out of the blood and excreting unwanted excess hormones. One of these hornones is “estradiol,’ a type of estrogen which causes problems. If not eliminated, it can build up in the body posing the stresses.
‘Part of the issues of  hormonal imbalance is that there is too much estrogen in the body and not enough progesterone. Fluid retention is the result. This affects the circulation and impedes Oxygen and nutrient flow to the brain and female organs’.
“Unfortunately, due to sheer ignorance and possible undue and difficult experiences during these disorders, a lot of women have resorted to patronising every and any quack especially of the tra-do-herbals who have taken advantage of the situation and are established at every nook and cranny of the city and only Godknows what they are administering to these women all in the name of curing these stresses.”
Some of these disorders include Amenonhea, Dysmenorrhea, Metrorrhagia, Oligomenorrhea, Menstrual Cramps etc. Each of these can pose so ugly an experience for the woman whether a housewife, working mother, business woman or even the adolescent school girl, especially when it comes suddenly not minding that she can be outside of the home, on the street, office or on the road.
Amenorrhea, the absence of menstrual periods for a least three months in women who would otherwise be menstruating regularly is of two types; the primary Amenorrhea and Secondary Amenorrhea.
The primary  refers to menstruation that has not started by the age of 16. If the condition later stops at anytime longer than three months, then it is considered the secondary.
However, a late menstrual period that is accompanied by severe abdominal pain should receive immediate medical attention because it could be due to an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy that develops outside the uterus) usually in one of the fallopian tubes) while a single but heavy period that is late may be as a result of miscarriage.
Dysmenorrhea is the painful or difficult menstruation. Also of the primary and secondary type, the primary occurs in the early teens sometimes not until several years after the menstruation begins. The pain begins a few hours before or at the onset of bleeding which may last from a few hours to one to two days and generally worst at the first day. At first there is a scanty flow which increases as the pain subsides.
The secondary type may start two to three days before onset, with pain in the abdomen, small at the back and down the legs. It is a more constant pain but includes sharp cramps and continues throughout the period. This type is often linked to a pelvic disorder including inflammation, uterine malposition, tumours which needs to be eliminated for the pain to subside or entirely removed.
Menorrhagia is the menstrual periods that are heavier than normal and sometimes irregular. Some women have heavier flows than others which can lasts longer than seven days and difficult to be controlled by the simple pads.
General debility is a primary cause and this condition occurs more frequently in women with kidney or liver disease. Marital excess is still another cause. More common when approaching menopause, this condition may be as a result of uterine polyps, fibroids or cancer of the uterus. The condition is also more common in overweight women. For some, the periods could have always been heavy which may not call for concern. Yet there may be an underlying problem. If not checked, profuse menstruation can lead to difficult urination, displaced womb or leucorrhea. It can also produce iron deficiency anemia causing lightheadedness and fatique.
The Oligomenorrhea, on the other hand is an extremely scanty or insufficient menstrual flow which is inadequate to provide thorough cleansing. This disorder may be caused by stress, depression, too much exercise, chronic or severe illness or extreme weight loss. It could also be due to a disorder in the ovaries or uterus.
Another type is the menometrorrhagia. It is a menstrual cycle that has wide variations in the length of time between periods.
Although average menstrual cycle is 28 days they may occur as offen as every 24 days or as infrequently as every 34 days. After puberty, most women develop a regular cycle but, for some, they remain irregular even in the bleeding it self which normally last two to four days with the average length being five days. Wide variations are common at puberty, the first few months after childbirth and as menopause approaches.
Alongside other causes, variations can be as a result of endometriosis, a situation in which fragments of the tissue that normally lines the uterus are displaced and attached to other pelvic organs.
Whichever condition the woman may be facing, it is never a pleasant one. A disorder in menstruation often indicates the general state of a woman’s health. Usually the result of nutritional deficiencies or antointoxicatition caused by constipation, an organic malfunction; drugs, vitamin or mineral deficiency and/or chemicals and stress, these disorder have almost become part of more than 80 percent of the women of that age.
However, women whose general health and resistance  are good are less likely to have menstrual problems.
“Unfortunately too, at this time when the society is giving so much credence to the devil and its mechanisations, some women are no longer finding the experiences of menstrual problems as ordinary medical issue but also having evil undertones to the extent that some so-called churches now have as their main function currying menstrual disorders as against salvation of the souls.”
It therefore becomes pertinent that every woman pursue with diligence issues of her health and its maintenance by adopting simple health habits possibly through the following steps:
-Eating simply and lightly especially of fresh and clean fruits and vegetables
-Taking vitamins B Complex (B12,B6, Folic Acid)C, E and Iron Supplements.
Watching out for allergenic foods showing extreme medical carefulness while taking contraceptives or birth control pillsTaking herbs like garlic,  layenne, ginger and other similar herbs.
Taking hot bath including hot sits and foot bath for three to ten minutes within the periodTaking a brief rest so often with the feet elevated.
Having a good feeling of oneself all through the period believing that it is  only temporary for the period.
Ogbulu writes for News Agency of Nigeria.

Lady Godknows Ogbulu

L-R: Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Zainaib Maina, Plateau State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Olivia Dazyam and Permanent Secretary, Dr Habiba Lawal, at a stakeholders meeting on centenary country report on Nigerian women in Abuja, yesterday.
Photo: NAN