What Is A ‘Normal Period’? With @Hereweflo

Here We Flo believes that what we put in our bodies should be as natural as possible whilst not being horrible for the planet. After a classic bathroom convo, lots of research and a masters dissertation... FLO was born! They offer organic period care and much much more, alongside educational content that is real transparent.

What Is A 'Normal Period'?

Period education at school was (and still is) very basic. Boys and girls are separated and at the minimum are taught that you will bleed once a month and at the most you may learn about PMS and what a period pad is.

Nothing about alternative contraceptives to condoms or how these may affect your period you were definitely not taught what counts as a ‘normal period’.

Most of us are told that heavy periods are just something some of us have to ‘live with’ or that they ‘just run in the family’, but in fact heavy periods are not a typical feature of a menstrual cycle and should always be checked.

Your menstrual cycle can tell you a lot about your general health, so it's important you track your cycle and symptoms so you can spot any changes quickly.

Every body is different but generally a period is healthy if…

• Regular menstrual cycle of 20-40 days
• Period lasting 2-7 days
• Period which is fresh red in colour or dark red/brown at the beginning or end
• Mild period symptoms (like cramps) that are easily manageable
• Bleeding up to 80ml over menstruation
• Some small blood clots

When it comes to concerns with your period health, there are 3 main areas that may indicate an underlying issue:

Irregular Cycle

• Less than 20 days in total
• More than 40 days in total
• 20+ days difference between your longest and shortest cycles

Heavy Bleeding

• Changing your period product every 1-2 hours
• Bleeding through clothes and/or bedding frequently
• Needing to wear more than one-period product at a time to avoid leaks
• Clots larger than a 10p coin
• Period lasting longer than 7 days

Pain

• Severe period pain that stops you from going about your day-to-day life and can’t be managed with over-the-counter painkillers
• Pain while trying to pee or poop during your period
• Pain during or after sex on your period

A great way of keeping everything happy down there (and the planet) is by using period products that are not full of harsh chemicals + plastic - these can upset your vaginal pH and irritate your Vulva! At Here We Flo, we make organic period care that ensures your period is as comfy as possible by only using materials by mama nature.

By Evie Plumb at Here We FLO