Women's Issues

Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the Winter Solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice. The winter has also been described as a period of time characterized by coldness, misery, barrenness, or death.

How do you stay in tune with the flow of cold, misery and death?

I am in Northern California writing this on November 1st, and if you haven’t felt the shortening days of winter approaching yet, you certainly feel it now. The sunrise is noted at 7:35 am and the sunset at 6:11 pm on this date, as opposed to the longest day of the year (June 21st) with a sunrise at 5:48 am and sunset at 8:35 pm. That is more than 4 hours less daylight as we approach the shortest day of the year on December 21st. This is nature, and we have no control over getting the sun to rise or set at any other time.

If we are to flow with nature, what is this time of more darkness and more cold asking of our bodies and spirits?

Instinctively, it makes sense to get more rest and eat/drink warm foods during the colder and darker time of year. The lack of sunlight sends a message to our bodies to slow down, as we see in nature with animals who hibernate until spring. And yet November through December is a more active and social time for most people so there is a faster and more constant pace generated. The way our holidays are celebrated today with all the plans, parties, shopping, eating, etc, it makes it a more stressful period of time.

How much more of your precious energy do you want to let slip away without being conscious of your body, mind and spirit’s needs during these slower and darker months?

Ruth Stout, an American author, writes, “There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you… In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.”

Some WINTER ways to flow with nature and connect with You.

Withdraw from activities that do not give you energy – even if it’s family (find a polite way to bow out)
Include drinking at least 2 cups of hot water every day
Nest in bed for an extra 1/2 hour in the morning
Tuck in bed a 1/2 hour earlier at night
Enter your day with a smile on your face
Rest your body by breathing deeply at least 30 seconds a day

Practice these WINTER ways and you will surely experience more peace, passion and pleasure, and create more harmony within and without.

Every woman is susceptible to having offensive feminine odor because this is a condition brought about by several factors. There are a few common causes of feminine odor that can be easily prevented, and there are also some that are difficult to deal with.

The following are the common causes of feminine odor that you should be aware of.

1. Bacterial vaginosis

This happens when the natural balance of micro-organisms in your genital are disrupted, causing the bad bacteria to multiply. Bacterial vaginosis or BV is often associated with green-like or grayish discharge which gives off a fishy smell. This smell is actually the offensive vaginal odor that scares all women.

2. Infection and STD

Yeast infection and sexually transmitted diseases like Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and the like are also major causes of feminine odor. The odor actually comes from the substance that bacteria carry, and so when bacteria multiply the amount of this offensive odor-causing substance also increases. This turns the foul odor into a severely unpleasant vaginal odor.

3. Bad Hygiene

It is imperative that women should keep their bodies clean, fresh and fragrant because poor hygiene is a major turn off. Not to mention that it can result in bad body odor and unpleasant feminine smell. Since female’s genitalia are prone to acquiring infection due to its physical make-up, it is essential to keep them clean and dry. Otherwise, moisture and other environmental elements may intervene with the natural flow of the vaginal organisms.

4. Retained tampons and sanitary pads

When a woman has period, she is vulnerable to have a distinct kind of feminine odor. This is not because of the menstruation per se, but the accumulated blood in the tampons and sanitary pads. When you have your menstruation, make it a point to change tampons and pads as often as possible.

5. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), cancer and other chronic disease

If a woman suffers from a terminal disease like pelvic cancer or PID, she is likely to have an offensive feminine odor. This is not easy to manage because of the disease involved, although keeping your genitalia clean will eliminate the smell momentarily.

6. Multiple sex partners

Having more than one sexual partner is one of the causes of feminine odor. The condition can even get worse if you don’t practice safe sex.

7. Wearing non-cotton undergarments

Since female’s genital area is prone to infection, it needs to stay dry and clean. That is why cotton panty is highly recommended as it keeps the area free from sweat and moisture.

8. Dirty toilet seat and public swimming pools

Sitting on a dirty toilet seat or dipping in to a public swimming pool can cause bacterial invasion to a woman’s genital area. This can cause infection that will lead to bad feminine smell.

These causes of feminine odor can be treated either by medication or by natural remedies. In fact, some causes can be resolved by just observing proper hygiene. If you notice a stinky smell down there and you do not possess any of these causes, it is best to consult a gynecologist for proper medical assessment.

Women in their reproductive years experience periodic vaginal discharge of blood, otherwise known as menstrual bleeding. Also termed menstruation, menses or period, this physiologic bleeding is caused by the shedding of the lining of the uterus brought about by hormonal changes. At times, women observe a gooey tissue mixing with the blood discharges during menstruation. The fleshy substance that accompanies menstrual bleeding is actually the endometrial or uterine lining that has been cast off.

The volume of menstruation differs among women but, normally, the amount of blood loss would range from 2 to 5 tablespoons or 30 to 75 milliliters. Existing lifestyle, level of physical activity and exercise may also affect the quantity of menstrual bleeding. The blood discharges during the first two days of menstruation is usually dark red and slowly becomes brown towards the end of the duration. Slow or light bleeding produces blood that is also brownish in color. The menstrual cycle ranges from 21 to 35 days, averaging 28 days and begins on the first day of the menstruation. Duration of the period, which starts with a heavier blood flow that gradually decreases on the succeeding days, lasts within a week from about three to seven days.

Hormones

Hormones secreted by the glands of the body’s endocrine system are responsible for the menstrual bleeding that women experience monthly. Specifically, these hormones affecting menstrual bleeding are the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRh) produced in the hypothalamic area of the brain, the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which are released by the brain’s pituitary gland and the hormones estrogen and progesterone from the ovaries.

The cycle of menstruation starts with the hypothalamus secreting the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRh), which moves towards the pituitary gland signaling it to produce the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). The follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) finds its way to the ovaries to help in the growth of the ovarian follicles, where the eggs mature and to induce estrogen secretion. As estrogen level rises, the uterine lining starts to thicken and the pituitary gland secretes the luteinizing hormone (LH). The mature egg is then released from the ovarian follicle; and progesterone is produced as the follicle collapses. If fertilization does not occur or when sperm does not unite with the egg, estrogen and progesterone levels drop eventually leading to the shedding of the uterine walls and menstrual bleeding.

Cramps

There are some cases when women experience menstrual cramps with menstruation bleeding. As the walls of the uterus shed off during menstruation, a chemical known as prostaglandin, which stimulates spasmodic contractions of the uterine muscles and the surrounding abdominal walls, is released at an elevated level. The contractions forcefully expel the menstrual bleeding fluids, primarily composed of blood and small amounts of clots, old uterine linings and cervical tissues. Menstruation associated with menstrual cramps is referred to as dysmenorrhea.

Light menstruation is bleeding that occurs infrequently and at a longer interval. Termed as oligomenorrhea, this condition is also characterized by light bleeding and is often experienced by women in the menopause stage. This type of scanty menstruation is also called hypomenorrhea. Another kind of abnormal menstrual bleeding is polymenorrhea or very frequent menstrual periods. Menstrual bleeding takes place at a very close interval, having a cycle of less than 21 days. Menorrhagia occurs when there is excessive menstrual bleeding with a longer duration but at a regular interval. Dysmenorrhea may sometimes appear with this abnormal menstrual bleeding condition. Spotting between menstrual periods is known as metrorrhagia and may be brought about by normal physiologic ovulation. Amenorrhea, on the other hand, is the absence of a menstrual period frequently evident among pregnant and lactating mothers.

The menstrual cycle is a periodic process brought about by the interplay of hormones resulting to menstruation. The duration, volume and quality of vaginal blood flow, interval and frequency of menstrual bleeding indicate wellness or abnormalities that require medical attention.