Washing your hair during menstruation is harmful to your health and may cause cancer? Doctors: Women should remember these things

Experts in this article:

Sun Yan, Chief Physician of Fujian Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Master Supervisor of Fujian Medical University

Wang Wenxiang, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at Fujian Medical University

For female friends, menstruation is of vital importance to the health of the body.

The cycle, menstrual volume and precautions during menstruation have become topics of concern for many women every month.

01

The shorter the menstrual cycle, the faster you age?

02

Will the failure of endometrium to shed cause dysmenorrhea and accumulate to form uterine fibroids?

03

Is it harmful to women’s health and may cause cancer if they wash their hair during menstruation?

Are these claims true or false? Let's talk about the scientific facts today.

The shorter the menstrual cycle, the faster you age?

There is a rumor online that "a woman can only lay more than 400 eggs in her lifetime, so whoever lays eggs first will age first, and the more frequent the menstruation, the faster she will age." It sounds reasonable, but in fact this statement is wrong.

First, the follicle reserve (the number of primordial follicles) in a woman's ovaries is very large, with 300,000 follicles at puberty. However, usually only 400-500 follicles mature and ovulate in a woman's lifetime, accounting for only about 0.1% of the total reserve.

Secondly, the length of the menstrual cycle is mainly related to the speed of follicle development.

The process of each follicle growing, maturing and ovulating is equivalent to a menstrual cycle. The shorter the menstrual cycle, the faster the follicle develops.

For the vast majority of women, due to the large follicle reserve, the speed of follicle development has almost negligible effect on the consumption of follicle reserve, that is, the menstrual cycle has almost no effect on the life span of the ovaries.

Only for those very few women with very small follicle reserves, if their menstrual cycle is short, they may enter menopause earlier than normal people, which means they age faster.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Therefore, for the vast majority of women, as long as the menstrual cycle is within 21-35 days, it has little effect on the aging process of the ovaries.

On the contrary, it is worth noting that if the menstrual cycle exceeds or is less than this range, you need to be alert to some gynecological diseases, such as ovulation disorders, luteal insufficiency, thyroid system diseases, etc.

Failure of the endometrium to shed can cause dysmenorrhea

Accumulation to form uterine fibroids?

This statement is seriously inaccurate and has no scientific basis.

First of all, the endometrium is like a soldier. Under the command of the leader, the ovary, it proliferates and sheds periodically, and eventually mixes with blood to form menstruation.

Generally, the endometrium can be shed, or at most it is delayed. If the endometrium does not shed and menstruation does not occur, pregnancy, endocrine disorders, hormone disorders, etc. should be ruled out first, because these are the main reasons why the endometrium does not shed.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Secondly, dysmenorrhea is divided into primary and secondary types.

More than 90% of dysmenorrhea is primary dysmenorrhea without organic lesions of the reproductive organs. This is mainly related to the increase in the content of prostaglandins (PG) in the endometrium during menstruation, in addition to the influence of mental and neurological factors.

Secondary dysmenorrhea caused by organic pelvic diseases is common in endometriosis, adenomyosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, etc. There is also a situation where the poor menstrual blood flow caused by cervical adhesions can also cause lower abdominal pain during menstruation. These have nothing to do with the failure of the endometrium to shed.

Finally, the specific cause of uterine fibroids is not very clear. It may be related to genetics, or it may be related to increased estrogen (for example, some fibroids gradually shrink after menopause), but there is currently no literature to support the relationship between the occurrence of uterine fibroids and endometrial shedding.

Is it harmful to women’s health and may cause cancer if they wash their hair during menstruation?

There is a saying on the Internet that women should not wash their hair during menstruation. Washing their hair will cause the contraction of the uterus to slow down, so that the dirty blood cannot be discharged and remains in the uterus. Over time, it will cause hormonal disorders, which is a hidden danger of causing breast cancer and uterine cancer.

First of all, menstruation is not "dirty blood". It is the periodic shedding and bleeding of the endometrium that occurs with the periodic changes of hormones in the body.

Simply put, menstruation is the result of endocrine changes in women. The main components of menstrual blood include blood, endometrial fragments, cervical mucus, vaginal epithelial cells and other substances, which belong to normal physiological tissues of the human body. Therefore, the saying that "dirty blood causes cancer" is pure rumor.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Secondly, women can wash their hair during menstruation, but it is not recommended to wash their hair with cold water.

Before menstruation, the myometrium does contract, but the main purpose of the contraction is to close the blood supply of the arterioles to the endometrium, so as to prevent the exposing of the arterioles after the endometrium falls off during menstruation and cause excessive bleeding. If you eat cold food or come into contact with cold water during menstruation, it will stimulate the uterus to contract, resulting in reduced menstrual flow or even amenorrhea, or cause menstrual disorders, blood clots, dysmenorrhea, etc.

In addition, women's immunity is generally reduced during menstruation, and washing their hair with cold water can easily cause a cold, so it should be avoided. Even after washing your hair with warm water, you should blow dry your hair in time and keep warm.

Therefore, the above statement is too extreme. Women can wash their hair during menstruation, and washing hair has no direct relationship with cancer. The key is not to catch a cold.

What should you never do during your period?

Can't share a room

During menstruation, the cervix dilates, the endometrium is shed, the pelvic cavity becomes congested, and the natural barrier function of the vagina is reduced. At this time, sexual intercourse will bring bacteria into the vagina and uterus, which can easily cause pelvic inflammatory disease, endometritis and other reproductive organ inflammations.

Do not replace sanitary napkins for a long time

If the sanitary napkin is not changed for a long time, it will easily breed bacteria. It is recommended to change it every 2-3 hours. It is also not recommended to put paper towels on the sanitary napkin.

No sitz bath or tub bath

During menstruation, the cervix dilates and the natural barrier capacity decreases, making it easy for microorganisms in the water to enter the uterine cavity, increasing the possibility of retrograde infection.

Do not exercise excessively

Excessive and strenuous exercise can further cause congestion in the pelvis, accelerate blood flow, and cause adverse reactions such as excessive menstrual bleeding.

Tooth extraction, blood donation or other surgeries are not recommended unless necessary.

Some women often suffer from anemia during their menstrual period. Therefore, during surgery or blood donation, the patient's wounds are not easy to recover due to the decrease in blood coagulation ability, and the wounds are more likely to bleed more.

Avoid drinking alcohol, strong tea or coffee

During menstruation, women's ability to metabolize alcohol decreases. In addition, alcohol can irritate the inner wall of blood vessels, speed up blood circulation, and may increase menstrual volume.

The ingredients in tea can affect the body's absorption of iron. Therefore, whether you are suffering from anemia or during your menstrual period, you should drink less strong tea and coffee.

During menstruation, is there anything more useful than drinking hot water?

First of all, one week before your period, you can eat more potassium-rich foods, such as vegetables such as spinach, rapeseed, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, cereals such as corn, millet, buckwheat, and beans such as red beans and soybeans.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Secondly, on the first day of menstruation, you should eat more foods rich in calcium and magnesium, such as milk, soy products, seaweed, kelp, etc.

Furthermore, starting from the second day of the menstrual period, you can eat more foods rich in iron and vitamin C to replenish your blood, such as animal blood and liver, beef and mutton, black beans, black fungus, as well as fruits rich in vitamin C such as strawberries and kiwis.

Of course, it is also very important to pay attention to rest, ensure adequate sleep and a happy mood.

In summary

Washing your hair during menstruation

It is harmful to the body and can cause cancer.

Not credible

but

Female friends

You still need to take special care of yourself during your menstrual period

The cover of this article and the pictures with watermarks in the text are from the copyright library and are not authorized for reproduction