When women have menstruation, is it a way for the body to detoxify? If menstruation does not occur, will toxins accumulate?

Menstruation is probably the most familiar thing to women of childbearing age. It is a physiological cycle in which blood is discharged from the vagina once a month, also known as "menstrual period" or "menstrual blood". Whether it comes regularly is also a concern for many women. So some people think that menstruation is the body's detoxification, and if it is irregular, it cannot effectively detoxify? Is this statement really correct?

Let’s talk about it today.

First, let us understand what is in menstruation and whether it is poisonous.

Experts point out that the main component of menstruation is blood, of which 1/4 is venous blood, 3/4 is arterial blood, and the rest is shed endometrial tissue fragments discharged along with the menstrual blood. During the discharge process, it will also carry "mud and sand" along the way - vaginal secretions, shed fragments, etc. Of course, menstruation also contains various active enzymes to anti-coagulate blood and help blood to be discharged smoothly. These are all physiological tissues with normal metabolism, and there is no such thing as "toxic or not".

Since menstruation itself does not contain any "poison", does the menstrual process have a detoxifying effect?

This story starts with the menstruation. When women reach a certain age, usually 12 years old, their bodies mature. At this time, there is a commander in the brain, the "hypothalamus", which issues instructions to the pituitary gland to secrete gonadotropin. Gonadotropin can promote the secretion of estrogen by the ovaries, thicken the endometrium, secrete progesterone, and promote ovulation. When the secretion of estrogen and progesterone reaches a certain amount, they will tell the hypothalamus and pituitary gland about this result, thereby starting the negative feedback inhibition effect. The hypothalamus will re-issue instructions, and the two soldiers of estrogen and progesterone can be withdrawn. In this way, due to the sudden withdrawal, the endometrium falls off, arteriovenous bleeding occurs, and a menstrual process is completed. The whole process takes about one month. This is the famous "hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis" (1) of the human body. Therefore, the completion of menstruation is a normal physiological cycle process coordinated by many organs and the hormones secreted, and the whole process does not have the effect of detoxification.

Some people may ask, if scanty menstruation or amenorrhea can cause illness, can menstruation help expel toxins?

We should know that irregular menstruation, excessive or insufficient menstruation, amenorrhea, etc. are all abnormal menstruation and will cause discomfort. Is it possible that anemia, adenomyosis and other discomforts caused by excessive menstruation are caused by excessive discharge of "toxins"? So the answer is obvious: menstruation is a process in which each organ performs its duties and coordinates its work. Abnormal menstruation may be a problem in one of the links. The idea of ​​menstrual detoxification is nonsense. You need to seek medical attention in time to find out the cause.

Now that female friends’ misunderstanding of menstruation has been resolved, what does normal menstruation look like?

Let's understand that normal menstrual volume is about 50ml. It is generally believed that menstrual volume exceeding 80ml is considered excessive menstrual volume, and less than 20ml is considered insufficient menstrual volume. The best menstrual color is bright red and without blood clots. The menstrual cycle is 28 to 35 days. Due to individual differences, it is normal to have a menstrual period 7 days earlier or later as long as it shows a certain regularity. The menstrual period generally lasts for 3 to 7 days. During this period, a few people will experience symptoms such as lower abdominal distension, breast pain, and diarrhea, which will end with the end of menstruation. Girls should keep warm during menstruation and eat less raw, cold and stimulating foods. Studies have shown that menstrual abnormalities are closely related to psychology (2), so it is necessary to keep a good mood. At this point, do female friends have a more scientific and clearer understanding of this friend who comes every month?

This is the end of this episode of health rumor debunking. If you like this episode, please give us a thumbs up, or communicate with us in the comment section. See you next time.

References:

[1] Wu Zhiming, Shi Xiaodong, Guo Jian, et al. Study on the mechanism of the Kidney-Tiaojing Formula for preventing and treating menstrual disorders caused by Tripterygium wilfordii polyglycosides based on the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis[J]. Jiangxi Medicine, 2020, 055(005):520-525.

[2] Sun Qian. Correlation between menstrual disorders and mental health status in female college students[J]. Chinese Journal of Maternal and Child Health, 2017, 32(004):683-685.