It's back! My menstrual cycle and its irregularity

My menstrual cycle continues to be irregular. I have missed the last two months.

Out of nowhere on Sunday, my menstrual cycle made its presence known. It is heavier than usual, which doesn't alarm me. When I have missed a cycle, the next one tends to be heavier.

It's weird. I was starting to get used to not having them. I don't get hot flashes at night anymore, but they do happen during the day. Luckily, they are mild.

It's an interesting phase right now. 

Hair loss

Years ago, when I was stressed over my mom's stroke, I lost a significant amount of hair on my head. It was scary. Most of my hair grew back, thankfully.

These days, I am losing more hair than I usually do. I am stressed and anxious. I have a feeling that the latter is a vicious cycle. I'm anxious about my hair loss, which has continued because I'm stressed out.

Well, I have concluded that my hair loss isn't due to my anxiety or stress. It's likely a combination of my hair's regular growth cycle and the fact that I have been trying my hair back every day.

When I used to head to the office, I wore my hair down. Since I've been working from home for over three months, I only have my hair down after washing it and when I am asleep.

Lately, I have been letting my hair breathe by wearing it down more. Sure enough, my hair loss has lessened.

A small detail like letting my hair down makes such a huge difference.

Menstrual cycle and foot spasms

This week has been odd. On top of the rough start to the week, my period happened just before I left work on Tuesday morning. It's roughly four days late.

Being on my menstrual cycle drains me. As of late, they have been different. I haven't experienced a ton of cramping, likely because I am out and about. Physical activity helps.

My period also takes weird pauses. It stops for a few hours and then begins again.

Training is going well, except that my student doesn't have access to an application that he needs all the time. It's annoying that one of three approvers needs to say yes and they are all out to lunch.

My foot is going through spasms. Oh, joy! Here's hoping for better days ahead.

Hormones and stress factors

Hormones continue to fascinate me. For years, my menstrual cycle was completely abnormal. I could go a year without getting my period.

It wasn't until I lost sixty pounds that my menstrual cycle became monthly. These days, it's almost predictable to the day, except when there are stress factors.

In the past, if I were doing a major trip where there was a whole lot of last-minute planning, I would miss my period for that month.

Recently, I lost the incompetent colleague and knew about it a day before it happened. I feel that this event caused my period to be delayed.

My two students had their final workday on Friday. It wasn't until Saturday morning when my period came, a week after it should have.

Hormones are sensitive. I don't fully understand how they work, but they fascinate me and I need to live with them.

Periods and travel

My guy has made it safely to Dallas. I get to do the same routine tomorrow.

It's weird that my menstrual cycle happens whenever I am travelling. This time, it happened a couple of days ago.

He teases me that my period is that predictable. It does get in the way of quality time. Luckily, we'll have most of our trip to have some intimate fun.

Tomorrow, I need to get up early to head to the airport. The next time I post will be in the States, reunited with my guy.

Short weekends and accurate menstrual cycles

Weekends are not long enough. This one went by incredibly quickly.

When I first went on a low-carb diet and lost at least thirty pounds several years ago, my menstrual cycle became regular. Since my first period, each one after that was irregular. I could go for months or even a year before my next one.

Since losing a grand total of sixty pounds, my period has been monthly, with the occasional missed month each year.

Recently, I went back to being on a tighter low-carb diet. Sure enough, my period is even more accurate. It's every thirty days instead of a month, plus or minus a week. I find it interesting that my hormones are more balanced.

Here's to more observations as I continue being on my low-carb regimen.

Periods, travel, and spankings

My guy and I chatted for a bit the other day. He is preparing to deliver an online course next week. I am on week five of being in training mode.

At this rate, I am losing track of how each week seems to be an extension of the next. What complicates matters is that my period is ridiculously accurate. A month ago, my period started while I was in Sweden. It's back 28 days later.

It's amazing that my menstrual cycle is extremely accurate to predict these days. I thank losing sixty pounds and keeping it off for regulating my hormones. It was a mystery when I was a young woman.

My guy often jokes that I tend to get my period when I am travelling. He's about 80% correct. Weird!

I am glad that I have one more workday left. It has been a rough week. I am exhausted and need sleep.

Last night, I had difficulties falling asleep. I was too horny thinking about my guy. I wanted him next to me. I wanted him to cuddle up next to me. I wanted him to spank me hard, regardless of whether I had done something wrong or was good.

October can't come soon enough.

Tired, but happy

I am exhausted. The combination of doing various activities in hot summer temperatures and humidity, on top of going to work and being social after work, has contributed to my being tired and sleepy.

After work on Friday, I grabbed a bit of dinner, drove to a parking lot close to home, and took a nap in my car. The windows were down. The humidity had died and a nice breeze was present. I napped for a good twenty minutes, which did me a ton of good.

I didn't think that I could make it home to nap. I'm glad that I chose my car.

It's also that time of the month for me. I feel bloated and even more tired. Fun!

Luckily, the weekend has begun. I get to sleep in a little bit before I meet with my guy for lunch. Yay!

Periods - noting details and scheduling sex

It's that time of the month. Both my guy and I were thankful that we had so much fun last week! This week is obviously a bit of a breather.

When I first got my menstrual cycle, I was twelve years old. I noticed within the first couple of years that it was abnormal. You're supposed to have one each month. Mine were unpredictable. For the first ten years, I could go a year without one, give or take a few months.

I recall going to my doctor. I had my thyroid checked. It was fine. I got hormone pills that helped start my period.

My periods were heavy. They lasted six to seven days.

When it came to sex, it was nice that I didn't have regular periods. I could engage in sex often. I am not sure if my lack of a normal menstrual cycle ended up heightening my sex drive.

Roughly five years ago, I lost sixty pounds. To this day, I am proud of this achievement. I have been able to maintain it ever since.

What came with this weight loss was a regular menstrual cycle. These days, I can accurately predict when it is going to happen, unless I am stressed that it gets missed. I also missed my period for a month after I had back surgery.

I didn't do my regular exercise regimen last weekend for a couple of days. Whenever I skip exercising, my cramping is the worst. Yesterday, my cramps were bad. Luckily, ibuprofen works for me.

The other thing that tips me off that my period is about to happen is a dull ache in my lower back. Yesterday, it was pretty bad. Again, ibuprofen seems to help here, too.

The good news is that my cramping and lower back ache last for roughly 24 hours. I will be fine when I wake up on Friday.

Oh, and my periods these days aren't as heavy as they used to be. They also last for five days, at most.

It's amazing how hormones and my body work. I asked my doctor and she said that my weight loss ended up balancing my hormones.

My guy is sweet. He finds that I don't go into an I-hate-the-world type of mentality when my period hits. Rather, I seem more at peace. It's a bit strange, but he's correct.

He always asks whether it's okay to spank me when I am on my period. I am fine with it once my cramping goes away. I also insist of being spanked over my pants or whatever I am wearing.

Technically, it's not really a quiet week when I have my period. Spankings continue. We just take a break when it comes to sexual intercourse. I also like focusing on him by giving him a handjob or blowjob, depending on what he would like.

It's all good.

Diametrically opposed periods

On Saturday, I spent the day with a good friend. We have been friends since grade 7.

Growing up, she lived in the suburbs and I lived in Toronto. We both went to the same senior public and high schools in the eastern part of Toronto. We were in touch while we attended different universities. I then moved away to another province and country, eventually finding my way back to the greater Toronto area. She ended up moving to Toronto and staying there. We still got together whenever I was in town and we kept in touch through the years.

In June, she will be moving to eastern Ontario, in a city that is roughly a two-hour drive away from me. It's not too bad, considering that we'll be meeting midway somewhere.

I am excited for her. The change will be good for her. Naturally, I will miss hanging out with her as frequently as we have been these days. However, distance has never been an issue for us.

As weird as this segment will be, we seem to be diametrically opposed in some areas of our lives. We both realized that menstrual cycles are one such area.

She let me know as we were driving to one of our favourite restaurants that she is perimenopausal. It basically means that she is experiencing irregular menstrual cycles and menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, earlier than you typically do as a woman. She seems to get getting her period every six months. Her doctor has said that either she will continue this irregular pattern or her period will cease.

As for me, I experienced the complete opposite experience. When I first got my period in grade 7, my period was irregular right from the start. Mine never happened monthly. Sometimes, it was six months later. Other times, it could have been a year. My thyroid checked out fine. I was given pills to regulate my period and so on.

It wasn't until I lost sixty pounds nearly six years ago that my menstrual cycle became a monthly, predictable event. Hormones are interesting. I had lost and gained weight many times in my life, and my period continued to be irregular. It wasn't until I lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off that my hormones stabilized.

So, my good friend and I are like two ships in the night, except that we are Cancerian and often meet by water.