Balancing your work and your personal life as a working woman can be quite tiresome especially when piled up over women’s health issues such as menstrual problems and PCOS. While the pandemic allowed women to work from home, it was far from being a blessing in disguise. Along with office work, they had to manage household chores and take care of their kids with absolutely no help from housemaids. 

As per our IndiaFit Report 2021, we found that menstrual problems comprise an average of 32.8% of women health issues in 2020 – a drastic jump from 18.8% in 2019. PCOS at 21.7% has more than doubled from 2019. Vaginal discharge has increased to 14.6%, approximately 46% up from last year’s figure. Some major reasons for that being excessive stress, lack of exercise and unhealthy eating habits. The lockdown only worsened the situation, causing unprecedented psychological stress, leading to the release of excessive prolactin and cortisol hormones which interfered with their natural estrogen-progesterone cycle – which is responsible for regulating periods. 

Balancing Hormones For Women’s Health Issues 

Some issues can be solved by balancing the hormones progesterone and estrogen. This can be done through seed cycling, walking, weight management, cutting down on refined products and managing stress. In terms of diet, women can focus on Vitamin E rich foods, raw and sprouted seeds, nuts and salads. Homemade cottage cheese, fresh raw vegetable juice and cold pressed coconut oil also help! Vitamin C, B6 and pantothenic acid rich foods have properties of stimulating the body’s production of estrogen. 

Remedies To Reduce Menstrual Pain 

1. A Gentle Massage: over the abdomen, back, legs and feet for 15-20 minutes will ease the pain and relax the body. You can use oils like sesame, mustard and coconut for better results.
2. Hot Fermentation: Applying heat to the abdomen and lower back is also a very effective remedy to reduce the pain and cramps. You can use a hot bottle, heating pad, warm towel or even have a warm bath.
3. Good Sleep: for 7-8 hours (undisturbed) helps to relax your body and mind, both.
4. Natural Herbs: like fennel seeds, chamomile tea, cinnamon and ginger have antiinflammatory and antispasmodic properties, that are very beneficial in reducing the menstrual pain.
5. Avoid Certain Food Items: that increase the uneasiness by inducing gas and bloating issues, for instance, sugary soda drinks, alcohol, caffeine, salty foods, fried food, junk food items, etc.
6. Caffeine free teas like ginger tea, lemon tea, lavender tea, decaffeinated green tea can help in relieving pain associated with menstrual cramps.

Remedies For Bloating and Heavy Period Flow 

1. Jaggery and carom seeds drink: Boil 1 glass water and add ½ tsp carom seeds followed by 2 tsp jaggery powder. Boil till jaggery dissolves, strain and drink. This drink can instantly relax tensed uterus muscles and provide relief from pain and bloating associated with periods.
2. Soaked methi seed water: Soak some methi seeds overnight, warm the water in the morning and drink on an empty stomach. The major bioactive compounds ‘polyphenols’ in fenugreek seeds are believed to help reduce abdominal pain.
3. Turmeric and nutmeg milk: Adding a ½ tsp of turmeric and a pinch of nutmeg in warm milk and drinking this before bed helps in menstrual pains. This combination of 2 spices acts as an antispasmodic agent.

Certain Yoga poses to ease menstrual pain include: 

• Child’s pose or Balasana
• Knees to chest pose or Apanasana
• Camel pose or Ustrasana
• Forward fold or Padangusthasana
• Resting corpse pose or Shavasana 

Tips To Reduce Bloating During Pregnancy 

• Eat small proportions: Splitting your food into six small meals rather than three heavy meals will avoid overloading your digestive system.
• Eat slowly to improve the digestion. Take a few deep breaths before and during the meal to relax. Also, do not eat when stressed
• Consume fiber rich foods like carrots, whole wheat toast, oatmeal, apples, and pears. These are some of the best sources of fiber.
• Foods such as onions, cabbage, broccoli, and beans are gas-inducing. Fried foods may not release gas in the stomach, but they can slow down your digestion process, leading to bloating. Hence, avoiding fried and gas inducing food is important.
• Carbonated beverages and sweetened fruit juices contain high levels of fructose corn syrup, which contributes to bloating. Choose fresh fruit juices over carbonated beverages.
• Drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated. Start your day with a glass of water and then keep sipping water throughout the day. Include fresh fruit juices in your diet, water helps in flushing out toxins from your body. Also, helps in preventing bloating and constipation.

Remedies For Increased White Vaginal Discharge

White discharge is caused mainly due to hormonal imbalance, increased secretion of estrogen, improper hygiene habits, loss of iron, and sometimes due to indigestion and constipation. Remedies can include: 

1. Foods that are gut-friendly such as yogurt, kefir, kombucha, etc. for better digestion.
2. Optimum water and fiber intake to avoid constipation
3. Water residue which is used for white rice preparation. This will reduce the heat in the body.
4. Concoction of fenugreek seeds: Boil fenugreek seeds in water till it reduced to half, cool it and drink.
5. Guava leaves can be boiled in water, cool down, and drink – this also helps relieve vaginal itching.
6. Proper vaginal hygiene 
7. Include iron-rich food such as black raisins, dried apricots and green leafy vegetables, etc.

These effective remedies are suggested by our very own women experts from GOQii. We’re proud that our GOQii family chose to challenge stereotypes and truly #BeTheForce! We hope that you too rise up to challenge yourself and the stereotypes plaguing women everywhere. 

We also hope this article helps you overcome these women’s health issues. For more on women’s health, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play. 

Happy Women’s Day!