8 Tips for Managing Your Menstrual Cycle With Cerebral Palsy
Like many other women, I get my visit from “Aunt Flow” every month. I have had monthly visits with her since I was 12 years old. When you have cerebral palsy as I do, dealing with the challenges and obstacles of having a menstrual cycle every month can be stressful. So I wanted to give people with cerebral palsy some tips on how to handle their menstrual cycles.
1. Find the menstrual product(s) that work well for you. Over the years of having my menstrual cycle, I have tried many different pads and tampons until finding the product that worked best for me and my needs.
2. Get as much rest as possible. For many people with cerebral palsy, our bodies tend to become stiffer during that time of the month. In order to reduce the pain, it’s best to rest and minimize stress.
3. Hold on to something that brings you comfort through pain. The best way I cope with pain during my menstrual cycle is holding on to my favorite teddy bear that I’ve had since I was 8 years old. It helps me find happiness during this time of the month.
4. Listen to your favorite genre of music. When I’m on my menstrual cycle I find listening to country music a great distraction. When I’m in massive pain, it makes the experience less difficult and relaxes my body.
5. Take your prescription and over-the-counter medications as needed. When I’m on my menstrual cycle, ibuprofen has become a lifesaver for me; it helps makes the pain of cramps less terrible.
6. Try not to do a task that makes you overwhelmed and stressed out. When you’re on your menstrual cycle it’s important to watch the tasks you do and do your best not to become stressed.
7. Try breathing techniques. I find breathing techniques to be helpful during my menstrual cycle. When I get severe cramps, I usually breathe in and out three times before and after each cramp and it seems to help.
8. Use a heating pad. Heating pads have become my lifesaver. When the cramps get too much for me to handle I place a heating pad on my stomach and that reduces the pain for a few minutes.
In my experience, having to deal with a menstrual cycle is a pain in the neck. With cerebral palsy it can be even harder, but I hope these tips will make your visit with Aunt Flow easier to manage.
Getty photo by Monkey Business Images.
Tylia L. Flores is a twenty-eight-year-old born with Spastic Cerebral Palsy. Despite her condition that affects her mobility, she does not allow it to affect her will and determination to make a difference in the world. Through her many life challenges and obstacles, she discovered her passion for writing. Tylia’s goal in life is to share her stories with the world. In doing so, she hopes to help others with disabilities realize that they, too, have the potential to make their dreams come true. Tylia is not only an author. She’s a radio show personality and a disability activist. Tylia has written about disability-related topics for Yahoo Life, Your Tango, The Mighty, ReadUnwritten.com, Words Between Coasts Project, Wednesday, Spilwords, and Goble Thrive. Worth Living Among her other appearances are Disability on the Spectrum and Why I was Afraid of Sexuality. Previously, Tylia was nominated to Diversabilities list of the most influential Disability Impacts of 2022. Additionally, Tylia holds the position of chairman in the creative director role for the North American Association Of Cerebral Palsy Advocates. She serves as a mentor for the Disability EmpowHer Network as well. Tylia also works for Write It Up Publishing as a sensitivity reader focusing on disability representation. Tylia has also been involved in many movie press releases for Samuel Goldwyn Films Come as you are Piece of me which was the short film directed and written by award winning filmmaker Bruna Cabral as well as the film adaptation of the book Calvin can’t fly by Jenifer Burnes Tylia is also a keynote speaker at 2020’s Cerebral Palsy Awareness conference. She has also been a guest speaker at Northeastern State University Broken Arrow where she talks to college students about disability and inclusion in education. She has also been a guest speaker at Plantation Middle School, where she discussed inclusion and disability with classmates. Tylia is fully certified in Education for All: Disability, Diversity, and Inclusion through Cape Town University. She’s also certified in Understanding Diversity and Inclusion through Purdue University. She’s also certified in creative writing at the University of East Anglia. Tylia hosts the Stomping On cerebral Palsy radio show with DJ Ty on Asheville FM with DJ Mouse during the Come On In the Kitchen segment once a month she also helps the staff behind the scenes, help bring awareness to disability awareness and inclusion within the radio broadcasting industry .
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