MENSTRUAL
DISORDERS
The female
reproductive system is more complex than its male counterpart and therefore it is not
surprising that it is subject to more frequent disturbances. Unlike the male reproductive
system, where the major reproductive organs and glands are visible externally, the major
organs and glands of the female system lie inside the pelvic cavity and are not visible,
except for the breasts and vestibule or outer entrance to the vagina.
Disturbances of
the menstrual and reproductive functions are extremely common and are a source of
continual suffering for many women throughout their lives. In many countries the topic of
reproductive function is traditionally veiled in secrecy, and as a result, many women do
not fully understand the natural processes and cycles occurring in their bodies, or are
misled by superstitions and false or inaccurate information. Many are too shy or ashamed
to seek guidance and assistance when troublesome irregularities of function occur, while
many others accept their problems philosophically or are not even aware that a disturbance
is present and that a healthier state is possible.
SPECIFIC
MENSTRUAL DISORDERS
I. Amenorrhea:
or the absence of menstrual periods, is normal in children and women after menopause, as
well as during pregnancy. Menstruation also remains suspended for a variable time in women
who are breast feeding their baby. Stress and worry, fear and anxiety, change of
environment and diet can also be implicated. Hormonal deficiency and certain tumors must
be ruled out by medical examination before yogic therapy is embarked upon.
There are two
basic types of amenorrhea:
Primary
amenorrhea: When a young girl does not menstruate it is usually caused by poor diet and
lack of fresh air, sunshine and proper exercise. Constipation and other symptoms of
tension may also be present. When these causes are removed, menses usually appear. If the
girl still has not begun to menstruate by the age of sixteen and a gynecological and
medical examination reveals no abnormality, there should be no cause for alarm. Sometimes
absence or delayed on-set of menstruation occurs in gifted or spiritually minded children,
when there is strong pineal control over the pituitary gland. Artificial hormonal
manipulation to induce ovulation and menstruation should be avoided unless it is proven
that the child lacks the necessary hormones for full secondary sexual growth.
Secondary
amenorrhea: If menstruation ceases for a few months and there is no underlying organic
reason, the recommended yoga program usually restores normal function.
2. Dysmenorrhea
and menorrhagia: are the medical terms for problems of painful, irregular or excessively
heavy menstruation. The underlying emotional and hormonal imbalance is readily rectified
by a simple and regular yogic practice.
DISORDERED
MENSTRUATION
Menstrual
difficulty (dysmenorrhea) spawns as much wretchedness as the common cold and medical
insight into this problem is equally limited. However, one researcher in this field, Dr.
Katherina Dalton (USA), has established that `woman's pain' is not one, but two distinct
problems.
Spasmodic
dysmenorrhea is characterized by cramps and acute pain in the lower abdomen with perhaps
nausea or shakiness at the beginning of the period. It generally appears in women under
twenty-five and usually clears up when the first child is born.
Congestive
dysmenorrhea is associated with the terrible tension that doctors call the `premenstrual
syndrome'. A heavy, dull aching in the abdomen and lower back may begin up to three or
four days before the bleeding itself. Some women notice swelling and tenderness in the
breasts, swollen abdomen or a generally bloated feeling. Greater fluid retention may be
reflected in a temporary weight increase of up to three kilos, and there may be some
nausea. Headaches, general stiffness and constipation are common. The worse aspects are
the irritability, depression and lethargy that make this time of the month so emotionally
debilitating. Both the physical and psychic congestion lessen in intensity when bleeding
begins and are relieved when the blood-flow is most profuse. This kind of menstrual
problem is common to women of all ages from puberty to menopause and seems to get worse
with every pregnancy.
Although medical
science has not been able to detect beyond doubt the cause of this pain, DR.Dalton's
evidence and that of Drs Carey and Pinkerton in australia, indicates that both spasmodic
and congestive dysmenorrhea are due to hormone imbalance. With spasmodic pain there is too
much progesterone in the body, while congestive problems are due to an excess of estrogen.
Another researcher, Dr.Elizabeth Connel, suggests that uterine cramps could be due to high
levels of prostoglandins. These are hormone-like substances produced by the lining of the
uterus in great quantities just before it is shed. Lack of progesterone (that is, too much
estrogen) also causes the body cells to retain sodium and lose potassium. This has severe
consequences, for the transmission of impulses throughout the nervous system and brain
depends on the correct sodium/potassium ratio. It seems then, that hormonal imbalance is
also the physiological root of emotional vulnerability during menses.
The symptoms of
altering hormonal levels in the blood and the mental and emotional reactions to them,
build up to a crescendo in the days and hours preceding the onset of menstruation. Their
severity varies from individual to individual depending on the state of her health and the
ability to accept and flow with the cyclical, hormonally induced changes. A high level of
pain and discomfort associated with the menstrual cycle often reflects a high level of
physical and nervous tension in the body, and mental and emotional opposition to the
process. This is why some women who are habitually tense and on edge tend to have
difficulty with their menstrual cycles, while those who accept the process with calmness
and poise, whose bodies are not run down or pranically depleted and whose nervous systems
are relaxed, have no abnormal symptoms.
Doctors usually
treat menstrual difficulties with pain-relievers and hormonal supplements (birth control
pills) and a certain percentage of women on oral contraceptive find their periods easier
and the flow lighter. However, the pill is at best, risky business, most recently being
linked to uterine cancers, and an increasing number of women prefer not to use it. Yoga,
on the other hand, offers natural and effective methods without toxic side-effects and
with benefits that extend far beyond the physical. It develops our awareness of
menstruation as a useful part of our lives, rather than a curse, and offers the techniques
to tame the hormonal cycle and use it for our spiritual evolution.
A PERIOD OF
HEIGHTENED AWARENESS
The monthly
hormonal cycle of menstruation serves as a constant backdrop of the mental and emotional
life of every woman, as well as being an important factor in her overall state of health.
Form the spiritual point of view, the days around the menstrual period are very powerful
and auspicious for a woman to practice meditation and japa yoga. The period commencing
three days before the onset and continuing for five days of menstrual bleeding and the
first five days of the new cycle, is a time when a woman gains a heightened level of
awareness naturally, by virtue of the altering hormonal balance. This is a time when her
natural insight and intuition become very prominent, and it is a most powerful time for
psychic awakening.
During this
period sense perceptions, psychic receptivity and intuition spontaneously sharpen; for
example, a woman may become very much more aware of smells, sounds, textures and tastes.
She may feel unusual repulsions or attractions which really reflect her altered state of
awareness.
Many women
become frightened because of unusual perceptions and experiences and may mistake them for
hallucinations or symptoms of sickness because they fail to understand what is actually
happening. Much of the pain and suffering of menstruation is due to fear and tension. When
yoga is used to rebalance the disordered muscular and hormonal imbalances which distort
menstruation, and fears and tensions are relaxed, the process will be seen in a different
light-as a blessing in disguise. It is a period in which access to higher level of
awareness is temporarily available and this should be met with confidence. Yoga and
meditation are the means of transforming the menstrual period from a troublesome and
unhappy experience into a natural doorway to the spiritual dimension of existence.
Any women who is
taking hormonal preparations to normalize her menstrual function, or is facing
hysterectomy, the surgical removal of the uterus, to relieve such symptoms, is advised to
adopt the recommended daily yoga program for some months. By reducing tension and
directing prana to the reproductive organs, restoration of proper balanced functioning
follows. Women who practice yoga regularly have found that period pain is eased almost
immediately and completely eliminated within a few months. They are generally more relaxed
and their overall health and vitality are much increased.
Yogic
Management: 1.
Suryanamskaram
2. Veerabadhrasana
3. Sarvanga Asana
4. Nadisodhana Pranayama |
