Upside-Down Menstruation

[Roboramma]

I'm curious about what the medical basis might be for suggesting that women not spend too much time upside down (for instance, in a headstand) while menstruating. The amount of time I'm talking about is on the order of 1 - 5 minutes, maybe 10 at most.
Because the practice is expected to be mainted for a long time, (years, to a lifetime) could there be some effect due to its long-term nature?

It seems like it might make sense, but I don't know enough to know for sure. Part of my skepticism is that the idea comes from yoga teachers. Well, in India it is usually suggested that women shouldn't practice yoga at all while menstruating, because they are unclean. When I was doing yoga in india they called it "Lady's holiday".

I wonder if the inversions thing is a sort of justification of this, or if it has a valid medical basis. Any info about this would be appreciated.

 

[Zep]

Huh?? What the...

 

[sophia8]

There might be problems if she spent all her time upside-down and never got into any other position at all, ever. Then the sloughed-off uterus lining - which is what menstruation is - might go through some interesting changes.
But the moment she stands upright, gravity takes over. Trust me - I've menstruated. (In spades.)

 

[asthmatic camel]

I'm with Zep. Eyes are tightly shut, fingers are firmly wedged in ears and larynx is making loud humming noises.

 

[UrsulaV]

But the moment she stands upright, gravity takes over.

Hmm, this does make me wonder what'd happen in zero G, though. Would it just stay put? Did female astronauts have to worry about this?

 

[casebro]

You can drink while standing on yout head. Uterus walls are musclar. I'd think that the body does not depend on gravity for the expulsive action. Four legged females manage to flow horizontally...

 

[Dogdoctor]

My guess it would be due to cultural beliefs and nothing to do with reality other than some yoga positions may make you flow heavily and be rather messy.

 

[Lisa Simpson]

I borrowed one of my mom's yoga DVDs and it said not to do some of the upside down poses when menstruating. JREF doctors? What's the what?

 

[Morwen]

Hmm, this does make me wonder what'd happen in zero G, though. Would it just stay put? Did female astronauts have to worry about this?

Tampons.

 

[ImaginalDisc]

Women who practiced yoga in days gone by did not have tampons. Without modern feminine hygine products, yoga while mensturating could be...embarassing.

 

[Rolfe]

You can drink while standing on yout head. Uterus walls are musclar. I'd think that the body does not depend on gravity for the expulsive action. Four legged females manage to flow horizontally...

Four-legged females don't menstruate.

I wonder if the concern is that stuff might actually go the wrong way? What's the chances of anything that shouldn't go there actually getting through the fallopian tubes? Not high, I suspect. And would it matter if it did? Dunno.

Rolfe.

 

[Lisa Simpson]

From Yoga Journal:

From a yogic perspective, the reason for not inverting during menstruation has to do with apana, the hypothesized downward pranic force that is said to help facilitate things such as bowel function, urination, and menstrual flow. The concern is that reversing this normal energetic movement could interfere with the period, leading to a cessation of flow and possibly heavier bleeding later on.

It may be wise to avoid inversions while menstruating. But from a medical standpoint, the belief is based mostly on speculation. Women are often warned that if they invert during their period, "retrograde menstruation" could occur. That is, blood could flow in the opposite direction and lead to endometriosis, a painful condition in which small clusters of uterine cells grow in the abdominal cavity. One study, however, found that retrograde menstruation naturally occurs in 90 percent of women, most of whom never develop endometriosis. So we do not know for sure if inversions increase retrograde flow or whether the backward flow increases the risk of endometriosis.

 

[ImaginalDisc]

Hmm, now that you mention it Lisa, I remember my yoga instructor strongly suggesting that we not drink water, or go to the bathroom before yoga, as it stimulated that "downward energy". Consequently, we got to enjoy our yoga with flattulence. Joy.

 

[mroek]

Four-legged females don't menstruate.

I was under the impression that at least female dogs did. AFAIK, they do bleed from their vaginal opening a few times a year related to their period of heat?

Am I mistaken?

 

[Dogdoctor]

I was under the impression that at least female dogs did. AFAIK, they do bleed from their vaginal opening a few times a year related to their period of heat?

Am I mistaken?

Dogs and most other mammals have an estrous cycle where for periods of time they become reproductively active. In the case of the dog they have no interest in sex except for about 9 days during their estrous cycle which may be repeated 2 or 3 times a year or for some only once a year. The bloody discharge represents the uterus becoming ready to be fertilized and is an attractant for males. Humans have a menstrual cycle where the menses signal that the female has not gotten pregnant and is sloughing the lining to prepare for another cycle and has no relationship to the desire to have sex or not and generally is not thought to attract males.

 

[Johnny Pixels]

Has this got anything to do with this? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4526132.stm

A European Space Agency experiment in to the effects of zero g on women, by having them lay in bed reclined at 6 degrees for two months, so they've probably looked into menstruation, although the findings are out next year some time.

 

[El Greco]

When I saw this thread I tied my menstruating girlfriend upside-down and she's been like that for more than 24 hours. She says she feels fine, should I terminate the experiment now ?

 

[Morrison's Lament]

But is life really worth living if you can't spend extended periods of time upside-down, as one presumably does on a regular basis?

--- G.

 

[Roboramma]

But is life really worth living if you can't spend extended periods of time upside-down, as one presumably does on a regular basis?

--- G.

I often ask myself this very question.

 

[Roboramma]

Anyway. I'd just like to thank everyone for their helpful responses, especially Lisa Simpson.

I'm still not sure what to think. It seems unlikely that spending a few minutes a day in a headstand when menstruating can cause any real problems, especially considering the last sentence of Lisa Simpson's quote:
"So we do not know for sure if inversions increase retrograde flow or whether the backward flow increases the risk of endometriosis. "

I'm asking this because I teach yoga. I wonder if there's really a good reason for me to be telling people not to do inversions when menstruating. But for now it seems like until I know more better to be safe than sorry. It's not going to hurt them not to do inversions, after all.

Anywho, thanks a lot to all.