Category: Health x Body

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the reason for almost 10 million doctor’s visits each year. But that’s no surprise for most women since at least one in five women will get a UTI during her lifetime.
Typically, if you suspect you have a urinary tract infection, you’ll head to your general practitioner or local urgent care for a diagnosis, where you’ll probably be prescribed a short dose of antibiotics and be sent home.
But, if you’re pregnant and don’t want to take antibiotics, or you have an antibiotic-resistant UTI, you might be interested in natural remedies to cure your urinary tract infection.
We spoke to expert OB-GYNs to find out exactly how to determine if you have a UTI, which natural remedies actually work, and which one to skip.

Can I self-diagnose a UTI?

According to a 2015 study by British researchers, there’s no reason women can’t learn to identify the symptoms of a urinary tract infection and self-treat with over-the-counter medication or proven natural remedies.
But is it really safe to self-diagnose a UTI?
Not according to Tami Prince, MD, a practicing OB-GYN in Georgia.
“A woman should visit an OB-GYN when she suspects a possible UTI because symptoms of a UTI may mimic other infections such as STDs,” Prince explains. “A woman should never self-diagnose.”  
That’s because UTI symptoms can often be similar to other, more sinister (but rare) illnesses, like bladder cancer. Even if you’re almost positive you have a UTI, you should still visit your doctor.
“Self-diagnosis delays proper treatment and can lead to worsening symptoms such as pyelonephritis, which is a serious kidney infection,” Prince continues. “This more serious infection may lead to hospitalization. Over-the-counter treatment also interferes with urine testing and thus can lead to incorrect diagnosis.”  
It’s especially important to schedule an appointment with your OB-GYN if you notice that you’re getting recurring UTIs (defined as more than three UTIs in a 12-month period), or your UTI has turned into a persistent, chronic urinary tract infection so that lasting damage, like internal scarring, doesn’t occur.

What are the symptoms of a urinary tract infection?

When I was pregnant the first time, I went to urgent care at least three times because I was experiencing classic UTI symptoms; I had to pee frequently (even more than usual when you’re pregnant), I felt a burning sensation when I went to the bathroom, I had a lot of pelvic pain, and my urine was kind of smelly.
But, each time, the doctor declared I did not have a urinary tract infection. This time around, I ignored those pesky symptoms because I thought I was in the clear, just like my first pregnancy. After a routine OB visit, though, I got a call from the nurse letting me know that I did, in fact, have a UTI.
[pullquote align=”center”]UTI symptoms can often be similar to other, more sinister illnesses, like bladder cancer.[/pullquote]
“Most common symptoms are burning with urination, increased urination, blood in the urine, strong urine odor, lower abdominal or pelvic pain, and change in urine color,” Prince tells HealthyWay.
In my case, the UTI symptoms I experienced without actually having a UTI were caused by mild dehydration. If you’ve experienced similar symptoms in the past without having a UTI, visit your doctor anyway to rule out any other causes. Most of these symptoms, especially blood in the urine and pelvic pain, aren’t normal.

Women are more susceptible to urinary tract infections than men—here’s why.

You can thank biology.
According to Prince, “Bacteria entering the urinary tract system upsets the normal protective bacteria that already resides [there]. Once this happens, the bad bacteria multiplies and overruns the good bacteria, leading to infection. Women are more susceptible than men due to the [female] urethra being shorter than the male urethra.  This shorter urethra allows for bacteria to travel faster to the bladder.”
Also, menopausal women are more susceptible to urinary tract infections because of the sharp drop in estrogen levels during menopause. Estrogen helps to maintain balance in the urinary tract system, so when it gets out of balance, bacteria can thrive and cause a UTI.  

Is it possible to prevent a UTI?

The best way to avoid the symptoms associated with a UTI? Prevent it from happening in the first place by practicing good hygiene.
Always make sure you wipe front to back (and not the other way around) after using the restroom. This prevents infection-causing bacteria from fecal matter from making its way up to the perivaginal area and into your internal anatomy where it could cause a UTI.
[pullquote align=”center”]Menopausal women are more susceptible to urinary tract infections because of the sharp drop in estrogen levels during menopause. [/pullquote]
Additionally, note that sexually active women are more likely to get UTIs. There’s no need to stop getting frisky though. One of the easiest ways to prevent a UTI is to use the restroom immediately after sex, then go back to your post-coital cuddle-fest.
Another way to prevent UTIs is to make sure you drink extra water and use the restroom at least every four hours. If you’re one of those people who gets so busy they realize they haven’t stopped for food or bathroom breaks all day, set an alarm on your phone to remind you it’s time to go. Also, skip the scented sprays, lotions, and creams that might make their way downstairs. I used to always spritz my perfume down there (I know, I’m nuts), but it turns out that scents can irritate sensitive genital skin, leaving it susceptible to bacterial growth.  

Natural Remedies For UTIs

Prince says that studies focused on the treatment of UTIs with natural remedies are mostly inconclusive as to their efficacy because more research still needs to be done. However, a 2014 case study showed significant improvement in UTI symptoms when patients were treated with a combination of natural remedies including garlic, cranberry, and probiotics.
Choosing a natural remedy for a urinary tract infection should be a decision that you make with your physician. If your doctor gives you the all-clear, these natural remedies may help alleviate symptoms and clear up your urinary tract infection without antibiotics.
Pregnant? This is good news for you, too. According to the American Pregnancy Association, though little research has been done on probiotics taken in pregnancy, they are generally assumed to be safe. However, some natural supplements like garlic, cranberry, and vitamin C may not be safe for pregnant or nursing moms if taken in high doses, so always check with your doctor before taking any home remedy for a UTI.

Probiotics

Up to 80 percent of UTIs are actually caused by the same E. coli bacteria that commonly lives in your gut. Just how does this bacteria end up so far south? Well, it turns out that some strains of E. coli can not only travel outside the gut, but can also cause infections like a UTI. When E. coli is the culprit responsible for your urinary tract infection, Lactobacillus probiotics may help restore a healthy balance of vaginal bacteria and get rid of your urinary tract infection.
Probiotics are live organisms that help the gut maintain a healthy balance of good and bad gut bacteria. You can pick up Lactobacillus probiotics in almost any drugstore; while that’s great for gut health, these probiotic supplements, which are typically meant to be administered orally, won’t do much to cure your UTI. That’s because the E. coli bacteria that’s causing your UTI has traveled outside the gut into your vagina. In clinical trials, a Lactobacillus probiotic suppository—inserted vaginally—showed the most success in curing a urinary tract infection. Before using any vaginal suppository, speak to your doctor to make sure you choose the right type.

Cranberry Products

If you have the occasional UTI, cranberry may not help get rid of your symptoms, but research suggests that cranberry can alleviate the symptoms of women who suffer from persistent or recurring urinary tract infections.
Similar to probiotics, Prince explains that cranberries can also inhibit the adhesion of E. coli so that UTIs are less likely to occur. That’s partly because of the tart berry’s genetic makeup. Cranberries are 88 percent water, perfect for that needed hydration boost when you have a UTI. Plus, cranberries contain anthocyanins, which are plant pigments that are a natural defense against bad microbes found in the gut.
[pullquote align=”center”]Note that sexually active women are more likely to get UTIs. There’s no need to stop getting frisky though. One of the easiest ways to prevent a UTI is to use the restroom immediately after sex.[/pullquote]
To treat recurring UTIs with cranberry, follow the advice highlighted in a 2016 study conducted at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine: Skip sugary cranberry juice cocktails and opt for cranberry capsules instead. Why? The study found that patients who were given two pure cranberry juice capsules per day were 50 percent less likely to get a UTI. It’s not that cranberry juice doesn’t work against UTIs; rather, most cranberry juice found on store shelves isn’t 100 percent pure cranberry juice, meaning it won’t be as effective. And pure cranberry juice doesn’t taste great, so chugging 16 or more ounces of it a day could be challenging, which is why the study recommends capsules as an effective natural remedy for UTIs.
The downside to cranberry capsules is that you won’t get any of those ultra-hydrating benefits that whole cranberries provide because they’ve been dehydrated, powdered, ground, and encapsulated. So, if you choose to go the capsule route, make sure you’re drinking plenty of water, too.

Garlic

Garlic can add more than a big flavor boost to your home cooking. It turns out that garlic may actually help alleviate the symptoms of a urinary tract infection as well. Garlic is an allium, a plant species that also includes onions, leeks, and chives. Garlic has been used for centuries for its natural antibacterial properties in everything from salves to teas.
In particular, researchers at the Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences in India found 82 percent of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in the urine of patients with UTIs responded positively to treatment with garlic extract.
Don’t go biting into a clove of fresh garlic just yet, though. Patients in the study were given an aqueous garlic extract, meaning that the garlic had been distilled into a water solution first. If you don’t have a full lab at home to make an aqueous extract, don’t worry. While the research regarding garlic as a treatment for UTIs is scant, one 2009 study found that mice who were treated with oral garlic supplements had significant reduction of UTIs caused by non-E. coli bacteria.
While you should always consult your doctor before beginning any homeopathic remedy, there’s little harm in consuming garlic in moderation. Instead of adding more garlic to your pasta dishes, try brewing some garlic tea instead. You can easily make it at home with a few supplies. If you don’t like the taste of straight garlic, try adding some ginger and honey for flavor.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C may not do much for the common cold, but it could help you ward off that pesky UTI. Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, can help the body fight off a urinary tract infection by boosting the immune system and making urine more acidic so bacteria can’t thrive.
Medical professionals are divided on whether or not vitamin C really works to cure UTIs. A 2016 overview of non-antibiotic treatments of UTIs reported no difference in patients experiencing UTI symptoms after treatment with vitamin C; however, this study was extremely small, with only 13 participants completing the study.
Another study of over 100 pregnant women indicated that those treated with vitamin C showed an almost 17 percent reduction in the incidence of UTIs. That said, because it is unclear whether urine cultures were collected when participants were experiencing UTI symptoms, and because extremely low doses of vitamin C were administered, it’s hard to know whether or not vitamin C is actually an effective treatment against UTIs.  
So should you treat your UTI with vitamin C? Small increases in vitamin C pose little risk to your health, so it is probably okay to have a second glass of orange juice if you’re trying to get rid of a UTI. Still, always consult your doctor before taking a supplement—even vitamin C!—or trying to treat a UTI on your own.

Skip the apple cider vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar has been touted as a natural remedy for everything from weight loss to teeth whitening. But does it really work to alleviate the symptoms of a urinary tract infection?
A recent study suggests that apple cider vinegar does have antimicrobial properties that can significantly impair key enzymes that cause E. coli bacteria to grow and multiply. The study didn’t test apple cider vinegar’s efficacy rate in treating UTIs, but since the majority of urinary tract infections are caused by E. coli, the study suggests that apple cider vinegar may help treat UTI symptoms. Still, apple cider vinegar is an unproven treatment for UTIs, so always consult your doctor before sipping this bitter beverage.  
If you need to get rid of a UTI fast, it’s best to schedule an appointment with your OB-GYN, primary care provider, or even an urgent care for diagnosis before self-treating without antibiotics. Once your doctor gives you the go-ahead, though, try one of these natural remedies for relief, because nobody has time for a UTI.

I’ll be completely honest; I’d actually never heard of functional medicine before I began my research for this piece. But as someone who’s dealt with chronic muscle pain for several years with few answers from conventional medical practitioners, I was eager to learn more.
In case you aren’t familiar with it, functional medicine is considered an alternative to the current model of healthcare and has been touted by Mark Hyman, MD—functional medicine authority and former advisor to the Clintons—as the future of medical care in the United States.
But just what is functional medicine? We spoke to experts and functional medicine practitioners to find out everything you need to know prior to your first consultation.

What is functional medicine?

In short, functional medicine strives to look at the body as a whole, considering how the affected organs function together to devise a treatment plan for patients.
Now, you may be thinking, Wait—isn’t that how traditional medical care is supposed to work?
Well…sort of. While medical practitioners know that certain parts of the body interact with one another, conventional medicine typically focuses on alleviating a patient’s individual symptoms.
For example, if you visit your general practitioner because you suspect you have heartburn, your doctor will probably prescribe antacids to alleviate the symptoms and send you home. A doctor of functional medicine, on the other hand, wants to know what’s going on in other parts of your body that may be causing your heartburn to flare up. They may determine that an underlying issue is the cause of your heartburn—one that can be treated without requiring you to take antacids.
There’s nothing wrong with either treatment method, as the goal of both conventional and functional medicine is to help patients get well.
Still, if you’ve suffered from chronic illness or are looking for an alternative to your current medical care, functional medicine might be for you.
“Functional medicine is helpful for anyone, but it is most useful for people who have been to many doctors, tried a lot of possible solutions, and are no closer to solving their health challenges,” says Amanda Malachesky, a functional nutrition coach based in Petrolia, California. “And while people often want to go straight to treating the root causes, functional practitioners begin always with the foundations of health: diet, sleep, exercise, stress reduction, and blood sugar management.”
Doctors of functional medicine are real doctors who have been to medical school and are licensed medical practitioners. In fact, functional medicine is built on the foundation of conventional medicine and is more a philosophy of care than a totally different healthcare field. There are three principles that guide doctors of functional medicine, Malachesky explains.
“Functional medicine works towards root-cause resolution, works to use tools and frameworks to help us identify these root causes … and honors each client or patient as a truly unique individual, and tailors recommendations and treatments to the individual.”
[pullquote align=”center”]“Functional medicine is helpful for anyone, but it is most useful for people who have been to many doctors, tried a lot of possible solutions, and are no closer to solving their health challenges.”
—Amanda Malachesky, Functional Nutrition Coach[/pullquote]
Doctors aren’t the only professionals who can leverage functional medicine’s principles. Almost any licensed healthcare provider, like a chiropractor, registered nurse, or dietitian, can practice functional medicine as it applies to their field of care.
These principles ensure that patients are always first, and while you may not get a quick fix for what’s ailing you, a quality functional medicine practitioner will be dedicated to finding the root cause of your healthcare concern.

Are functional medicine and integrative medicine the same thing?

“Functional medicine is an extension of integrative medicine,” says Clayton Bell, MD, a physician at the University of Tennessee Medical Center who specializes in integrative medicine. “The two fields are more of a continuum than two distinct medical entities.”
“Integrative medicine is a mind-body-spirit holistic approach to healing that incorporates the best of Western medicine along with ancient healing traditions of the East,” Bell continues. “Anything that relates to a person’s health, wellness, and vitality would be an instrument of healing through integrative medicine. When one optimizes their nutrition, stress resiliency, physical activity, and sleep, all conditions have a better opportunity to heal.”
Both integrative medicine and functional medicine take a holistic approach to treating patients. In addition to finding the root cause of an illness, functional medicine focuses heavily on building healthy lifestyle habits to improve patient outcomes.
“The goal of functional medicine is simply understanding underlying issues and contributing factors and addressing healthcare holistically,” says James Greenblatt, MD, medical director of Walden Behavioral Care.  
Bell adds that functional medicine is a science- and evidence-based field that takes more of a systems-based approach to medical care that’s uniquely personalized to the patient, focusing on the patient’s genetic background as a key to finding the root of a patient’s illness.
And, though there aren’t a lot of studies that specifically research functional medicine outcomes, Malachesky says there’s plenty of research to back up functional medicine’s science-based claims:

There are thousands of articles and publications studying the science of gut health, the role of inflammation in the development and management of chronic disease, and immune signaling and its role in chronic disease conditions. Functional nutrition and medicine practitioners view health problems through these and other related lenses, and I believe that we will find the approach fully validated as new studies are completed.

Are functional medicine practitioners real doctors?

The short answer: Yes!
“All well-trained physicians of functional medicine are licensed medical professionals that have taken additional training not taught in medical school,” says Greenblatt.
The Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM) is currently one of the few training centers for functional medicine. To become certified in functional medicine, a healthcare provider must have already received a healthcare degree from an accredited university and hold up-to-date licensure in their area of practice.
To become a certified functional medicine practitioner, accepted IFM applicants must complete coursework in six areas: gastrointestinal, detox, immune, hormone, cardiometabolic, and energy. Students must also complete a case study and take a written exam to complete the course. To maintain certification, functional medicine practitioners must retake the written exam and provide up-to-date licensure information every six years.
[pullquote align=”center”]“The goal of functional medicine is simply understanding underlying issues and contributing factors and addressing healthcare holistically.”
—James Greenblatt, MD[/pullquote]
Ultimately a doctor of functional medicine certified by IFM will be an MD and be qualified as a conventional medical provider. Other healthcare workers like registered nurses, acupuncturists, and registered dietitians may also become certified in functional medicine, but they can only apply functional medicine to their specific fields.
Greenblatt says that, like every field of care, there are some functional medicine professionals who are more qualified than others, and that unfortunately there are sometimes imposters who aren’t licensed or certified. When looking for a functional medicine practitioner, Greenblatt suggests patients make sure their certification is from IFM or another reputable functional medicine certification program. If someone is calling themselves a doctor of functional medicine and they don’t have the proper licensure or hold a degree, then they’re likely not certified as real doctors of functional medicine.
In other words? Do your homework just as you would before seeing any new healthcare provider, and don’t be afraid to verify their credentials before attending an appointment or receiving treatment if you feel at all uncomfortable.

Functional Medicine Treatment

When making an initial appointment with a functional medicine doctor, be prepared to spend quite a bit more time at the visit than you would with your general practitioner. A functional medicine provider is going to take a detailed personal and family medical history and take into consideration your answers to questions about your symptoms and overall experience of health prior to prescribing any treatments.
Using IFM’s database, it’s easy to find a certified functional medicine provider. You can search by location, certification, and specialty to find the provider who’s right for you and your needs.
Part of functional medicine is building a trust-based relationship between provider and patient, so don’t be afraid to speak up, ask questions, and be an advocate for your own health. Not sure what to ask? Here’s a list of questions to get you started.
One of the hallmarks of functional medicine is a treatment plan that is totally individualized to the patient. Still, after your initial consultation, you can expect extensive lab work and genetic testing that will be an integral part of determining whether you have any underlying issues.
Greenblatt describes an example of crafting a care plan with patients: “if a patient is suffering from a mental health issue, we would do extensive testing to uncover whether or not an underlying issue might be affecting how they feel, like a gut imbalance”—a method that demonstrates functional medicine’s understanding of the mind–body connection. “Then, we’d work to treat those issues holistically rather than prescribing medication to treat the symptoms, like depression or anxiety, of the underlying issue.”
Typically, a functional medicine (much like an integrative medicine) care plan will focus on helping patients alleviate their health issues through lifestyle changes first. This treatment might be as simple as changing your diet, going for a daily walk, or participating in yoga and meditation. If these non-invasive treatments don’t work, then your doctor might consider medication or surgery.

Does insurance cover functional medicine?

Most of the time.
“Visits to most certified functional medicine physicians fall into the category of good medical care,” Greenblatt says. But because functional medicine relies on extensive testing, some costs, like lab work or other testing, may not be covered by your insurer.
Additionally, if you are seeking treatment with a functional medicine practitioner who is a healthcare professional in another field, like a chiropractor or a nutritionist, treatment may not be covered by your insurance.
[pullquote align=”center”]“If a patient is suffering from a mental health issue, we would do extensive testing to uncover whether or not an underlying issue might be affecting how they feel, like a gut imbalance.”
—James Greenblatt, MD[/pullquote]
The best thing to do?
Check with your insurance provider before scheduling an appointment with a functional medicine provider so there are no surprise out-of-pocket fees.

So is functional medicine right for you?

If you’re looking for a quick fix to a health problem, then functional medicine probably isn’t going to be a good fit. But if you’re really interested in understanding how your body’s genetics and biology work together, then functional medicine just may provide the answers to your medical concerns.

Can I get pregnant on my period? If you’ve ever asked yourself that question, don’t worry: You’re not the only one wondering.
Whether you’re trying to conceive or actively trying to avoid conception, knowing when you’re fertile enough for sperm to meet egg and make a baby can be confusing. Even if you got an A+ in health class, our bodies are all different, and that means the cycle of one woman, transgender man, or non-binary person can be ever-so-slightly off from their peers, making that exact moment when you might experience a pregnancy different from your best friend.
The short answer? Yes, it is entirely possible to get pregnant on your period.
If you are flashing back to health class and thinking hey, wait a second, we hear you. The longer answer is yes, but…

Can you get pregnant on your period?

No matter what your high school best friend always said, there is no one time of the month when it’s 100 percent guaranteed that you can have unprotected sex with no repercussions. The risk of sexually transmitted infections aside, there is a risk of pregnancy—albeit a slight one—that comes with period sex.
If you’re wondering how it can happen, it all has to do with the timing of your menstrual cycle.
A “normal” (meaning typical of most folks) cycle lasts anywhere from 27 to 35 days, says Mary Fleming, OB-GYN and attending physician at Einstein Medical Center Montgomery in East Norriton, Pennsylvania. Day one of a menstrual cycle is considered the first day of your period (or the day you start bleeding). Your cycle then continues for that 27 to 35 days until a new cycle begins with the arrival of your next period.
For most people, a period lasts about three to seven days, Fleming says. Counting ahead, in most folks, ovulation occurs about two weeks later (anywhere from 10 to 17 days into the cycle). “Ovulation is the process of the ovary releasing the egg and its migration through the fallopian tubes,” Fleming explains.
Of course, it takes an egg for someone to get pregnant, as conception happens when a sperm and egg come together and form an embryo. That period of ovulation is also referred to as your fertile window, the one time in your cycle when you are most likely to get pregnant.
Do a little math, and it seems hard to imagine how someone could possibly get pregnant during their period, right? Ten days, which marks the early end of a fertile window for the average person, is at least three full days after the seven-day mark, which again marks the outset for most women’s cycles! Well, this is why it’s rare to get pregnant on your period.
But rare doesn’t mean it never happens, Fleming says. The most likely reason for someone to get pregnant during their period? A menstrual cycle that’s different from the norm.
“The most likely explanation for those women who conceive when they are on their period is that those women are not having regular ovulatory cycles,” Fleming says. “These women may bleed sporadically, have intermittent spotting, or bleed for long periods of time. This typically means they are not ovulating or ovulating unpredictably.”
Even in women who do have regular menstrual cycles, studies have found that estimating your fertile window may not be as easy as counting ahead 10 days after the menstrual cycle begins. According to one study performed by the Biostatistics Branch of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, “In only about 30 percent of women is the fertile window entirely within the days of the menstrual cycle identified by clinical guidelines—that is, between days 10 and 17.”
In other words, it can fall earlier, putting fertility closer to the period when someone is still bleeding.
Getting pregnant “during your period” may also happen when you confuse your period with bleeding from some other condition.
For example, Fleming says, cervical or endometrial polyps may cause bleeding from the vagina, as can cervicitis (an infection of the cervix) or vaginitis (an infection of the vagina such as yeast or bacterial vaginosis) or even micro-tears in the vagina due to vaginal dryness.
If someone assumes that they’re bleeding because of their period but has not actually reached that point in their menstrual cycle, the risk of pregnancy from unprotected sex goes up.

How to Avoid Pregnancy on Your Period

If your goal is to prevent pregnancy, there are a number of birth control options to consider, all of which should be used straight through your period.
The IUD, birth control pill, and other contraceptives can all make period sex safer—at least when it comes to pregnancy risk. To protect against STIs, always use a condom.

What if you want to get pregnant?

If you are trying to conceive, skipping birth control is a big start, but don’t depend on period sex to get you there, Fleming says. Because it’s rare, she still recommends determining your fertility window and having sex more often during that time.
“You will need to determine when you ovulate by keeping a menstrual calendar with a mobile app, basal body temperature charting, or a commercial ovulation predictor kit,” she suggests. “The first day of bleeding is day one. Once you know the length of your cycles (day one to day one), count backwards 14 days.”
Have fun!

Every woman experiences menstruation a bit differently regardless of whether she’s using a period tracker. The luckiest ones have light, regular periods that come and go like clockwork. For many others, menstruation is somewhat of a mystery. Some months are heavy, crampy nightmares, while your period hardly makes an appearance in others.
But if there’s one universal experience, it’s having your period show up at the worst possible time—at the beach when you’re wearing a white bikini, on an airplane when you forgot your tampons, or maybe when you’re on a run a couple of miles from home. Ugh! The only way to get some sense of when Aunt Flo is coming to town is by using a period tracker.
Yes, period tracking: that thing most of us were encouraged to start doing when we got our first period, but we got annoyed with (or even embarrassed by) making little red dots on a calendar and gave it up entirely. I’ll admit it—I’ve become a sex-positive, health-conscious woman who still bashfully shrugs at the gyno’s office when she asks the date of my last period and who scrambles to find a tampon when my period shows up seemingly out of nowhere. Not an ideal situation—and let’s not even get into the pregnancy scares that can happen if you aren’t tracking your menstrual cycle.
Fortunately, getting a handle on your cycle isn’t that hard. A range of period tracking methods—from high-tech apps to old-school, pen-and-paper calendars—can help you learn when to expect the crimson tide and how long it will take to ride it out. We asked Diana Ramos, MD, a board-certified OB-GYN and chair of the National Preconception Health and Health Care Initiative, to share the best ways to track your period and the benefits of being disciplined about it, once and for all.

Period Tracking: What’s the point?

It’s thought of as a tedious task that requires discipline and a willingness to tune in to your body on a daily basis. Why should you even bother with period tracking?
“One of the most important benefits of period tracking is getting to know your body—this is especially important if you’re of reproductive age and you’re trying to become pregnant or avoid pregnancy,” Ramos explains.
Using a period tracker can help you notice disruptions in your menstrual cycle. You might realize that your period has become irregular or changed in frequency, which could be symptoms of bigger health concerns.
“Sometimes a woman’s period is happening more often and for longer duration—signs that something could be abnormal. Heavier bleeding might also indicate a hormone imbalance, fibroids, or an underlying disease. Unless you know what’s normal for your body, you’re not going to know when something’s potentially wrong,” says Ramos.
And of course, one of the main benefits of period tracking is knowing when you should throw a couple of tampons in your purse. Who doesn’t want that peace of mind?
But despite all of these benefits, most women still haven’t figured out how to track their periods. Ramos estimates that only about a third of women use a period tracker—the rest of us are in the dark about our menstruation and ovulation. Yikes!

How to Track Your Period the Old-School Way

You don’t need to get fancy when it comes to tracking your period. The old-school approach of using pen and a calendar has helped women track their periods for centuries (maybe longer)—and can give you a better understanding of your body.
Start by putting a mark on the calendar on the first day of your period. That signifies the start of your menstruation cycle, says Ramos, and it’s the date gynecologists want when they ask when your last period was. Continue marking every day that you bleed with a red dot or whatever symbol resonates with you (a heart, a skull and crossbones, a frowny face—we don’t judge). Then, start the process again the next time you menstruate.
Your calendar should also include information about how much you’re bleeding, Ramos says. You could measure it based on how many pads and tampons you’re using or by giving your flow a loose estimate of light, medium, or heavy.
Other symptoms, like your emotions, cramps, and overall health, can also be noted on your period tracker, depending on how much information you want to include. After about three months of tracking your period, you will learn the length of your cycle (typically 21 to 35 days), roughly when you’re most fertile (usually the mid-point between periods), and other patterns related to your menstruation.
“The longer you do it, the more you can learn,” says Ramos. “Period tracking should be a lifelong habit and can give you something to refer to if your body changes.”

Bringing Period Tracking Into the 21st Century

Technology has made a lot of things easier for us—including period tracking. Monitoring your cycle has gone modern with a range of femtech apps that can help you track everything from your flow and period length to your moods, weight, and birth control use. Here are three of our favorite digital period trackers:
Dot: Rated 4.7/5 stars in the App Store, Dot Period & Fertility Tracker “works like a weather forecast for your menstrual cycle.” All you have to do is record the first day of your flow, and the period tracker gets to work predicting your likelihood of getting pregnant any day of the month, when you’re going to ovulate, and the date of your next period. You can note your moods, period symptoms, and sexual activities right in the app. Dot’s pretty smart—it’ll let you know if your cycle is off and you might need medical attention.
Clue: Clue has earned high marks for its accuracy, features, and functionality. Its intuitive design makes it easy to track your period, the heaviness of your flow, and even the types of menstrual products you use. Clue also encourages users to log their birth control, cramps, sleep, skin and hair conditions, and tons of other health-related symptoms. The more information you provide, the better Clue becomes at analyzing the state of your reproductive health.
Flo: While it brands itself as an ovulation and period tracker, the Flo app does much more than just record the days of your cycle, although it’s great at that! It’s an overall lifestyle monitor that allows you to record your weight, travel, stress levels, sex drive, sleep duration, water consumption, and just about every other healthy lifestyle activity you could imagine—earning it an average of 4.8 stars from more than 200,000 people who’ve rated it in the App Store.
While digital tools have taken the guesswork out of period tracking for many women, the pen-and-paper method is still perfectly acceptable. Healthcare professionals just want you to track your period in whatever way works best for you so they can be aware if something’s amiss.
“Period tracking is a good habit to get into as young as possible, but you can start any time,” Ramos notes. “The most important thing is that if you notice something abnormal, go see your healthcare provider. Don’t try to guess what might be happening.”
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When you’ve got a headache that just won’t go away, what’s your go-to fix? If you’ve been diagnosed with migraines and throw out a Facebook query to your family and friends, pressure points for migraines are sure to come up.
But let’s face it … the majority of migraine remedy suggestions tend to fall into two camps: old wives’ tales and science-backed options that you really need to follow up on. So can figuring out pressure points for migraines really help?
Here’s the good news: There’s actual science behind the idea that manipulating pressure points or trigger points can help manage your migraines. In America, 28 million people over the age of 12 suffer from migraines, and studies have been launched to find everything from nausea relief to pain relief.
Although you may be able to find some relief at home using pressure points on your body, trying to use them without proper knowledge could just irritate your muscles. So what do you need to know about pressure points before you start poking around?

What causes migraines?

Before you start digging in, you need to know what you’re working with.
The word migraine gets thrown around a lot, but from a medical perspective, the National Library of Medicine defines a migraine as a type of headache that typically occurs with other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light and sound. A throbbing pain is felt on only one side of the head in typical cases.
“It is not uncommon for some people to concentrate stress in one part of the body,” explains Nada Milosavljevic, MD, a physician and faculty member at Harvard Medical School and founder of Sage Tonic. “One typical area is the head, and the symptom is the all-too-familiar headache. For some people, headaches are easily triggered and recurring, causing distraction, irritability, and the tendency to rely on medications to feel normal. For others, intermittent migraines can drive them to distraction, blocking out other activities for several hours or even whole days.”
Treatments for migraines vary from daily medications to pharmaceuticals that can be taken orally when someone senses the headache coming on.
But pills aren’t the only options out there. More natural remedies can be helpful for some patients, Milosavljevic says.
“Behavioral, stress reduction, and integrative therapies like acupressure, biofeedback, CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), and physical therapy can be beneficial,” she notes.
One of the most popular of those natural remedies is pressure point massage, sometimes known as pressure point manipulation or acupressure.

Pressure Points for Migraines

This form of massage treatment focuses on myofascial trigger points in the muscles, says Michele Macomber, a certified myofascial trigger point therapist at Pain Free Maryland.
“Myofascial trigger points form in muscles that have become too tight, are injured, or are in spasm,” Macomber explains. “There can be any number of them in any individual person, depending on the events of their life. Trigger points can form at birth, every time a child gets a bump, any time an adult gets a repetitive strain injury or has an accident, any time someone spends countless work hours in a posture of poor ergonomics.”
“A migraine sufferer may need medication, changes in habits or foods, and to avoid perfumes, smoke, and chemicals as well, but the tension aspect of the headache, whether true migraine or not, is easily and effectively treated with myofascial trigger point therapy and stretch,” she adds.
That usually means calling someone like Macomber to help relieve those tight muscles causing a headache. Medical practitioners have developed cold lasers, for example, a relatively painless procedure that can be used only in a medical setting to tackle pressure points and relieve migraine symptoms. There are also compression techniques that can be done in an office setting to quiet the muscle pain that can lead to a migraine.
Sometimes a practitioner will use a needle in the spot (think acupuncture) or compression via massage, putting pressure on the pressure point, which triggers the body to send blood to that area and signals the body to release the pain. The goal is to eventually signal the body to relax the pressure point, creating relief for both the muscles and the headaches.

Pressure Point Treatment at Home

But that doesn’t mean you can’t get some migraine relief at home using pressure points.
With some 400 acupressure or trigger points in the body, there are spots that may supply relief if you can find them.
“With a bit of practice and some initial guidance, a migraine sufferer can readily stimulate acupressure points on their own,” Milosavljevic says, “especially those on the face and arms, which allow for easy access.”
In addition to providing migraine relief, pressure point massage can help relieve the stress associated with a migraine attack. Milosavljevic recommends these two to get you started:

LI 4

This trigger point is located on the top side of the hand in the web between thumb and index finger. “To find the point, squeeze the thumb against the base of the index finger,” Milosavljevic says. “The point is located on the highest point of the bulge (fleshy prominence) of the muscle, level with the end of the crease.”

Yintang

Sometimes called the “third eye point,” this trigger point is located on the face. You can find it midway between the medial ends of your eyebrows, right in the center of your forehead.
To get relief from at-home manipulation of the pressure points for your migraines, William Charschan, a chiropractor and owner of Charschan Chiropractic and Sports Injury Associates in North Brunswick, New Jersey, suggests pushing firmly on the pressure point for about a minute, using the index finger or index and middle fingers together.
The pain should slowly ebb, but the pressure can be repeated as needed. The amount of pressure you exert on the trigger point is up to you, although the feeling should be a “good hurt” rather than an excruciating pain. If it’s the latter, stop!
If pressure point massage alone doesn’t work, Macomber suggests incorporating heat and stretching.
“These are not a sufficient substitute for treatment, but until and after they get treatment, stretches may help reduce tension and pain,” she explains, but she quickly adds one note of warning. “Stretching far enough to feel pain makes muscles reflexively tighten up and can exacerbate the problem.”
To avoid this, don’t stretch if it is painful, and never stretch as far as the joint will allow.
“You should feel a comfortable, pleasant stretchy feeling, but never an extreme stretch sensation or pain,” Macomber says. Heat can also be added via a heating pad placed directly on the neck, shoulders, or other pressure points to soothe the irritated muscles.

Post-Pressure Procedure

It’s important to follow up with your physician, even if at-home treatment alleviates the migraine pain. “The problem with treatment is that without understanding or relieving the common triggers, migraines will continue to occur and may be frequent,” Charschan says. “Also, there is often a genetic link to those who get migraines, which may be linked to body style.”
“We not only look like our parents but walk like them and hold ourselves like them,” Charschan continues. “In other words, our mechanical signatures are often quite similar.”
For example, you may have your dad’s feet, which predispose you to back issues or asymmetrical body mechanics that create stress, which pulls on one side of the neck. That can be a migraine trigger and is often a main reason that patients who receive chiropractic treatment for migraines see improvement,” Charschan sys.
“Medically, they look at the mechanism of the migraine and treat it with medicine but ignore the mechanical causes which can often be eliminated or improved with chiropractic manipulation and soft tissue treatment,” he says.
The good news? Regardless of the cause of migraines, science points to the possibility of long-term relief with the help of appropriate treatment.
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