The new red droplet emoji symbolizes menstruation and hopes to de-stigmatize women’s periods and begin a conversation, particularly in young women, that periods aren’t shameful. Studies in the UK showed that roughly half of girls ages 14-21 were embarrassed by their periods.
Periods can be very heavy and lead to accidents; soiling clothes during the day or bed linens at night. The most common cause of heavy periods is uterine fibroids. Sometimes women bleed heavily for so long they believe that it is their normal. Signs that your period is too heavy include: changing pads more frequently than every 3-4 hours, changing more than one pad at a time, or experiencing episodes of blood “gushing/flooding out” or passage of clots. Women who have heavy periods often become anemic due to the inability to replace the blood (which contains iron & hemoglobin) they are losing each month. This will cause marked fatigue, episodes of lightheadedness/dizziness, migraine-like headaches, shortness of breath, chewing/craving ice (occasionally craving something not edible), and changes to nails and hair (even temporary hair loss).
If you experience these symptoms, it is important to see your doctor. If the cause of these symptoms is due to uterine fibroids, consider speaking with one of the doctors at the Atlanta Fibroid Center; one of the nation’s leaders in fibroid care.
Heavy Periods and the New Emoji: A First Step to Begin an Important Conversation
Here’s why a period emoji campaign was started:
It is important to tell girls, sisters, girlfriends, and all women that there is nothing “dirty” or “shameful” in menstruation. Menstruation is a normal part of every woman’s life and should be discussed openly and without embarrassment, fear, or shame.
Emoji has become one of the fastest-growing world languages, and it can be a positive change to help de-stigmatize menstruation. Emojipedia reports that the period emoji will be added to our keyboards this year. Creating an emoticon is just the beginning that can help support the movement to begin the conversation about women’s periods.
Will you use the emoji?
