Shocking photo circulating online shows how a uterus DOUBLES in size when a woman menstruates – but experts are divided over whether it’s true
- A viral photo has explained why women feel ‘heavy’ during their periods
- The snap compares two ‘life-sized replicas’ of a regular uterus and one mid-flow
- The photo shows how the uterus almost doubles in size during a period
- However, experts are not convinced there is much truth to the photo
A viral photo shared online claims to explain the reason many women feel ‘heavy’ during their periods.
The image, which has recently re-surfaced via The Jocelyn Centre in Sydney, uses two life-sized replicas’ to compare a regular uterus to one mid-flow.
The small, pear-shaped replica represents a non-menstruating uterus, while the darker one is almost double it in size.
A viral photo shared online claims to explain the reason many women feel ‘heavy’ during their periods – it shows a regular uterus and one when menstruating (pictured)
‘This is why we feel so heavy at the beginning of our bleed,’ the post first shared on the Facebook page Apples and Ovaries reads.
‘Why it can feel like our uterus is about to drop out and hit the pavement (or is that just me?). And why we need to take things slow.
‘Can you get over the difference in size?!’
The snap has been shared more than 25,000 times, with many women writing about how amazed they are at what their bodies go through every single month.
‘No wonder PMS sucks the life out me [and] still recovering days later,’ one commenter posted.
‘I didn’t know this. Our bodies are hideous and fascinating in equal doses,’ another added.
Not everyone commenting on the post said they believed that the uterus almost doubles in size at a specific time of the month.
Natural fertility expert Nat Kringoudis (pictured) said pain and some swelling is to be expected during a period – but you can counteract this
Speaking to Healthline, obstetrician-gynecologist Dr Safrir Neuwirth said he wasn’t sure whether there was much truth to the image.
‘In my 20 years of practice, I’ve never noticed much of a change in the size of the uterus during the period,’ he said.
‘There are certain things that happen physiologically during a woman’s period that do increase the volume of the uterus and make it slightly more swollen.
‘But does the uterus double in size like this picture? No way.’
Natural fertility expert Nat Kringoudis said pain and some swelling is to be expected during a period.
But this is likely to be different for everyone.
‘What Chinese medicine recognises is that your period pain and its bag of symptoms, will most likely be different from your neighbour, her sister and their cousin and her bikini-waxer, because we are all unique beings,’ she wrote on her blog.
Nat recommends if you’re struggling during your period that you avoid too many cold foods, ease any pain with tea and go on a walk to get the blood flow going.
‘There are also some foods that will make pain better and worse,’ she said.
‘Foods that are high in fibre and good fats keep the bowels happy (if the bowel is strained, the pain can be worse) and the blood flowing, helping to ease pain.’
Nat recommends salmon, olive oil, nuts and seeds and plenty of green leafy vegetables if you’re struggling with PMS.