15 Surprising Things That Happen During Your Period—Besides Your Period

Menstruation isn’t just a below-the-belt event

Anyone who thinks your period only happens “down there” is missing a big part of the picture. “The menstrual cycle is dictated by hormones that are produced both in the brain and within the ovaries,” says Julia Cron, MD, Section Chair for Connecticut American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and an assistant professor in the department of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine. “Hormones circulate through one’s entire body, and there are hormone receptors in many parts of one’s body, so it follows that the hormonal fluctuations of the menstrual cycle affect many different systems.” PMS, too, can be a bear, but it doesn’t have to be, thanks to these tricks in our PMS Survival Guide.