Are you dealing with a particularly defiant vagina? One that, no matter how much you poke and prod and try to relax and poke some more, just won’t let you insert a tampon? If that sucker won’t budge, don’t worry. You’re certainly not the first to experience this. It’s pretty common, and there are a few reasons why it could be happening to you. 

Before we dive in, it’s worth mentioning that there’s no shame in not knowing how to insert a tampon (no matter what age you are) because we don’t all get a step-by-step tutorial on this stuff, and in many cases we’re left to figure it out on our own. If you feel confident that you have read the instructions on the side of the packaging correctly, yet nothing seems to be working, here are some other things you can try:

Unsure of what’s inside your vagina? You may be pushing the tampon in at the wrong angle. If you’re worried about this, it can sometimes help to look at a diagram while you insert your tampon so you can picture where it’s going. This also helps if you worry about the tampon getting stuck - rest assured that what goes up will come down! 

If you’re struggling to insert a tampon, make sure you’re trying the smallest size you can first. Even if you have had sex before, you may simply have a smaller hole down there that the tampon has to get through, so give it the best chance by choosing the smallest size. 

If you need more help, applicators are the way to go. They receive a lot of bad press because of the plastic waste they produce, but many people find them necessary for their tampon insertion, so if that’s you, go for it! An applicator usually provides more of a smooth surface to help the tampon slip in, and doesn’t require quite so much bending to reach your fingers into your vagina. Plus you can easily find eco-friendly applicator tampons that use cardboard rather than plastic, just like Yoppie's own in fact!

If you need even more help (not a problem, plenty of people do!) then there’s one more trick up our sleeve. Lube! You might think of the sexy tubes of flavoured stuff in the supermarket next to the condoms, and you’d be right, but don’t forget there are also lots of personal lubricants marketed without sex in mind. Just some good old smooth, slippery lube to help that tampon glide on in there. Adding a little of this to the entrance of your vagina, or to the applicator, can often make a difference. 

The main issue that hinders tampon insertion for most is the muscles in the vagina tensing up and stopping anything from passing through. If you’re thinking ‘Pah! Pelvic floor muscles are no match for a tampon’... well you’re wrong. They’re pretty tough, and can put up a fight when something tries to go in there. 

In most cases, relaxation activities (which you’ll find below) can help, but in some cases they don’t. If you’ve tried many times to insert a tampon to no avail, and no matter how much you try to relax it won’t happen, you may have something called vaginismus. 

Vaginismus isn’t dangerous so it’s nothing to worry about, but it can cause frustration. It happens when the muscles in and around the vagina tighten up when you try to insert a tampon (or a penis, or whatever, for that matter!). It can be a bit painful for some, or very painful for others, but mainly it’s emotionally frustrating. 

The causes of this condition vary; some believe it’s the body's reaction to a fear of penetration, whether conscious or not. Other times it can be triggered by a medical condition, trauma from childbirth, menopause, physical or sexual abuse, certain medications, and more. But don’t worry, there are things you can do to loosen the muscles. The best way to find the information you need is via your GP - they can give you helpful exercises. 

The good news is vaginismus can come and go, so if you do have this condition it may take a little longer for you to get used to using tampons but it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to use them in future. 

Want to know more about vaginismus? We have a whole blog about it right here. 

If you don’t have vaginismus, but you find yourself tensing up a little when trying to insert a tampon, there are a few things you can try to encourage those muscles to relax:

Lie down on your bed. You may feel more relaxed at this angle (since your brain probably thinks it’s going to sleep!) and you can better relax your core muscles in this position too.

Have a bath first. A relaxing bath can often soothe the muscles before you attempt to insert your tampon, which should make it easier.

Meditate or do breathing exercises for a few minutes before you try to insert your tampon. Never underestimate the power of your own breath!

Experiment with different positions until you find what feels most comfortable. One leg up, on your knees, upside down, it’s all fine! Just be careful you don’t tip over… 

Got a question about inserting a tampon? Don't be embarrassed! Shout out in our private Facebook group or drop us a note on Insta @itsyoppie. Don't forget that our personalised period box can get organic tampons (with or without eco-friendly applicators!) and more delivered easily and regularly through your letterbox, so that's one less headache to think about during your cycle.

Feel Like Your Tampon's Hitting A Wall?

Oh the shame!! You’ve come on your period unexpectedly, and now your underwear is stained with blood or discharge. It happens to us all - sometimes it’s even a monthly occurrence - but for some reason we all HATE talking about it, and proceed to shove our period-y pants to the bottom of the laundry basket in fear of someone coming across the crime scene. Since we at Yoppie love to talk about the things that nobody else wants to… let’s dig out those embarrassing stains and see what’s going on.

Right?! What a gross and unnecessary accompaniment to your period! Except it’s not gross or unnecessary. Discharge is a common, totally normal thing to happen around your period. It’s your body’s way of preparing for the blood to arrive. Healthy discharge is basically just fluid and bacteria from vaginal cells. Normally, you’ll produce a little less than a teaspoon’s worth of white, clear or cloudy discharge every day (that’s about 4ml). Discharge may be annoying, but it’s actually pretty handy as it helps to lubricate the vagina and remove any unwanted bacteria. 

Got excess discharge? This can sometimes be a sign that you should see your GP. Watch out for any bad smells (usually fishy) which could mean bacterial vaginosis, lumpy white discharge that could be thrush, and any sores or pelvic pain which could be a sign of a number of STIs. It’s probably nothing, but always best to get checked. You can also take a look at our guide to the different colours of blood to watch out for.

A study of menstrual tracking found that the 5 main reasons for tracking periods were to be aware of general health, to understand the body's reactions to different phases of the cycle, to become pregnant, to inform conversations with healthcare providers, and... to be prepared. By planning ahead, you can ensure you always have the tools you need to protect your pants from dreaded period stain. 

There are all sorts of apps and special journals you can buy, but all you really need is a calendar - for the first two or three months it’s just about finding a pattern. Eventually, you’ll be able to identify the specific week, sometimes day, and even down to the hour if you’re lucky, so you know when to be ready. 

In case you’ve never thought to use liners before, these are like sanitary towels, but smaller and less absorbent. Their purpose is not to soak up periods or heavy bleeding, but simply to stop your underwear being stained by discharge or light period flow. Genius!

You shouldn’t be using tampons if you’re not bleeding, so these compact and comfortable discharge-catchers (yes, let’s call them that) could be exactly what you need to protect that precious new thong you just purchased. And yep, you can get our own super-soft organic cotton pantyliners as part of your Yoppie box so you never run out: winner.

What to do if you leak through your clothes

Everyone has leaked through their clothes before, and no matter how embarrassing your experience, there’s always someone with a story that will blow yours out of the water - so don’t worry! It’s handy to carry a bag or pouch with emergency sanitary supplies. Pop a fresh pair of pants in there, or carry a change of trousers if you’re really worried. Wearing dark colours also helps, and layers, so you can tie one around your waist to cover stains. 

Remember, most women will feel your pain when it comes to embarrassing leaks, so don’t be afraid to ask someone - even a stranger - for sanitary products or to discreetly help you get to a nearby loo. Lastly, if you leak and you can’t cover it, own it. It’s happened to us all at some point, but if you need a bit more inspiration, there’s the ever-empowering story of when Kiran Gandhi ran the London Marathon with blood stains down her legs. Yes, yes, yes!

How to clean stained underwear, clothes and bedsheets

To save your fabrics, there are a few top tips you can try:

Use a dedicated stain remover - Good Housekeeping has a whole blog post on the best stain removers. We know… riveting stuff! But it might just save that new pair of briefs you bought. 

Get them in a soak or laundry load straight away if you can, so there’s more chance of their survival.

Run them under cold water. Hot water can make stains set, but cold will often remove most of the blood and soften any crusty discharge before you stick it in a wash later.

On lighter fabrics, try lemon juice. Apply it directly to the stained area and let it sit for about half an hour before you put it in the wash. Don’t do this for dark coloured garments though, as it could bleach them. 

Sometimes the sad truth is… the pants are unsalvageable. If so, treat yourself to a new pair of undies!

Do you have any tips for getting period stains out? Shout out in our private Facebook group or drop us a note on Insta @itsyoppie. Don't forget that our personalised period box can get organic tampons, PMS supplements and more delivered easily and regularly through your letterbox, which is one less thing to worry about each cycle.

Managing Discharge & Period Stains

Pesticides are pretty important for food production around the world, but it’s safe to say they shouldn’t be anywhere near your vagina… right? Unfortunately, many of us could have been unknowingly coming into contact with these potentially hazardous chemicals through our sanitary products for years. 

It’s important to note that for the most part, the traces of pesticides found in most sanitary products are minimal, and aren’t thought to cause any significant health dangers, but there are still a lot of questions about the safety and potential eco-implications. Here’s what you need to know...

A pesticide is a substance that kills, repels or controls certain plants or bugs that can ruin crops and other agricultural efforts. Whether to destroy weeds, control insect or rodent populations, or to prevent bacteria or mould, pesticides have been widely used for many years and people are typically exposed to a low level through their diet. 

These chemicals are regulated to create limits of safe exposure, so for the most part it’s nothing to worry about, but as these substances have been linked to serious health concerns in the past, there is ongoing discussion about where the ‘safe exposure’ line in the sand should be drawn. Especially when studies have suggested that occupational exposure to pesticides (i.e. women working on farms) could have adverse effects on female reproduction. 

You’re probably wondering how they’re connected to sanitary products - it’s all about the cotton production. Cotton is one of the main materials used in the making of tampons and sanitary towels, and this raw material is grown in a field just like the food we eat, so in some cases it needs to be treated in the same way - with pesticides. The problem comes when this same cotton is turned into a tampon that is inserted into an actual human vagina - yikes! 

According to one study, women exposed to ‘probable hormonally active’ pesticides had a 60-100% increased chance of experiencing a longer cycle, missed period, or bleeding between periods, and in another study, higher blood levels of certain pesticides increased endometriosis risk by 30-70% in women aged 18 to 49. It’s important to note that the pesticides mentioned in this study were last used in the 1970s, but it can take many years for them to disappear from the environment, so researchers continue to study their effects.

In a more recent study published in 2019, researchers observed associations between tampon use and elevated levels of mercury and oxidative stress biomarkers in subjects. While the findings weren’t conclusive, they did show that tampons could be a largely overlooked source of exposure to these metals and chemicals.

According to the Pesticide Action Network, pesticides are considered to be a problem that can lead to a whole host of health concerns, but when it comes to tampons made with cotton, there just hasn’t been enough research carried out yet to come to a conclusion about the potentially dangerous effects on the people who use these products every month. 

In short, should we be out protesting in the streets about the dangers of pesticides in our tampons? Probably not. But should there be more research into the potential long-term harm these chemicals could be causing? Abso-bloody-lutely. 

What are pesticides doing to the environment?

Cotton covers only 2.4% of cultivated land around the world, but it uses a startling 6% of the world’s pesticides and 16% of insecticides, which is more than any other single major crop, and has damaging effects on the environment. 

Cotton pesticides (and more so insecticides) are known to threaten soil and water quality, and biodiversity around the fields which can affect nearby rivers and lakes. Studies by the UK government actually show pesticide concentrations surpass those allowable for drinking water in some samples of river water. Sure, we’re not drinking it, but many animals will be. 

The silver lining is that the cotton industry continues to improve year on year, with the impact of pesticides being taken more and more seriously. It is thought that cotton growers in the US make 50% fewer pesticide applications than the generation before them, so things are looking up. 

If, however, you want to ensure a pesticide-free period right now, we have one word for you… organic! By switching to products that use organic cotton, you are not only avoiding the traces of pesticides that are likely found in many high street sanitary brands, you are also ensuring the sanitary waste that goes into landfill does not contribute any pesticides or hazardous chemicals that can negatively impact biodiversity and the environment. 

Choose products that are free from bleach, pesticides and toxic chemicals, and opt for organic, unbleached, biodegradable instead (shameless plug: like every product in our period care and cycle support range)!

Got a question about pesticides? Shout out in our private Facebook group or drop us a note on Insta @itsyoppie. Don't forget that our personalised period box can get organic tampons, PMS supplements and more delivered easily and regularly through your letterbox with an all-organic ingredient promise, so you know you're staying free of those nasty chemical bits.

Pesticides & Periods: The Hidden Health Impact

You’ve just changed your tampon/pad/liner, and you need to get rid of the used one… do you:

Wrap it in loo roll and shove it in the bin?

Stick it in an envelope and send it to your enemies?

As much as it might amuse you to stick a first class stamp on that bio-waste, the truth is there’s really only one right answer here, and we’re about to tell you why… 

The average person spends around 2,280 days on their period and uses 11,000+ tampons or pads in their lifetime. Around the world an estimated 100+ billion menstrual hygiene products are disposed of each year, many made using plastic and other non-biodegradable materials, meaning they take 500-800 years to decompose - a landfill nightmare. 

But disposable period products can go on to pollute waterways and harm marine wildlife too. In fact, in a single day in 2015, the non-profit Trash Free Seas program at Ocean Conservancy collected 27,938 used tampons and applicators on beaches around the world. Why? Because too many people still think it’s OK to flush their used menstrual products, even applicators, down the toilet - whether due to lack of knowledge, or lack of caring. 

One study into public awareness of the ‘environmental impact of menstrual products and product choice’ found that education and awareness around this topic could and should be improved, whether through school curriculums, public awareness campaigns, better labelling on products, and changes in legislation to create forced action. 

In an eye-opening survey, almost half of UK people who menstruate say they flush tampons down the loo, and the Journal of the Institution of Environmental Sciences found that around 2.5 million tampons, 1.4 million sanitary napkins and 700,000 liners are flushed every day. 

To put it bluntly, they clog sewer pipes, causing untreated wastewater to overflow and end up in rivers and other waterways. Many people don’t consider that period products are designed to be absorbent, which means when they’re flushed, they grow larger and get stuck in the plumbing pipes, causing serious blockages. 

But if you’re thinking “that’s not my problem, when I flush them they just disappear…” you could be building up to some pretty gross sewage backflow into your home, and costly repairs. Not only this, it can clog the waste systems in your local area, leading to sewage backflow to nearby streets. 

We can’t say it better than Lanes for Drains, who tackled the infamous Whitechapel fatberg in 2017, and say on their website; “Underneath our feet, a war is being waged between our ailing Victorian-era sewers and a torrent of sanitary products clogging up our pipes, drains and water courseways.”  Dramatic, sure. But they really hit the nail on the head - our sewage systems are NOT designed for sanitary products. 

Good question. A great rule to live by is; never flush anything that isn’t one of the three Ps - paper, poop or pee! To be more specific, you should only be flushing human waste, and the only non-human waste that can be flushed is toilet paper. That’s because loo roll is manufactured to break down almost immediately after being flushed. 

No other products are created this way, so you should never flush things like makeup, cleaning or baby wipes (even if they’re labelled ‘flushable’ - they’re not!), paper towels, dental floss, nappies, cotton buds, condoms, and of course, your pads and ‘pons. 

How to dispose of period products properly 

If you’re not up for switching to reusable pads or a cup, and disposable menstrual products are just your jam, then the best thing you can do is look for organic, biodegradable products. This means they’re made from cotton that has not been treated with pesticides and other toxic chemicals. Organic cotton is the best material for the quickest break-down. 

When you go to the loo, wrap used products in some toilet roll and put them in the bin - having a small bathroom bin is handy, but you can take it out to the kitchen bin too, or pop it in the dedicated sanitary disposal bins when you’re out and about. 

We get it - in some situations flushing seems easier. In most establishments there should be a sanitary bin to dispose of used menstrual products, but we’ve all found ourselves in unlikely situations over the years when a bin is not available. Example: you’re visiting Grandma. There’s no bin in the bathroom. You discreetly wrap your used tampon in loo roll, do a Tom Cruise-style mission to dispose of the evidence and hope she doesn’t notice! 

These situations can be embarrassing, but the alternative - flushing used products - is not only terrible for the environment, but could result in ever further embarrassment if it blocks the toilet. Best to avoid this altogether, and instead, bin it or pop it in a dedicated pouch that you carry with you (like this one, or this one, or this odour-proof one) and take it home to dispose of in your own bin. 

Got a question about switching from flushing to binning? Shout out in our private Facebook group or drop us a note on Insta @itsyoppie. Don't forget that our personalised period box can get organic tampons, PMS supplements and more delivered easily and regularly through your letterbox with eco-friendliness built in, so you know you aren't adding to that big ol' landfill problem with your time of the month.

Stop Flushing Your Period Products!

Going through a chocolate bar a day on your period? What’s that you say? TWO a day? Three? No judgement from us! We’ve all succumbed to those PMS chocolate cravings, but if you’re downing it on a regular basis you may be wondering… how ethical and eco-friendly is my chocolate habit? Good question. 

We’re looking into how our nationwide obsession with chocolate affects our planet, how it can be more sustainable, and picking out the best chocolate brands-to-watch who are making us all feel less guilty. Let’s go!

How chocolate production affects the planet 

Whether you’re chowing down on white, milk or dark chocolate, it’s all made using cocoa beans, and these much-sought-after beans can cause quite a few problems down the supply chain. An estimated 70% of the world’s cocoa beans are grown in West Africa, and it can take a whole year for one cocoa tree to produce enough to make half a pound of chocolate. You know what that means… more trees. 

Cocoa farmers commonly clear tropical forests to plant new trees instead of reusing land, which causes a lot of deforestation, particularly in Ivory Coast. Good agricultural practices in the industry are vital to protect the environment and animals, as well as avoid child labour, which is often used to help grow, harvest and transport cocoa beans. In the 2013-14 growing season alone, an estimated 2 million children were used for hazardous labour in Ghana and Ivory Coast - a major problem. 

Did you know… chocolate is the UK's number 1 confectionery product? We are the 6th highest-consuming chocolate country in the world, with the average Brit eating around 8kg (17.6 pounds) of chocolate a year. Is our PMS out of control?!

One of the biggest environmental issues in the chocolate industry is packaging. Chocolate is often sold in plastic or paperboard containers, sometimes inside multiple layers, and products are then carried home in plastic bags. Aluminium foil is also a common chocolate covering, and chocolates that come individually wrapped cause even more waste. Many types of packaging production can lead to excess greenhouse gas emissions, and water and land pollution. But what’s the answer? 

The entire chocolate industry has a long way to go to improve, but positive changes are already being made, and many new brands are popping up and taking their ethical responsibilities seriously. Experts have identified farming techniques that could make existing cocoa farms more productive and reduce deforestation. And super-brand Mars has only gone and mapped the cocoa genome, identifying trees that are 3-4 times as productive and more climate resistant than the varieties typically used - exciting developments all round! 

If you want to make a change at home, one of the best ways to avoid supporting child labour is to buy fair trade. Many brands now sell Fairtrade certified chocolate, and it’s much easier to find out how your favourite treats rank in terms of sustainability and ethical practices, as the Good Shopping Guide provides all the info you need. 

Another easy solution is to stop buying products with unnecessary packaging, like fun-size, and individually wrapped chocolates. Yes they’re great for Halloween, but avoiding these could cut down on wasteful packaging and force brands to change.  

There’s no shortage of companies trying to make the chocolate industry a better place, and you can start in your local supermarket aisle. Many shops now have own-brand Fairtrade chocolate, including M&S, Waitrose, Co-op and impressively, Lidl, where a premium from every bar sold will support a living wage for cocoa farmers in Ghana. If you want to help out a charity at the same time, you can grab your choco treats from your local Oxfam shop - they always have Fairtrade snack brands like Cocoa Loco and Divine. 

Want to try something new? Other brands to watch are: 

Tony’s Chocolonely - On a mission to fully eradicate child slavery in chocolate production, they openly share supply chain details, trace where ingredients come from, pay higher prices to farmers, invest in long-term commitment and farm cooperatives to empower farmers, and much more. 

Eat Your Hat - Organic, sustainable, and fair. What’s not to love? Their chocolate is World Fair Trade Organisation certified, their cacao comes from smallholder farms in Central Africa, and their organic sugar comes from the Philippines. Oh, and their packaging is plant-based and compostable. Win!

Seed & Bean - Using organic, small scale suppliers, they pay above market price for their cacao, which is always FLO certified. It’s made in small batches, their packaging is 100% compostable, and the inner foil is made from eucalyptus tree pulp.

There are loooads more brands out there, so do some research and check out the UK chocolatiers mentioned on the Slave Free Chocolate website, including Forever Cacao, Montezuma’s, and Play In Choc. 

Three bonus tips for recycling chocolate packaging

Collect your foil wrappings and roll them into a fist-sized ball so you can recycle it as normal. We’re looking at you, Easter eggs… 

Make an eco-brick with your plastic wrappers, and either repurpose in your garden or collect more and drop them at an eco-brick centre 

Avoid buying individually wrapped chocolates. You can also grab some loose chocolates from the pick ‘n’ mix stand with the more eco-friendly paper cups

Are you a BIG chocolate fan? Do you have more ideas on how to make your chocolate addiction more sustainable? We’re all ears! Shout out in our private Facebook group or drop us a note on Insta @itsyoppie. Don't forget that our personalised period box can get organic tampons, PMS supplements and more delivered easily and regularly through your letterbox with eco-friendliness built in. That's one more thing for the sustainability guilt-free list, at least.

A Guide To Eco-Friendly & Ethical Chocolate

We’ve all been there; you say you’re off chocolate for the month, then your PMS kicks in, and you would give a limb just to have one bite of the chocolate bar you know is at the back of the cupboard, even though it’s hidden under a mountain of healthy snacks. Sometimes chocolate feels like a non-negotiable, especially when your period kicks in. But why?

We’re chomping into this sugar craving to find out why it’s the treat on everyone’s mind at certain points in their cycle, when to try and kick the habit, and when to listen to your sweet tooth and embrace the health benefits (yes, health benefits) of those cocoa cravings. 

Why do we crave chocolate, of all things?

There are a few theories as to why chocolate is one of the most popular pantry picks when your period rolls around. Sometimes when you’re experiencing cramps and low mood, and you don’t want to go out, chocolate feels like a warm hug. It’s a comfort many of us reach for to distract from PMS frustrations and sadness - but is it habit or hormonal? Maybe a bit of both. Some believe chocolate is the snack of choice due to hormonal imbalances during the menstrual cycle. When estrogen, progesterone and serotonin (the happiness hormone) levels drop, and cortisol (the stress hormone) rises, the result is a sugar craving. 

But there’s another theory. One study looked at chocolate cravings of Spanish and American women, and found that while the American women reached for chocolate most often during their period, many of the Spanish women said they wanted chocolate around dinnertime or while working, not specifically during their period, which shows hormones may have nothing to do with cravings - it could simply be ingrained cues that have us reaching for the chocolate.

While hormonal changes might not directly cause our chocolate addiction, they could be a contributing factor, as let’s face it: PMS can make you feel stressed, tired, and well… blerggghhh. And when you feel blerggghhh, chocolate is a nice pick-me-up. We have grown to associate our periods with eating chocolate, and this could be why we now crave it on autopilot at certain times of the month. 

Cocoa is made using roasted cacao seeds which have many health benefits, so chocolate cravings aren’t all bad! It offers an energy boost when you’re feeling low (as long as you don’t overdo it), and there’s an argument for treating yourself if you suffer from low mood during your cycle. If you don’t let it become a crutch, it can provide a temporary endorphin boost that’s handy when you feel the blerggghhh coming on. If the blerggghhh turns into a deeper depression, you should always speak to your GP about how they can help. 

If you really want to maximise the choco benefits, you’ll want to switch to dark chocolate that contains 70% cocoa. Its health benefits include potentially lowering heart disease risk, and increasing brain function. 

Dark chocolate can also be a great source of magnesium (good for easing cramps), it can increase serotonin, and it’s high in iron - handy if you have heavy periods and suffer from anaemia (although remember there are other ways to up your iron levels, like eating tofu, spinach, beans and lentils).

While raw cocoa holds many health benefits, the chocolate we buy from shops uses cocoa mixed with sugar, milk and more, which could be considered less than healthy. The resulting product is often high in fat and sugar, so the benefits of cocoa are often lost. High sugar content can lead to weight gain, which may affect your health if your weight already fluctuates throughout the month or if you suffer from excessive bloating. 

The sugar in chocolate is also thought to affect skin, so if you’re already prone to hormonal acne breakouts during your menstrual cycle this could worsen the effects. 

Some people also believe that cocoa’s tyramine, histamine, and phenylalanine content can contribute to headaches or migraines, so if you already experience these during your cycle you may want to avoid too much chocolate. 

How to get the health benefits from chocolate

Put simply, chocolate is one of the most common foods people crave before their period, and in moderation, you can embrace this. Binging on excessive amounts, though, could do more harm than good. The best ways to ensure you’re milking the benefits are: 

Enjoy it sparingly! Easier said than done but the trick is to enjoy a little, then distract yourself with something else that benefits your PMS, like a gentle walk or ginger tea. 

Stick with dark chocolate, as it’s packed with lots more health benefits and less of the ‘bad stuff’. It’s high in antioxidants and minerals, so a couple of squares when you’re feeling PMS-y can boost your mood AND benefit your health. 

Satisfy your sweet tooth with other treats that taste good but don’t have as many negatives, like healthy smoothies, fruit and nut mix, yoghurt, honey, and energy bars. 

Do you crave chocolate at certain times during your period? How do you make sure you’re staying healthy while enjoying a sweet treat every now and then? We’d love to hear from you! Shout out in our private Facebook group or drop us a note on Insta @itsyoppie. Don't forget that our personalised period box can get organic tampons, PMS supplements and more delivered easily and regularly through your letterbox, which might just help take the edge off those really bad GOTTA CHOC days...!

This article was fact-checked by Yoppie’s nutritionist Shona Wilkinson.

Period Chocolate Cravings: The Lowdown

“Oh, go on then, just one more bite…”

How many times have you uttered this line the closer you get to your period? It’s not uncommon for your appetite to increase at certain times during your cycle, but what if it’s more than just one more biscuit? One more cake? Or one more scoop of Nutella straight out the jar? (Don’t lie, we’ve all been there…)

If you find yourself regularly indulging in emotional eating, then it could be time to figure out a) what’s causing it, and b) how to regulate the sudden urge to unhinge your jaw and shovel in everything your snack cupboard has to offer. 

It’s difficult to define. Many of us associate any kind of overindulgence with feelings of guilt and shame, but you should never feel this way in your day-to-day life. When it comes to food, you do you! If that means the occasional takeaway and chocolate bender then we’re never going to tell you not to enjoy. But let’s talk about what happens when you yourself feel that your food is controlling you, rather than the other way around, and when you feel your health and energy levels could be suffering as a result. 

You can call it emotional eating or stress eating. The general idea is that we overindulge in food when we feel stressed, anxious or depressed. We turn to food as a comfort, providing a temporary boost in positive emotions thanks to dopamine in our brains, and the more we do this, the more we train our brains to believe that whenever we’re feeling a bit glum, something tasty will perk us right back up. And it does... for a while.  

On the more extreme end of the spectrum is compulsive eating, also known as binge eating, which is essentially a strong, uncontrollable urge to eat large portions of food. This can mean eating when you aren’t even hungry, eating when you’re already full, eating in secret, and resulting in even more feelings of guilt and shame. 

As we said before, having a snack because you feel a bit blue is never a problem - who doesn’t want to chase the low mood away with something sweet! The trouble is when you feel it’s no longer within your control, and your health could suffer. 

Overeating comes with negatives that, although aren’t always visible in the short term, could lead to long-term health issues, so they’re worth addressing. The most obvious is of course weight gain and obesity, which can create related health concerns like heart conditions, type 2 diabetes and blood pressure issues.

It’s also worth monitoring your feelings around emotional eating, as it can slip into dangerous territory in terms of eating disorders, such as binge eating, or even bulimia (purging after overeating). If you believe you have issues with binge eating or bulimia, you should contact your GP or a professional service like Beat for help. 

When it comes to periods, binge eating could even affect the menstrual cycle itself. One study found that women who suffered from binge eating compulsions were more likely to report amenorrhea (when periods disappear altogether) than women who did not binge eat. 

It’s those pesky hormones again! A study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders found that hormones are a factor in deciding how much we eat. According to the study, high progesterone levels during the premenstrual phase could lead to compulsive eating and feelings of body dissatisfaction. Meanwhile, estrogen is associated with a decrease in appetite - it’s no wonder our appetite fluctuates so much throughout the month. 

If we split our cycle in two, the first half (ovulation and beforehand) is when you are less likely to engage in emotional eating, because rising estrogen keeps cravings at bay. The second half (menstruation and beforehand) is when you are more prone to emotional eating, because progesterone in our system prompts us to reach for food in order to deal with emotional distress.

Understanding why you’re indulging in emotional eating can be a big help. Essentially we do this in an attempt to manage our own mood. By understanding that not only is this unhealthy, it’s also futile, we can start to look for non-food related ways to manage our mood. A few lifestyle changes to consider are:

Plan ahead to ensure you are eating filling, satisfying meals that don’t leave you wanting more. 

Switch to healthy alternatives. If chocolate is your thing, buy some 70% cocoa dark chocolate instead to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Practice mindful eating, which is when you give more focus to your food in order to achieve satiation. The Headspace App site has some great info on this. 

Avoid buying junk food so you’re not tempted to snack. The best way to make sure you don’t do this is to never go to the supermarket hungry! 

Make sure you are getting enough sleep, doing at least some exercise throughout the week, filling yourself up with plenty of water, and other healthy habits that will help to regulate your appetite in the long run.  

Do you find yourself stress eating at certain points in your cycle? How do you manage your cravings? We’d love to hear from you! Shout out in our private Facebook group or drop us a note on Insta @itsyoppie. Don't forget that our personalised period box can get organic tampons, PMS supplements and more delivered easily and regularly through your letterbox, giving you more time each month to focus on those big mindfulness goals.

Hormones & Healthy Eating: How To Quit Excessive Snacking Throughout Your Cycle

Everyone has their favourite comfort foods. When we asked around the Yoppie team some of their most prized pre-period munchies, they gave us answers ranging from the classics (like chocolate or creamy carbs) to the more specific (garlicky mashed potatoes) to the truly memorable (“a big fat dirty burger”). Comfort food really does come in all shapes and sizes! Of course everyone can benefit from their pet faves, even just to improve low mood in the short term, but if your period brings some hefty, life-affecting PMS symptoms, a few minor dietary tweaks can make all the difference. 

“Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food.”  – Hippocrates

We’ve chosen 5 of the best diet tweaks you can make to positively impact your cycle in a BIG way. Here we go…

Maybe not such a minor change depending on the kind of cravings you get, but this tip can give you pretty quick results. By cutting down on your salt intake, you could ease salt-induced bloating which tends to add to the discomfort of PMS bloating. 

Start by limiting your salty snacks the week before your period (you know the ones; crisps, salted nuts, popcorn, etc.), or if your pre-menstrual tummy bloat is particularly bad, you may want to check how much salt is in the food you eat, and avoid processed foods by cooking your own. Sticking to homemade, healthy meals will mean less fast food and processed food which tends to contain a lot of sneaky salt. You’ll be surprised how quickly that bloated belly deflates when you make this change. 

Not a big drinker? This one may not apply to you. But for those who enjoy some drinks at the weekend, or even a glass of wine or two in the evenings after work, you may find your cycle benefits from cutting down on alcohol, or if possible, cutting it out altogether. 

Alcohol can be relaxing and fun in moderation, but its negative effects include hangover headaches, diarrhea, an upset stomach, and more. All of these can exacerbate PMS symptoms, and according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, regular heavy booze sessions could even cause irregular or skipped periods, because alcohol can temporarily increase levels of estrogen and testosterone, disrupting the typical hormonal fluctuations that come during ovulation. 

And of course, alcohol can often be a depressant, so if you experience low mood at certain times during your cycle, one way to improve this could be to say goodbye to the booze. It’s often best to gradually reduce your alcohol consumption rather than go cold turkey, so you don’t experience more negative symptoms. 

We know, we know... this list is more about what you should cut out of your diet than what you should add in (if you want to know which foods to add in, this is the blog post for you!) but unfortunately these are the things that tend to have the biggest impact on your cycle. Which brings us to… caffeine! *gulp* 

We love a coffee or a green tea, don’t get us wrong, but it’s worth considering how much caffeine you consume each day and how this could be affecting your cycle. Not only can caffeine cause dizziness, diarrhoea, headaches, fever and irritability, it’s also a notorious sleep disrupter if you’re having it too close to bedtime, and a lack of sleep is bad for… well, everything! Work on cutting back your daily caffeine intake (or experiment with none at all) to see how this could have a positive effect on your period. 

Sugar… the great inflamer! Sugar is fine in moderation, but eating too much of it can spike our energy levels, which then inevitably dip and threaten to worsen your mood. If you tend to get moody, depressed or anxious around your period, your sugar intake could have a lot more to do with regulating this than you think.

Whether it’s comfort chocolate, your morning sugary cereal, or the processed foods that typically contain a lot of hidden sugars for added taste (and to get us hooked!), it all adds up throughout the month and could lead to one pretty problematic period. 

If you can cut out sugar altogether, we applaud you! It’s a tough thing to do when so many of us have been conditioned to crave sugar our whole lives. If, instead, you’d simply like to make some less inflammatory choices, you can switch to less sugary options or even prep your own low-sugar, natural snacks (like these) for any after-dinner cravings. 

So you’ve cut out salt, sugar, alcohol and caffeine… what’s left? Lots more than most people think, and if you fill up on healthy foods, the rest will fall into place. Stick to whole foods as much as possible, which means making dinner using fresh vegetables, things that grow in the ground, and using herbs and spices to season rather than adding flavourings. This quote is a great rule of thumb: 

“Came from a plant, eat it; was made in a plant, don’t.” – Michael Pollan, Journalist and Author of Food Rules 

Focus on eating whole foods throughout your cycle to help balance your hormones, manage blood sugar levels, and avoid cortisol spikes or mood swings. A few ways to add whole foods to your diet include choosing products with 100% whole grains when possible, eating a lot of vegetables and fruits, adding beans in your meals and snacks more often for protein, fibre, and other nutrients, eating fewer processed foods, and opting for healthier drinks like water, tea, or fresh fruit juice. Whole foods for the win! 

Have you made any dietary tweaks with your period in mind? We’d love to know! Shout out in our private Facebook group or drop us a note on Insta @itsyoppie. Don't forget that our personalised period box can get organic tampons, PMS supplements and more delivered easily and regularly through your letterbox, which leaves more time every month to take a closer look at your eating habits.

Healthy Period Foods: Minor Changes That Benefit Your Cycle

Ever found yourself abandoning the gym in favour of lying on the couch with a hot water bottle eating ice cream? Welcome to the club. Some days, working out is just NOT the one, and we totally get it. When you’re bleeding, or cramping, or PMSing hard, the last thing you want to do is exert yourself physically. But you love working out, and you want to keep fit and stay healthy… so what’s the answer? 

It’s not all bad news. Just as there are days in your cycle that will have you struggling to get out of your PJs, there will be others where your energy peaks and you’re in the zone. Time to tailor your workouts and fitness schedule with your periods in mind. 

Why exercise according to your menstrual cycle?

Scheduling your fitness activities around certain phases of your menstrual cycle can make a huge difference if you are an athlete or you’re training for something in particular. It’s frustrating to have an ‘off day’, and you may find those off days (*ahem* your period) happen at the worst possible times, for example when you are just about to reach a PB or hit a training milestone. 

Many top athletes already tailor their diet, sleep schedule and other lifestyle factors in an effort to improve their performance, so it seems like a no-brainer that our period, with all its fluctuating hormone levels and physical symptoms, will have the same impact, yet many of us ignore what our body is trying to tell us, and either give up when we feel lousy or push through and make symptoms worse.

We’ve mentioned this example a few times on the Full Stop blog, but it’s just so good we had to use it again; last year the Chelsea Women’s team became the first in the world to tailor the players’ training schedules to fit with their individual menstrual cycles, leading to more successful training sessions and reduced incidences of injury. Here’s how you can do the same!

How to exercise during… the Menstrual Phase

This is when estrogen and progesterone reduce to their lowest levels, and you experience bleeding. If you bleed a lot, you may find your energy dips due to lower iron levels, since it is thought around 1mg of iron is lost for every day of bleeding. 

During this phase, you may also experience physical symptoms like cramps, joint and muscle pain, and headaches, which undoubtedly affect your fitness. Not to mention your sleep patterns could be disrupted, you may feel more irritable than usual, or you could start craving certain foods. Sound like a day for the gym? No, didn’t think so. 

Understandably you may wish to take a few rest days during the worst of the Menstrual Phase, to allow your body to recuperate and prepare for upcoming workouts. If you don’t feel like sitting the session out completely, you can swap out intense workouts for something more gentle like walking or yoga. 

How to exercise during… the Follicular Phase

In the Follicular Phase, your estrogen levels start to rise again to prepare your eggs for upcoming ovulation. During this time you might find you have a lot more energy to burn, so this is thought of as the optimum time for working out as our bodies are better at turning carbs into fuel during this stage and less likely to store them as fat.

One 2017 study found that doing strength training while in the Follicular Phase could lead to an increase in muscle strength, more so than other times of the month. Experts advise longer warm-up sessions during this phase, to avoid overstretching and minimise injury risk.

How to exercise during… the Ovulation Phase

Hello again estrogen! Estrogen levels hit their highest here and start to balance out again, and it’s when your body releases an egg. During ovulation there’s also a testosterone increase, and this can have a positive effect on your workouts too, as energy levels could be at their highest. If you’re feeling up to it, this might be the time to push your limits and make the most of those low progesterone levels that cause the body’s overall pain tolerance to increase. Don’t overdo it though - everything in moderation, of course!

Pushing yourself is all well and good, but if you’re prone to feelings of stress and anxiety, they are more likely to show up during this period and affect your training schedule. If you find yourself feeling this way during the month, take it easy and don’t make any big goals. Stick to gentle exercises again, like yoga or a light jog. 

How to exercise during… the Luteal Phase

This is when your progesterone levels start to rise again in the lead up to the Menstrual Phase starting again. That means estrogen levels fall, and our bodies go into a sort of hibernation mode, storing more carbs as fat, and craving certain foods. The great thing about this phase is, although you might be eating more and storing more fat, you could also be burning more fat when you exercise due to the efficient combo of estrogen and progesterone. If you’re going to implement fat-burning workouts like cardio, aerobics or HIIT classes, now’s the perfect time. 

Remember though, the Luteal Phase happens just before your period, so you may experience some PMS symptoms that could slow you down, and that’s OK. During this phase, your body temperature usually rises by around 0.3°C, so remember to stay hydrated during workouts.

Do you keep your menstrual cycle in mind while planning your workouts and fitness activities? We’d love to know how you do it! Shout out in our private Facebook group or drop us a note on Insta @itsyoppie. Don't forget that our personalised period box can get organic tampons, PMS supplements and more delivered easily and regularly through your letterbox, giving you more time each month to focus on those fitness (or other!) goals.

Fitness Flow: Tailoring Exercise To Your Menstrual Cycle

Looking for ways to uplift your wellbeing during your period and beyond? We have one you might not have considered… the secret power of flowers. Yes, they brighten a room, but they are known to brighten your mood too, and there are plenty of times during your menstrual cycle where this could come in super handy. In fact, flowers have been found to have positive impacts that lasts for days, making them more beneficial than eating chocolate. We’re sold...

The positive power of plants and flowers comes partly from their attractive colours and smells, but benefits can also be found just from the act of giving or receiving flowers. Consistently seeing and being around plants is thought to help people feel more calm and relaxed, and as a result, lower levels of anxiety. 

By caring for a plant, you can reduce the physiological and psychological symptoms of stress, as the act of caring for them is thought to suppress your sympathetic nervous system activity and promote feelings of comfort and relaxation. Also, being around plants is thought to spark creativity, and increase focus and memory by up to 20%. And if all that wasn’t enough, this study found that when a few houseplants were added to workspaces, employee productivity increased. Flower power indeed! 

Let’s get into some specifics. What plants should you keep around to benefit menstruation? 

Commonly associated with sleep (and for good reason), over the years lavender has been recommended for those with insomnia and other sleep disorders, and today many aromatherapists still use lavender oil to ease headaches, promote calmness, and reduce stress and anxiety. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine even found that topically applying lavender, plus sage and rose, could reduce the severity of menstrual cramps. Time to dig out that lavender scented hot water bottle?

While there are lots of pillow sprays, microwavable bean bags, and other gizmos and gadgets to help you get the benefits of lavender, all you need is an actual lavender plant next to your bed. Yes, the O.G. lavender dispenser. If you struggle to sleep at certain times throughout your period, this could be exactly what you need to finally catch those Zs. 

Just looking at the gorgeous peace lily or saying it’s name out loud is sure to calm you down. This plant is known to clear toxins from the air, and is even thought to remove harmful ones like benzene, a known carcinogen. The peace lily is actually believed to improve air quality by as much as 60%, so this is more than just wellness folklore. 

Not only does it clear the air, but as the name suggests, the peace lily is thought to promote peace and relaxation by improving the flow of energy in your home. It has balancing qualities that could benefit you during your cycle when you’re feeling out of sorts. 

Snake plants are easy to care for, and that low-maintenance can come in handy when you’re on your period and don’t feel like getting up to water them! They are thought to have the ability to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen throughout the night, so adding some of these plants to your home could help create a steady flow of oxygen, which has all sorts of wellness benefits - improved sleep being a big one, as well as improved energy levels. 

If you find your energy taking a nose dive at certain times during your cycle, for example during your period or after due to blood loss, don’t be afraid to go hang out with your snake plant, breathe in its goodness, and replenish those energy stores. 

Another one for the bedroom, aloe vera has many benefits that could come in handy at different stages of your cycle. It’s a great houseplant as it’s known to purify the air in the room, and while it won’t have the same power as an air filter, it could help detoxify to remove harmful chemicals and promote a restful night’s sleep. 

Plus, the leaves of aloe vera can easily be cut or popped off and used as a natural method of soothing skin wounds and inflammation. One study found that a cream combining acne medication with aloe vera gel was drastically more effective than a placebo or the medication alone, so if your hormonal acne gets out of control during your period, try rubbing a little of the juice from the aloe vera plant on red, irritated areas to soothe and calm your skin. 

Chamomile tea is often recommended for relaxation and to promote better sleep health, but the truth is you can get the same benefits when you keep the chamomile plant nearby. This plant contains an antioxidant called apigenin, which is known to affect receptors in the brain to reduce insomnia and in some cases even decrease blood pressure. 

Exposure to chamomile has been thought to alleviate symptoms of depression caused by sleeping issues, so it’s a great little flower to have around, especially if you find yourself suffering with regular low mood during your cycle. As always, if you are experiencing severe depression or anxiety that affects your life, you should see your GP for advice. However, if your symptoms are short-lived and manageable, these flowers and plants could provide that little mood-boost you need when menstruation’s got ya down. 

Have you added any flowers or plants to your home for their wellness benefits? Did you notice a difference in your mood or health? We’d love to know your experience, and if it helped. Shout out in our private Facebook group or drop us a note on Insta @itsyoppie. Don't forget that our personalised period box can ge organic tampons, PMS supplements and more delivered easily and regularly through your letterbox, which gives you more time to care for your lovely new plant-babies!

Flower Power: Menstrual Cycle Mood Boosting Plants

By now, most of us are aware that a flushed tampon makes its way to the sea and causes havoc, but what about here on land? Could your menstrual cycle choices be affecting more than just the oceans? We’re breaking down why trees are a vital feature of our planet, and how you can make a few small changes to keep them flourishing and free from harm. 

The woodland and forest areas found all over the world are nothing less than a crucial part of our eco-system. Not only do we humans use them for wood and resources, but they prevent soil erosion, mitigate climate change, and provide us with the air we breathe. Pretty important indeed! Forests are the world’s second-largest storehouses of carbon, and according to the World Wildlife Foundation, over 2 billion people around the world rely on forests for shelter, work, water, food, fuel, and lots more, including 60 million indigenous people. 

Despite them being a clear asset to the human species, not to mention animals and the planet, forests continue to disappear. Between 1990 and 2015, around 129 million hectares of forest were lost, which can have unexpected knock-on effects, even if you live in urban areas where you don’t see the immediate impact.

Take just the tropical forest areas; these alone can provide 23% of the climate mitigation needed over the next decade to meet the Paris Agreement goals set out in 2015, and if you think protecting forests is a problem for other countries, you’re wrong. Here in the UK, forests cover 12% of our land area, and there are things you can be doing right on your doorstep (and in your pants!) to help protect them. 

So how does your period have anything to do with this? You may not have considered it, but the choices you make in managing your menstrual cycle can actually help protect forests. It’s time to BRANCH out (get it?) with your period products and make your menstrual cycle more forest-friendly with these tips.

Even if you have switched to period products that are 100% cotton, if they’re not organic then they could still be causing environmental harm. According to the World Wildlife Organization, the production of cotton uses harmful agrochemicals like pesticides, needs a large amount of water, and requires land to be converted for agricultural use. As cotton is the most widespread profitable non-food crop in the world, and around half of all textiles are made from it, switching to more environmentally sustainable methods of production could make a huge difference. Looking out for organic cotton products is a great way to do your part for the forests, and you can start with your period products. 

A lot of tampons and pads still use bleached, non-organic cotton, rayon, wood pulp, or all three. These often contain pesticides like diuron, which is thought of by the Environmental Protection Agency as a ‘likely carcinogen’. Not good. And that’s just one of the harmful chemicals you can find in the products that many of us put in or on our body for one week out of every month of our lives. The potential health issues aside, these same chemicals can go on to damage the environment around us when discarded, and forests are unfortunately one of the victims. Choose organic period products where possible to avoid harmful chemicals ending up in landfill. 

Speaking of landfill, did you know that according to the Women’s Environment Network, many disposable menstrual products are made of up to 90% plastic? In fact, one tampon takes longer to decompose than the average woman’s lifespan. In the UK alone, more than 4.3 billion disposable menstrual products are used every year, and 1.3 billion of those are plastic tampon applicators. Where does it all go? Into landfill, of course, so it’s no wonder the trees are screaming out for some changes to be made. 

By looking for biodegradable period products without the plastic applicator, you cut down massively on the number of years your discarded period products remain in the ground. Cotton naturally breaks down faster than plastic, so if you’ve already switched to 100% organic cotton, you can rest assured they will decompose faster, and you can bin them guilt-free! 

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