WomensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex & Love
  • Food
  • Weight Loss
  • Women In Sport
  • Beauty
  • Podcasts
  • Video
WomensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex & Love
  • Food
  • Weight Loss
  • Women In Sport
  • Beauty
  • Podcasts
  • Video
Subscribe
Pro Surfer Laura Enever On What She's Tell Her Younger Self
Watch 1:48

Pro Surfer Laura Enever On What She's Tell Her Younger Self

{headline}

{headline}

The Period Emoji Is Here To End The Stigma Surrounding Menstruation

The Period Emoji Is Here To End The Stigma Surrounding Menstruation

A Man Attempted To Calculate How Many Tampons A Woman Needs Per Year

A Man Attempted To Calculate How Many Tampons A Woman Needs Per Year

Viral Twitter Thread Proves Men Are Completely Clueless When It Comes To Periods

Viral Twitter Thread Proves Men Are Completely Clueless When It Comes To Periods

Women On Average Spend $9379 On Their Period Throughout Their Lifetime

Women On Average Spend $9379 On Their Period Throughout Their Lifetime

{headline}

{headline}

Single Dad Wins Internet After Refreshing Response To His Daughter’s First Period

Single Dad Wins Internet After Refreshing Response To His Daughter’s First Period

What You Need To Know About Where You Get Your Health Information

What You Need To Know About Where You Get Your Health Information

Lena Dunham Shares The Honest Reality Of Living With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Lena Dunham Shares The Honest Reality Of Living With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

{headline}

{headline}

UK Company Launches Ground-Breaking Policy For Women With Menopause

UK Company Launches Ground-Breaking Policy For Women With Menopause

Jennifer Garner Getting A Mammogram Is The Best Thing We’ve Seen All Week

Jennifer Garner Getting A Mammogram Is The Best Thing We’ve Seen All Week

Ruby Rose Shares A Hospital Selfie And Opens Up About Suffering From Dissociative Amnesia

Ruby Rose Shares A Hospital Selfie And Opens Up About Suffering From Dissociative Amnesia

Steph Claire Smith’s Side-By-Side Pic Sums Up The Woes Of Bloating Before Your Period

Steph Claire Smith’s Side-By-Side Pic Sums Up The Woes Of Bloating Before Your Period

So, How Long Is Your Period Really Supposed To Last?

So, How Long Is Your Period Really Supposed To Last?

5 Women Share The Thing That Surprised Them Most About Menopause

5 Women Share The Thing That Surprised Them Most About Menopause

7 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Period Sex

7 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Period Sex

  1. Home
  2. Health

Is This Viral Photo Of A Regular Vs Menstruating Uterus *Actually* Legit?

We asked the experts. - by Lucy Bode
  • 28 Nov 2019
Is This Viral Photo Of A Regular Vs Menstruating Uterus *Actually* Legit?
Facebook

Unless you’re currently growing a tiny human in there, it’s likely that you’re not super clued up on what your uterus looks like. For example, do you know that it fluctuates in size and shape – much alike boobs – throughout each stage of your menstrual cycle? Didn’t think so.  

In a Facebook post from 2007 that’s recently resurfaced, account Apples and Ovaries (via the Jocelyn Centre in Sydney) used two ‘life-sized replicas’ to compare a regular uterus to one mid-flow.

The small, pear-shape represents a non-menstruating uterus, while the darker one (which kinda looks like a water-balloon) is almost double in size.

RELATED: So, How Long Is Your Period Really Supposed To Last? 

Apples and Ovaries

“This is why we feel so heavy at the beginning of our bleed,” the caption 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 slooooooow.”

The snap has been shared more than 29,000 times, many women totally amazed at what their body goes through each month.

“Shook,” one wrote.

“No wonder PMS sucks the life out of me and I’m still recovering days later,” added another.

On the other hand, some experts warn that the pic may not be totally accurate.

“The true size of the uterus for a woman who has never been pregnant is much more like the smaller one. I have no idea what they are showing in the larger uterus. Yes, the uterus is a bit fuller during the menstrual cycle, but not like the bigger ‘pear’—or whatever they are demonstrating,” ob-gyn Dr Mary Jane Minkin told Women’s Health.

While your uterus can change depending on life circumstance (i.e. childbirth and masses like fibroids,) Minkin stresses that it won’t “go from the two sizes demonstrated in the picture during one menstrual cycle.”

Gynaecologist Dr Alyssa Dweck concurred, adding that the research on how our uterine growth changes towards the end of the menstrual cycle was limited.

“Those exact measurements (of each model and of their relationship to each other) depicted in the picture may not be accurate and the message should be taken in context,” she told Women’s Health.

So, there you have it. It might be cool to marvel at the magic of the human body but it’s always best skip social media when it comes to *actual* medical advice.  

RELATED: This Pregnant Woman's Powerful Instagram Post Explains Why You Can't See Her Baby Bump

  • Health
  • Social Media
  • Periods
Lucy Bode
Lucy Bode
Lucy is Women Health’s digital editor, social media specialist and the go-to girl for all things holistic wellness. Her background as a journalist and passion for food, fitness and integrative medicine has led her to write for some of Australia’s leading publications over the course of her career.

FREE aim'n Fitness Pack-SAVE 25%

when you subscribe to Women's Health

Subscribe Now
FREE aim'n Fitness Pack

FREE aim'n Fitness Pack-SAVE 25%

when you subscribe to Women's Health

Subscribe Now
FREE aim'n Fitness Pack

Recommended to you

Pro Surfer Laura Enever On What She's Tell Her Younger Self
Watch 1:48

Pro Surfer Laura Enever On What She's Tell Her Younger Self

{headline}

{headline}

The Period Emoji Is Here To End The Stigma Surrounding Menstruation

The Period Emoji Is Here To End The Stigma Surrounding Menstruation

A Man Attempted To Calculate How Many Tampons A Woman Needs Per Year

A Man Attempted To Calculate How Many Tampons A Woman Needs Per Year

Viral Twitter Thread Proves Men Are Completely Clueless When It Comes To Periods

Viral Twitter Thread Proves Men Are Completely Clueless When It Comes To Periods

Women On Average Spend $9379 On Their Period Throughout Their Lifetime

Women On Average Spend $9379 On Their Period Throughout Their Lifetime

{headline}

{headline}

Single Dad Wins Internet After Refreshing Response To His Daughter’s First Period

Single Dad Wins Internet After Refreshing Response To His Daughter’s First Period

What You Need To Know About Where You Get Your Health Information

What You Need To Know About Where You Get Your Health Information

Lena Dunham Shares The Honest Reality Of Living With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Lena Dunham Shares The Honest Reality Of Living With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

{headline}

{headline}

UK Company Launches Ground-Breaking Policy For Women With Menopause

UK Company Launches Ground-Breaking Policy For Women With Menopause

Jennifer Garner Getting A Mammogram Is The Best Thing We’ve Seen All Week

Jennifer Garner Getting A Mammogram Is The Best Thing We’ve Seen All Week

Ruby Rose Shares A Hospital Selfie And Opens Up About Suffering From Dissociative Amnesia

Ruby Rose Shares A Hospital Selfie And Opens Up About Suffering From Dissociative Amnesia

Steph Claire Smith’s Side-By-Side Pic Sums Up The Woes Of Bloating Before Your Period

Steph Claire Smith’s Side-By-Side Pic Sums Up The Woes Of Bloating Before Your Period

So, How Long Is Your Period Really Supposed To Last?

So, How Long Is Your Period Really Supposed To Last?

5 Women Share The Thing That Surprised Them Most About Menopause

5 Women Share The Thing That Surprised Them Most About Menopause

7 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Period Sex

7 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Period Sex

WomensHealth
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Pacific Magazines
  • Partners
  • 7Plus
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Statement
WomensHealth Magazine Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Pacific Magazines
  • Partners
  • 7Plus
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Statement

Brands

  • Beauty Crew
  • Home Beautiful
  • Instyle
  • marie claire
  • Who

Pacific Network

  • Better Homes and Gardens
  • BHG Shop
  • New Idea food
  • New Idea
  • Men’s Health
  • Girlfriend
  • That’s Life
  • All Recipes
  • Practical Parenting
© 2019 Pacific Magazines
Get more from Women's Health

Magazine Subscription Offer

FREE aim'n Fitness Pack-SAVE 25%

Shop This Offer
FREE aim'n Fitness Pack