Author Archives: Suzan

About Suzan

menstrual activist , alternative product advocate, TSS survivor

Put on a Happy Face

We’ve all done it. We’ve all put on a happy face when inside we felt anything but happy.

“How are you?” a friend asks, and our immediate response is “Doing well, thank you, how are you?” when in reality we are hurting and not at all well.

Why do we do that?

Why do we feel it’s necessary to hide behind a happy face?

What’s wrong with being honest with ourselves – and with others?

Now, I’m not saying we have to be as blunt as the girl in the brief conversation below

but, hey, openness is the rule when you’re period wise!

Resolve this year to be open to learning more about menstruation.  Knowledge empowers.

There comes a time when we aren’t allowed not to know. – Judith Viorst

Celebrate Your First in 2013

How will you celebrate your first menstrual period – of this new year?

Will there be a First Period Party?

Will you put up a red tent in your yard?

Will you go green your first red days?

Will you indulge in a favorite treat?

How will you celebrate?  You really should, you know. First only comes once.

And, speaking of first – how will you celebrate when that special girl in your life reaches menarche?

Periodic Resolutions

New year.

New resolutions.

New opportunities.

New vision.

New growth.

New you.

                                    As you look toward embracing the new year, consider resolving one (or more) of the following:

  • try a new Eco-friendly product
  • learn more about menstruation
  • explore your own menstrual experience
  • take the leap to a new/different product
  • begin a cycle day (CD) journal
  • live fully into the strengths each CD brings
  • examine your menstrual taboos and ask “why”
  • become more period wise
  • greet and celebrate each period

Before She’s History

As 2012 flows into her final days, we glance back over the year and take inventory.

What remains unresolved?  

Would you have done anything differently period wise?

If you answered “nothing” or “no” let me challenge you to rethink your periods of 2012.

  • Were you exuberant about menstrual product(s) used?
  • Did you make the most of each and every 2012 period?
  • Were you satisfied with your menstrual experiences?
  • Did you work your CDs (cycle days) to your advantage?
  • Was there anything about your periods that you would have changed if you could have?
  • Is there any information you lack concerning menstruation?

Period Wise exists to empower girls and women to embrace menstruation.

 

 

 

 

The Scent of a Woman

I asked a young friend why she used scented pads.

She replied: so no one knows I’m on my period.

Who told us we are offensive when menstruating?

Before you use scented menstrual products think critically:

1) Think – they can cause irritation.

2) Think – when’s the last time I could tell someone was menstruating because of objectionable menstrual odor?

3) Think – do I really want those chemicals and “perfumes” rubbing my body throughout the day?

Yes, I know, the Stayfree ad is outdated.  But, their message is still common. “Feel fresh.”  “Odor control.” “Neutralizes odor.” “Feel cleaner.”  And, Always recommends “advanced odor neutralizers for lasting freshness.”

So, who told us we smell bad when menstruating?  Oh, yeah, companies that make disposable menstrual products.  Products that make us smell anything but natural.

Christmas Red

Naughty or Nice – periods that arrive Christmas morning are often placed in the naughty category.

I remember one Christmas morning I woke to find my period had blessed me, my night clothes, and my bed with Christmas red. 

Instead of jumping out of bed to see what surprises were under the tree with my name on them, I jumped out of bed and scurried to the bathroom to see…

…how red my panty was, if I would need to change clothes, and how much clean up I would need before I could join my family around the Christmas tree.

Ah, the disappointment I felt…

…and, the silent tears I shed as I heard family calling to me from the living room: “What’s taking so long?”  “We’re waiting on you!”

…and, the embarrassment I experienced when asked why I changed from my night clothes.

That morning, Christmas red broke family traditions formed throughout my childhood and moved me to embrace long held cultural traditions formed through secrecy and denial.

I can only imagine how different that Christmas would have been if I had felt free to be open and honest about the fact that I was menstruating.

Imagine a world where girls feel no need to hide menstruation – from themselves or from others.  Imagine a world where women break cultural taboos and embrace menstruation as a gift – to themselves and to others.

Imagine a period wise world….

From Period Wise – have a wonderful Christmas

and

 

 

Keeping it Positive

“Keep in mind that not all menstrual symptoms are negative ones.” *

That’s great advice – and something to remember when we are talking to girls about periods.

The negative seems to always be at the forefront of any discussion of menstruation:

cramps

bloating

leaks . . .

We seem to forget that not all menstrual symptoms are negative. Often when menstruating, girls and women feel more

        feminine

       creative

   open

                                 eager for a challenge . . .

Ads for menstrual products push the negative and ignore the positive. They play to our fears and our ignorance. And  we buy into this mindset when we buy their products.

Take a look at the ad to the right.  What is it telling you about your period? About you when you are menstrual? About how you should feel about yourself and your period?

If our periods are natural, not dirty – why do we need a special scented cleansing wipe when we are menstruating?

Why do we allow the media to tell us how to think and feel about our periods? About ourselves?

It’s time we become period wise, embrace the positive side of menstruation and mentor others to be period wise, too.

* With thanks to for her piece – Menstrual Symptoms Your Tween Should Know.

All I Want For Christmas

With Christmas a week away, I’m making my list and checking it twice.

If your list is anything like mine, there’s one person missing – YOU!

Take a moment and look at the gift ideas below and see if any are on your wish list. Maybe it’s time for your wish to come true.

 

Gift yourself this holiday season!  You and your period deserve it!

An O.B. Celebration?

“Ultra is back. Let the celebration begin.”

An email from o.b tampons said: “o.b. ultra tampons are back and we couldn’t be happier. We’re so overjoyed by the triumphant return of our product that we can’t stop celebrating! We even decided to throw a party in your honor.  Check out your endless celebration here.  And, hey, even if you’ve never used Ultras before, your name is always on our guest list. Enjoy! Roof-raisingly yours, The o.b. tampon team.”

As a former devoted user of their ultra absorbent tampons (note I said former), I find myself a bit confused by the celebratory email – and even more so by the fact that ultra o.b. tampons disappeared from the shelves in the first place.

I’ve heard no explanation as to why they were pulled – or if they have been changed in any way before their reintroduction.

Ultra tampons pose a greater risk of TSS than any other tampon the company makes and I know from personal experience that o.b. tampons have, in the past, left a large number of fibers within me when they were removed.

If there was an issue with ultra o.b.that prompted Johnson & Johnson to pull them from the shelves, I hope (and pray) they corrected it before re-releasing it.

We cannot depend on companies to make period wise decisions. It’s up to us to be period wise and protect ourselves.

The more absorbent the tampon, the greater risk of developing TSS.

I’ll be honest –  o.b. ultra scares me.