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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Yes, I know, the Stayfree ad is outdated.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.

FOX News and Menstruation

When looking for a topic for my next blog post I googled “menstruation news” – first on the list was Menstruation News and Video – FOX News Topics.

Curious what conservative FOX News might post concerning menstruation I clicked on the link.

On the upper left in small print I found a brief definition of menstruation (via Wikipedia). In the center was a large picture of a woman’s mouth with an inhaler between her parted lips and below it was written “Asthma symptoms may vary during menstrual cycle.” And on the left in small print – a teaser for Endometriosis Marked by Pelvic Pain, Heavy Menstrual Bleeding.

So far, so good.

Below the teaser for the Endometriosis article was another teaser for…Belly Button Bacteria: What’s Living in Your Navel?

Now, I can understand the picture of the woman using the inhaler – the article deals with asthma and the menstrual cycle. It’s not about menstruation but does touch very briefly on something that happens to some women when menstruation begins.  But, the belly button biodiversity article (though extremely interesting) didn’t even mention menstruation – or women.

So…why was it on a page about menstruation?

As I paged down through the non menstruation articles offered I wondered who had tagged them “menstruation” and why.  And, I wondered if that individual simply didn’t understand that “women’s health” or “menstrual cycle” does not equate “menstruation.”

Hidden way down at the bottom of that first page was a teaser for a piece entitled: Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Aid Menopause and in that teaser, a statement:

All women after a certain age will experience menopause.

I clicked on the link and found a sufficient and positive overview of menopause – and as promised a brief list of suggested lifestyle changes (regular exercise, eating healthy foods, sleep, relaxation). But, I found not a word about menstruation, unless I consider the following mention of “periods”:

However, a hysterectomy that also removes the ovaries will cause menopause immediately. Once a woman’s ovaries are removed, her periods stop, and she will most likely experience the symptoms related to menopause.

Fact. If the uterus is removed (hysterectomy) a woman stops menstruating – no uterus, no menstruation (periods). When ovaries are removed (oophorectomy), the menstrual cycle stops – no ovaries, no menstrual cycle.

“Menstrual cycle” and “menstruation” are not interchangeable.

It’s no wonder so many girls and women are confused. Just the simple act of googling “menstruation” left me confused and scratching my head.

Be period wise.