Tag Archives: 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Yes, I know, the Stayfree ad is outdated.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.

Pad Perspective

I wore a pad today.

A huge overnight pad that reached well up my front and quite high up my rear. It filled the crotch of my panty and bunched between my legs.

You can see in the picture how huge it is compared to my hand. Imagine how huge it felt in my size 6 panty!

I placed the pad this morning and wore it until early evening.  When I check the mirror, from the rear the pad was quite evident and in the front it made a bulge in my jeans.

It was over-sized, bulky, uncomfortable, ill-fitting and touched me in places I preferred a pad not touch me.  My hands continually went to my waistband to pull up my panty, to adjust the fit, to shift the pad – and to my rear to pull the pad away from my upper hip. When I sat, it bunched in the front and when I stood it sagged in the seat.

My day found me at a local hospital, in physical therapy, shopping, driving, sitting, standing, walking – and never once did I NOT feel the pad.

It was present with me physically – and mentally as well.

I felt like a girl wearing her mother’s pad.

Yesterday, at the grocery I stopped on the feminine hygiene isle and stood looking at the many options women have for managing menstruation. The huge 15 inch long purple pad I wore today was only one.  There were pads of various shapes, sizes, absorbances and colors – all meant to meet the needs of women.

But, not all who menstruate are women.  Many girls are entering puberty early and it’s not unusual to hear of a girl who has begun by age 7, or start menstruating by age 9 (or even earlier).

Just as I need a pad designed for my body that meets my menstrual needs, tweens and girls need products designed for their bodies, that meet their menstrual needs.  Kotex recognizes this need, and now sells U Tween – especially marketed to girls ages 7 to 12. 

 

 

The next time you place a pad – or whatever menstrual product you prefer – consider for a moment who you were at age 8 and if your product of choice would have worked for you at that age.  And, consider also that there are many girls who experience periods just as heavy as yours but who do not have product choices equal to their physical and menstrual needs.

 

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.

Stop TSS Now – Period Talk

Toxic Shock Syndrome is something everyone needs to know about.  In a guest post for Be Prepared Period, I wrote:

It’s not enough to know about TSS.  We must be able to talk about it. Tampon users must be comfortable enough to say: “Hey, I’m on my period and I’m using tampons and I think I might have TSS – I need help!”  And, we all must be willing to initiate period talk, if only to raise awareness about TSS.

Be sure to check out the rest of this important post, which I wrote in support of this month’s #PeriodTalk. Also, consider yourself invited on Friday, December 14, 2012 at 2 pm ET when three nonprofits (Pads4Girls, Days for Girls, and You ARE Loved) will share their vision of a world where menstruation is no longer a taboo topic and what they are doing to assist women and girls with menstrual needs.