J.B.

A woman’s menstrual cycle has three phases:  the follicular (before the egg is released), ovulatory (when the egg is released) and luteal (after the egg is released).  Each of these phases is regulated by different hormones, primarily estrogen, progesterone, FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone), and LH (luteinizing hormone). 

These hormones work in concert with each other and with other hormones, much like the members of a sports team will work together, each performing a separate role in coordination with the other team members.

Kaitlyn Luckow

Oftentimes when we write and talk about menstruation, it’s easy to talk about just women who menstruate or refer to girls and use “she/her” pronouns. But it’s important to understand and be aware of the limitation of this kind of dialogue. 

By gendering menstruation in this way, we are actually ostracizing people who aren’t women or individuals who don’t identify with “she/her” pronouns. 

Let’s make one thing clear: menstruating does not make someone a woman, not menstruating doesn’t make them not a woman, and women aren’t the only individuals in this world that menstruate.

We need to make sure that we are telling everyone’s stories.

Kaitlyn Luckow

As this month comes to an end, we wanted to talk about something that is near and dear to our hearts: Endometriosis Awareness Month.

Endometriosis, like many women’s health problems, has gone wildly untalked about. Many women go through life experiencing intense pain and thinking that it’s just normal for them to have to live with that pain. Because of this, many women around the world don’t know that what they’re experiencing is abnormal and many go undiagnosed when in reality, they are suffering from Endometriosis.

Your pain is not normal.

176 million women (that’s 10% of women) around the world have suffered and continue to suffer from a disease that has a huge impact on their daily lives.

PMS is the medical acronym for premenstrual syndrome.   You know, that time before your period when you feel tired, fat, and cranky.

The Mayo Clinic has a long, long list of symptoms of PMS including fatigue, weight gain, bloating, anxiety, depression, insomnia, on and on. Some sources say that “up to 150 symptoms have been identified as part of premenstrual syndrome”.   And if it gets really bad, PMS graduates to PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder), not that having an extra letter is going to make anyone feel better.

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, PMS symptoms can appear in the one to two weeks before your period.

Wow!  What a miserable way to spend one or two weeks out of every month.  PMS  should actually stand for “Please! Make it Stop!”

Kaitlyn Luckow

Today is International Women’s Day and today, we wanted to celebrate awesome ladies doing incredible things, but we wanted to focus on women who are often overlooked: the women who have helped make breakthroughs in menstruation and menstrual products.

Here are some women throughout history, and some who are working hard today, that have changed the way that we look at and menstruate on a daily basis.  

J.B.

There’s no such thing as a good time to get a urinary tract infection.  But getting a UTI at the same time as your period?  Oh, no!

The urinary tract is a brilliant drainage system for getting rid of excess fluid.   The kidneys remove extra fluid from the blood to make urine.  The urine travels from the kidneys to the bladder through tubes called ureters.  The bladder stores the urine and then drains it through another little tube called the urethra.  But like any other complex system, things can occasionally go wrong.

J.B.

What is an irregular menstrual cycle?  Well, that kind of depends on who you ask, but the medical consensus seems to be that a “normal” menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, give or take seven days.  A cycle is considered to be irregular if it occurs more often than every 21 days or if bleeding goes on longer than 8 days.  Early or late periods, and missed periods are also considered to be irregular.

How common is an irregular menstrual cycle?  According to Dr. Amy Autry, Professor of Obstetrics-Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, “at least 30% of women have irregular periods during their childbearing years”.  A 2011 report published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism confirms that many women occasionally experience irregular periods all throughout their reproductive years.

But what causes irregular periods?  Well, like most things, there isn’t just one answer.  The menstrual cycle can be influenced by a number of factors.

Kaitlyn Luckow

Let’s be real, reading the news hasn’t been the most joyful activity for a lot of people recently. Good news stories are hard to come by, especially when they’re stories about women’s rights.

However, there’s always some light in the world, and recently there’s a whole beam of light in regards to news stories about women’s rights around the world. There are some major shifts taking place and new leaders emerging who are determined to make a difference in this world.

 So, let’s take a few minutes to celebrate some historical wins for women that have happened recently.

J.B.

How often have you heard (or said) “they grow up so fast”?  It’s true.  Kids do grow up quickly and, in terms of the onset of menstruation, it’s speeding up.

According to Sandra Steingraber, the average menstruation onset age has been steadily lessening over the last number of decades.  90 years ago, the average age was 14; 50 years ago the average was 13-1/2 years old; these days it’s 12-1/2 years old.  And it is not unheard of for girls as young as 8 or 9 to get their period.  She claims that, furthermore, half of the girls in the United States now show signs of breast budding before their tenth birthday. 

The exact reasons for this have not been established.  It is held by some “experts” that lowered rates of disease and better nutrition are factors.  But others claim that endocrine-disruptive chemicals in food, drinking water and even the air along with hormonally active agents found in a vast array of consumer items such as hair tonics, pesticides, packaging materials and building products are affecting hormonal balance.  Still, others link it to obesity.

Kaitlyn Luckow

Ever since I’ve started writing about menstruation, I’ve had a surprising amount of men reach out to me with questions and thoughts they have about periods and menstruation. I think it’s so important to open up this discussion to all genders, because everyone should be educated on menstruation, not just people who experience it.

This discussion is vital in order to erase misconceptions about menstruation and could help further education throughout the world. This mentality could erase negative mentalities and improve the health for women throughout the world.

I reached out to men throughout the world to see what they think about menstruation, addressed some misconceptions that they hold, and answered questions that were asked.

Victoria M.

Did you know that globally - pads are the most common form of feminine hygiene protection? In some countries, pads are the only form of hygiene products used and many women opt for even more natural options such as reusable cloths or undergarments.

In an effort to not only be more health conscious but eco-friendly- many companies are creating products that are biodegradable, compostable, all natural and made with organic cotton. We applaud all of these innovators (and give ourselves a pat on the back too) as there has not been any true innovation in decades!

A timeline of feminine hygiene products shows that many of the antiquated stances still held true but there are so many boundaries being broken and left behind, which is great!

Here are some eye-opening and interesting facts about menstruation around the world:

Kaitlyn Luckow

Image by Tim Marshall

Imagine having to pay for something that was natural and completely out of your control.

Guess what?

We’re doing it.

Over the past few years, news and social media campaigns have brought light to the issue of the “tampon tax”, also known as the “pink tax”  in America as well as the rest of the world. Perhaps like you, I had no idea that this tax even existed until a few years ago. And I was just as taken aback as many people–and remain confused even today.

People are outraged and are demanding change because of this tampon tax, but do we fully understand what the tampon tax is?

J.B

Image via Brook Lark

Do you suffer from the typical menstrual symptoms?  The bloating, the mood swings, the muscle aches, the fatigue, the cramps (and sometimes severe menstrual cramps)?  Are you convinced that whoever wrote the song “I Enjoy Being a Girl” must have been a man?

You’re not alone. 

But there are some natural, non-pharmaceutical things you can do to ease the symptoms and one of these is diet.   Of course, everyone is different, but there are foods that are generally regarded as being helpful in reducing menstrual symptoms and some foods that can make your symptoms worse.

Xiaolin L.

Many brands talk about how organic pads/tampons are great with no toxins and chlorine bleach, but they barely talk about how it actually feels to use the organic pads/tampons compared to the non-organic ones.

First of all, it is true that our vagina is good at absorbing anything we put in there, which is why some medications are delivered vaginally. So being concerned about what might be absorbed by the body by using tampons made with synthetic fibers is reasonable. However, when it comes to how it feels to use an organic product compared to using a non-organic tampon, there isn’t much difference. Neither is the chance of getting TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome).

Regarding the feeling of using pads made with organic cotton or synthetic fiber, the difference is way more noticeable.

Kaitlyn Luckow

Photo by Matteo Grassi

Just like most things, different cultures and different countries view certain aspects of life in unique manners.

The same can be said for how menstruation and periods are viewed throughout the world. In some cultures, menstruation has long been celebrated, whereas in others even talking about periods is still seen as taboo.

I wanted to take a look at how different countries and cultures view menstruation in today’s world and to take a look at how these mentalities are affecting individuals who menstruate.

By Kaitlyn Luckow

You might remember that day in school where the boys and the girls were separated and your recess time was infringed upon because you needed to have “that talk”. I’m going to go out on a limb here and probably guess that you don’t have fond memories about that day.

I would be surprised if you did. If you were in the girl group, you were told that you were going to bleed out every month forever and that you would have to do all of these things to keep yourself clean and you were probably going to be in pain. Joy.

And if you were a boy, well…chances are you didn’t hear about menstruation at all. Just whispers on the playground about something horrifying that women do every month.

This lack of education, almost solely relied on by rumors, has led to a detrimental misguidance when it comes to menstruation. There are many myths revolving around menstruation and these myths are exactly that—they’re not true.

Regardless, many people go into adolescence holding these myths as true, and many of these myths are held well-on into adulthood.

I talked to many individuals of all genders and asked them about period myths that they have believed in the past. Here are the most common answers and why these myths are in fact just that:

From Sherry Thomas, M.D. 

The traditional way of dealing with menstrual cramps — the good ol’ heating pad — is so yesterday. And in the summertime, who wants to be hugging the equivalent of a toaster oven? The latest research suggests there are much better options for fighting off menstrual distress. Here are my top five recommendations:

1. Stay away from foods that can cause bloating. Some foods that are nutrition super-heroes the rest of the month may provoke bloating right before and during your period. That includes legumes (such as peas, beans and lentils) and cruciferous veggies (like broccoli and kale). Likewise, dairy products and whole grains can be bad factors during this time. Be extra careful to stay away from anything with lots of sodium, which is well-known for causing bloat.  But… this is a good time to be reaching for ginger. It has long been a traditional medicine for fighting inflammatory disease, and recent research says it can help tame cramps. It’s available as a supplement on the vitamin aisle.