For a bodily process that about half the worldâs population will experience hundreds upon hundreds of times in their lives, menstruation still makes a lot of people really uncomfortable.
Society at large really doesnât want to talk or hear about it. If periods are brought up, its usually to insult and discredit. One of my missions as a woman who menstruates in this world, a perinatal and pediatric chiropractor, and a mother to two girls is to openly acknowledge and even celebrate periods, or moontimes, in my life, practice, and home. Here are three simple but tiny revolutionary ways I work to understand, destigmatize, and heal how I bleed each month.
I keep track.
I keep track of my cycles. I have a little paper notebook where I keep a continuous log of when my bleeding starts, how long my cycle takes, and maybe a few descriptors like âheavyâ, or âbright redâ. I also write down things that relate to my cycle like travel, headaches, and the full and new moons each month.
The products I use, and the ones I donât use.
Years ago I started wearing period underwear, and honestly, it changed my monthly life. For me and my personal cycle, I find this product comfortable, easy to use, and extremely cost effective, while keeping so many disposable pads, tampons, and all their collective packaging out of landfills. During my moontime, I sleep at night without any menstrual products, instead sleeping on a towel and a couple of big cotton prefolds. For me this is not only comfortable, but dare I say, liberating.
I talk to my daughters about it.
Iâve been open with my daughters about my moontime since they were born. They know all about them and that they will start getting monthly moontimes when they go through puberty. We have this wonderful pop up book, Vaginas and Periods 101. Even deciding to use the word âmoontimeâ alongside âperiodâ with my girls, and with myself, is a way to celebrate this physical rite of passage as magical and powerful. Our cycles are, after all, guided by the cycles of the Moon.
Do you embrace or celebrate your moontime? Are you pregnant or newly postpartum and thrilled to be without your cycle for a few seasons? Do you talk to your kids about periods? Write back if you want to share!
Warmly,
Dr. Lizzie