Yes, one girl talk please

Yes, one girl talk please

Tampons.

Ok, now that all the male readers are gone… Girls, we need to talk. 

Full disclosure: this post has been sitting in my drafts for a minute, eagerly awaiting its big reveal. 

Oh, and yes, I will, in fact, elaborate on things related to tampons.

Let's back up. I am someone who is usually blessed with a highly accurate menstrual cycle. Never taken any birth control pills nor any other external hormones that could potentially interfere with my cycle. All natural, no added sugar, gluten-free, you name it. Ok, bleed-brag done. 

That was up until I decided to embark on my trip. As a matter of fact, my period started pretty much the exact moment I commenced my lengthy trip to Puerto Escondido back in November. Fun, fun, fun.

Little did I know that this would be my last period for A WHILE. Although it's not uncommon for us ladies to skip a period when travelling, this dry-period had me on my toes. I wasn't skipping just one. My period was gone for 5 months(!) It even got to the point where I had a full-blown panic attack, which led to me rushing to the hospital just to get a blood test to rule out pregnancy. To give you some perspective: Chances of me being pregnant at that point were non-existent, impossible, unthinkable. It was clearly out of question unless we had another Jesus-birthing situation going on. That's just to show you how desperate I was.

Anyway, after that blood test came back negative, I did what any respectful adult would do: I started googling. 

I had a linking that it was probably a mental thing. So, my research focused more on the psychological causes of skipping a period. I found out that, apparently, we skip our periods when the body is generally under a lot of stress.

*insert dramatic pause*

The irony was strong here.

I mean, yeah, I understand that the body experiences some sort of stress when it touches unfamiliar ground, but this could not be it, right?

I will refrain from diagnosing myself here because I’m clearly not qualified and/or have any shred of scientific evidence that could back up anything of what I’m saying but here’s the thing; As soon as I set foot in my flat, my cycle was restored - literally. It took two hours of bum-shaking in the kitchen, and celebrating having my own space back when my uterus decided to join the party.

That’s mind-blowing to me.

This incident has left me thinking. First off, I was hesitant to write about it because I immediately felt like I was aggressively oversharing. This in turn made me realize how annoyingly prevailing this stigma around our menstrual cycle still is. I don’t need to declare myself a feminist to point this out, though some of you presumably tossed me into that feminist corner the second you read this.

Sorry to annoy you mate, but this is the bloody truth. Females bleed. That’s a fact, not yet another accusation based purely on personal, unaddressed dissatisfaction of a particular social movement *side-eye*.

Not only is it normal. The more I read about it, the more I recognize the sacredness that lies within this cleansing process of the female body.

Although I already had a healthy relationship with my uterus before it decided to ghost me, I gained so much more appreciation for that fully functioning life-creating apparatus within me. Luckily, I didn’t have any major health issues during my trip, but I did miss my period - literally and emotionally. It felt weird not going through that regular cycle and the emotional and physical cleanse that goes with it.

So many of us are quick to dismiss our period as this annoying thing that hurts us physically, turns us into an emotional wreck and somehow always gets in the way of our beach day plannings.

Some of us have period cramps so severe that we can’t even stand up straight without painkillers. Do we call in sick at work? Of course not. We’re not pussies. Besides, how awkward would it be to even mention being on your period at work? It’s not that literally every female on this planet experiences menstrual cycles on a regular basis for a period (pun intended) in her life.

See the stigma yet?

Think about it. For many of us, it’s less awkward to elaborate on a very graphic diarrhea episode than it is to mention that our uterus is yet again quite literally ripping itself apart and almost making us faint from the pain.

I’m not saying that we should elaborate in great detail on our periods next time we’re having lunch with our colleagues, or smear period blood on the wall while chanting Icaros, but I am saying that we should - at the very least - stop being ashamed of our periods.

Besides, when did this whole period shaming even begin?

If we look back in history it seems as if we have dumbed down quite a bit. In many ancient cultures, the menstrual cycle was a symbol of fertility, creation and womanhood, cherished for its life-giving abilities. Ceremonies and rituals were held for what was considered to be a deeply spiritual process (again, fast-forward to today, where we even feel ashamed to lay down for a bit).

In the spiritual community, in ancient Egypt as well as in Greek mythology a link between the menstrual cycle and the lunar phases was also oftentimes made. Though the scientific data on the correlation between a female’s menstrual cycle and the moon phases is inconsistent at best, it is true that the duration of a full lunar cycle and the average menstrual cycle of about 29 days align almost perfectly with one another.

To be fair, not all cultures viewed the menstrual cycle as sacred or pure, but it is interesting to learn about the countless theories, anecdotes and beliefs surrounding the topic.

Point is, our menstrual cycle is more than - or better yet - anything but a pain in the ass (although sometimes there’s a sting. y’know). It is nature’s way of emotionally and physically detoxifying our bodies, allowing us to rest, reflect and recharge.

Although our uterusses (?) will probably forever be haunted by wild rumors, misconceptions and annoying stigmas, one thing is for sure and that is the fact that we all carry a little miracle inside of us.

So, next time you go through that cleanse, show some bloody respect.

:)

Love ya.