We may have had ‘the talk’ about the mechanics of what’s involved and how to cope with the bleeding process, but not much else when it comes to menstruation.
We notice our bleed week and after that don’t really think about what is happening inside.
The tone of the conversation and words we use to describe periods in my lifetime has always been negative.
There have been lots of cultural influences over the years and misunderstandings perpetuated by myths and fear. As a result our basic knowledge of the hormones involved, what is happening when, and why we feel different during the month is fairly limited.
Menstruation is a full-time occupation and can be scary even for grown-ups – and that’s OK. There is a huge expectation on us, with no manual, on how to manage the mental and physical components of menstruation and it is often assumed we know what we are doing.
However, times have changed, and we are now talking about periods. There is a much more buoyant conversation around the equipment we can use and what to expect each month, but there are still a few pieces of the puzzle missing when it comes to joining the dots between periods and perimenopause.
Environment and lifestyle have a huge impact on menstruation. We know this to be true, and have felt it in our tummies, backs, mood and over all 'meh' feeling. However do we actually make wise choices to minimise the negative impact? Or do we plod along and wait for the next month to ‘see what happens’?
What if we were super savvy and tuned in to our menstrual cycle and established what our own pattern is and how to feel great the whole month instead of just part of it?
If we were proactive we would be more likely to know what to add to our menstrual cycle tool-kit, way before we start the conversation on our menopause tool-kit.
At the end of the day, we bleed for 7 days and don’t die. That is some serious biological engineering, but we don’t take a second to think about how we could improve or upgrade the process, with some super simple tweaks.
Menstruation is a whole mind, body experience. In the words of Dr Lisa Mosconi,”The ovaries speak to the brain, and the brain speaks back to the ovaries, every single minute of every day”.
If you remember from school the menstrual cycle diagram had a few lines wobbling all over the place, but didn’t really mean much at the time. It may have looked like this.
About The Author
Fiona started her first holistic therapy practice over 30 years ago and has recently gone back to her roots.
She is qualified in reflexology, aromatherapy, therapeutic massage, adult teaching and Applied Biology. Her mission is to help others have a positive perimenopause.
During her early menopausing she experienced a multitude of unexpected symptoms, including severe overwhelm, a sudden lack of confidence and crushing fatigue. It took many distressing years to work out the best course of action to have a positive outcome. Collectively, we are simply not taught about our hormonal ageing, which forms the basis of good health.
Over the last 5 years she has read and written a great deal about menopause, which included extensive hormone research. She also has advanced her knowledge with the guidance of Dr Joanne Hobson, and developed a series of educational programs with The Menopause School.
There is no room for misinformation and misdirection any longer. We are heading for a global health care crisis.
Healthy ageing is directly related to healthy menopausing. She believes we need a vision of care, for the modern menopause.
You can find out more about Fiona’s work on the menopause over at https://themenopausedoula.com and https://themenopauseschool.com
There is also a menopause support group over on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/menopausementoring
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