Ladies, honor your cycle.
Let's be honest, most men, and even women, are not informed about how a woman’s body, pregnancy, and menstruation work.
Misogyny, the objectification and sexualization of women, poor education systems, and willful ignorance all play a role in it.
Young girls all over the world will have the life-changing, uncomfortable, and often times painful experience of getting their menstrual cycle, or period, for the first time.
Periods are often stigmatized, people don't want to talk about them.
Even though most of the time periods are spoken about in a negative way, I have learned that our menstrual cycles are like another vital sign. Yes, things like headaches, cramps, pain, and hormone imbalances can be annoying and irritating, but our menstrual cycles provide us clarity about our health, allows us to become more in tune with our divine femininity, and overall keeps us healthy, flourishing women.
Most of us know that once ovulation occurs and an egg has not been fertilized, then the shedding of the uterine lining (bleeding) occurs. But it is much more than that.
Did you know there are phases to a menstrual cycle?
According to the herbalist blog and website Amina Mundi Herbals:
The menstrual cycle is divided into two main phases: the follicular phase and the luteal phase. Within these phases, there are two additional phases: menstruation and ovulation.
The follicular phase is the longest step in the menstrual cycle. It lasts from the first day of your period to ovulation, the release of an egg. During this phase, your ovaries prepare eggs for ovulation, and estrogen levels are higher. Your body releases FSH, or follicle-stimulating hormone, which travels to the ovaries and signals the body to prepare for ovulation. The follicular phase overlaps with the period.
The luteal phase starts when an egg begins traveling down the fallopian tube. This phase ends when menstruation, or bleeding, starts.
I don’t know about you, but I was never taught this in school.
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