When you got your very first period, were you excited, scared or indifferent?
Most women I talk to say their mom handed them a box of pads and gave them some basic instructions on how to deal with ‘Aunt Flo,’ but not much more. Besides the warning “to be careful” not to get pregnant, for most of us this was our initiation into womanhood.
My mom went the extra step of telling me if I ever used tampons I would lose my virginity and then no man would marry me!
This is the first problem of period shame–it starts so insidiously that it’s hard to see you started inheriting these negative messages right from your first period!
Do you remember how much secrecy surrounded periods at school? We would only speak in hushed tones, especially around the boys. And it was every girl’s nightmare to be caught with a period “leak.”
Here’s the problem: Right from the start, we feel like our periods are something to hide, something to be embarrassed of.
(If you were celebrated for your first period you’re one of the lucky few.)
And now if you’re trying to conceive, getting your period feels like you failed, yet another cycle without pregnancy.
Yet, healthy menstruation is at the heart of being a healthy woman. From your hormones, to your sex drive, to pregnancy–you need a healthy period.
So period shame needs to stop because so much of female shame is wrapped up in our experience of menstruation. And menstruation is what makes us female.
Read about problem #2 of period shame HERE.
Curious how you can foster a healthier connection to your menstrual cycle? Click here to access my unique moon meditations, which help you tune into the four distinct energies of your cycle to maximize your Goddess energy all month long!
