Periods and the female body

IF IT’S one thing that bothers me, it’s the way we glorify the female body only on certain days of the month and for eight days or less, we’re horrified by it. If you didn’t know this by now, menstrual cycles are natural. Maybe the sight or sound of blood is not as pleasant to our senses but it is completely natural and normal. Who had the brilliant idea to alienate women for a natural phenomenon?

For starters, the menstrual cycle is a monthly occurrence that prepares a woman’s body for the possibility of pregnancy. The stages of the menstrual cycle are menstruation, follicular, ovulation and luteal phases. The menstrual phase is also what we call ‘periods’. Most people confuse this stage for the entire cycle. In fact, an average menstrual cycle lasts 28 days. This is the phase which a woman may pass less than 80 ml of blood for six to eight days. A thick lining of a female’s uterus is shed. So, the blood a woman passes includes also tissue from her uterus and mucus. There are many symptoms including mood swings, bloating, cramps, tiredness and tender breasts.

The follicular phase starts on the first day of your period and then ends on the first day of ovulation (stick with me). Follicles are tiny cysts and only one of them will grow into an egg while the others die. The growth of these tiny cysts will eventually trigger the growth of the lining around the uterus. The third phase is the ovulation of eggs. This is self-explanatory: it suggests that two weeks or less before the next menstrual phase the ovary will release an egg. It is in this phase where we have the ‘fertility window’. The fertility window comprises of a woman’s most fertile days and it is during those days she is most likely to become pregnant.

The fourth stage, the luteal phase, is when the egg comes out of its follicle. The follicle then transforms into a structure called the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum produces progesterone and some Oestrogen. These hormones make sure that the wall around the uterus remains thick to stick the implanted egg. When a fertilised egg is implanted it will release hormones (HCG) that is usually detected on a pregnancy test. However, if there is no pregnancy the corpus luteum dies 22-28 days into the cycle.
In my personal experience, I must say I am privileged enough to have my mother and female teachers in high school who conducted special classes for this topic to educate me. There are many girls who are forced to feel uncomfortable because of their environment/society’s understanding of the menstrual cycle. We, as females, have at least one period mishap in our lifetime and we were forced to be embarrassed or uncomfortable because of it, especially if male friends or colleagues are around. This topic is very important especially for women with little access to information. Hence, I decided to make it into a series. Stay tuned for part two next week but, before I finish, I’ll leave a poem with you all to ponder on.

‘Apparently, it is ungraceful of me
to mention my period in public
‘cause the actual biology
of my body is too real

it is okay to sell what’s
between a woman’s legs
more than it is okay to
mention its inner workings

the recreational use of
this body is seen as beautiful
while its nature is seen as ugly.’
-Rupi Kaur