There are still times I meet that occasional person who is still grossed out and made uncomfortable by the topic of periods. No, not the punctuation - that week (sometimes more or less depending on what your body is feeling) where a woman sheds the inner lining of her uterus and bleeds through her vagina. Yes, I said blood, and uterous, and vagina.
I can not blame you for getting uncomfortable. Maybe it was taboo to discuss at home, or maybe you were just never taught the biology. Maybe you are simply unaware of the phenomenal wonders of a woman's body (like her ability to produce LIFE), or even just how that works. Maybe you hate blood, or maybe you just are not yet comfortable with using the terms penis, or uterus, or vagina. Because let's be real -- they are still a bit taboo. But let's face it: They exist, they are real, and and periods are no exception.
It starts with parents. We need to stop making periods the Elephant in the Room, something to keep a secret, something that isn't worth celebrating. Imagine -- a woman can now produce life within her. Is this not something absolutely incredible? Something that should, in fact, be celebrated? Men - you were able to be born because a woman got her period. And that's just the fact. So technically, by celebrating periods, you are celebrating life! You should celebrate periods on your birthday, really. After all, they gave you life.
For those of you who are curious, or just really need to be educated, here is some basic information:
1. When a woman menstruates, the body sheds the lining of the uterus (often referred to as the womb -- that's where babies develop).
2. The mentrsual cycle adjusts and provides one's body with important hormones. In fact, the rise and fall (fluctuation) of hormones is what controls the cycle (estrogen and progesterone, in particular)
3. It also prepares a woman for pregnancy. Around day 14 of a 28 day cycle, the lining of the womb thickens and an egg starts to mature.
4. If the egg is not fertilized (by sperm), a woman will ovulate (which is when the egg leaves the ovary and travels down the fallopian tube to her uterus. Later on, the lining of her uterus sheds (this is the 'period' part).
So you see, if you take the time to learn about periods, they really are quite an intricate and beautiful phenomenon. And for those of you who are grossed out by periods, then you need to take the time to get over it. No woman deserves a partner who doesn't respect and appreciate all parts of her, period.
