To be honest with you, I am always happy and grateful when Aunty Flo comes to town. I love getting my period. Every month she pops in to say hi, does her thing, and then leaves until next month. I think because I went through years of my periods being disrupted/missing/irregular (check out my story here), I truly grasp and appreciate how important Aunty Flo really is. Our natural periods are our monthly report cards ladies. As females, we are super fortunate that we have our periods roughly every month, as they are a vital sign of our overall health. Approximately every month, our period comes along and offers incredibly valuable information and cues about our health in general. We must respect this and listen to this.
Furthermore, getting your period is not just about the bleed, it is about the entire menstrual cycle. From Day 1 - Day X (any cycle between 21-35 days is classified as ‘normal’). Our menstrual cycle is how we make oestrogen and progesterone - two vital hormones not only to our menstrual cycle, but our overall mental and physical functioning. We absolutely NEED oestrogen and progesterone. Naturopathic Doctor and author of the bestselling book ‘Period Repair Manual’, Lara Briden, explains this further in one of her many amazing articles.
Take my irregular/missing periods throughout all those years with my ED as an example. Losing my period (known as Hypothalamic Amenorrhoea), was my body screaming out for help and support. It was a very intelligent signal from my body, one that I ignored for many years, that something wasn’t right. Put very simply (although it was so complex), I wasn’t eating enough, I was exercising too much, I was underweight and my poor mental/physical body was in a constant state of stress and malnourishment. This forced my periods to stop. One of the many, negative consequences of this lifestyle for me, was not having enough body fat. Important reminder: fat is a necessary part of the human body, and without it, we would not survive. Women in particular need a minimum of 18% body fat just to have a natural period, and approximately 23% body fat minimum in order to sustain fertility. Ladies, if we do not provide our beautiful bodies with enough love, support, rest and especially food, our body cannot and will not thrive, it could even be struggling to survive. We must provide ourselves with enough food on a daily basis in order for everything to function properly, mentally and physically.
There are also many other signs and signals that our monthly periods can offer us! Do you experience painful periods? Big blood clots? Major PMS symptoms? Do you have a really long or really short cycle? If there is something you are concerned about, professional practitioner support can help you get your periods back on track.
So to all the ladies out there, I encourage you to check in with your periods (if you get them naturally, i.e. not a pill bleed). Your periods are your monthly report cards. If there is something out of the ordinary, what is your glorious period trying to tell you? Has your period changed? Is there something you are concerned about? What’s going on and does it need more attention? I can help you with this.
Nutmeg xxx
