How understanding my cycle empowered me

For many women their extent of knowledge about their monthly cycle is not much more than, “I bleed once a month... if I’m not pregnant.” That was about as much as I knew once, but over the last five years I’ve learned a lot more about my cycle, and what I’ve discovered has changed my life for the better. This is the story of my cycle self discovery.

At sixteen I was prescribed the birth control pill, and I used it constantly for 10 years. I didn’t question anything about it; it was prescribed by my doctor, everyone I knew used it and it performed its function beautifully. It was easy because I never had to think about it. What I learned in recent years, however, is that not thinking about your cycle is doing yourself an incredible disservice.

After getting involved in feminism in my early twenties, I started to hear about alternative choices for birth control and sanitary products. The first time I stepped outside the Tampax box was when I tried the Diva Cup, which is an alternative to tampons and pads. The Diva Cup is a small silicon cup that you insert into the vagina to collect menstrual blood. The cup is reusable – you simply tip, rinse and reinsert as needed. Prior to using it, I’d never had any cause to take note of what was going on during my period. After using the Cup, I became comfortable inserting and removing it with my fingers and I could see the colour, consistency and amount that was normal to bleed each cycle. It doesn’t sound like much, but it was interesting and exciting for me to gain a better understanding of my period.

The Diva Cup

When I told other people about the Diva Cup I often heard, “Gross! I don’t want to stick my fingers up there and get my hands dirty!” It saddened and frustrated me that women could be so afraid of their own bodily fluids because tampons have allowed us to become so detached from our menstrual blood. I started to realize that women in general are poorly educated about their own cycles and about the variety of menstrual products and birth control methods that are available.

The next big leap for me was when I learned about a natural method of birth control that involves charting your cycle and making observations about your vaginal discharge in order to determine your fertility. I met with a Fertility Management Practitioner and learned how to observe, chart and interpret my menstrual cycle to determine when I’m fertile and infertile.

Prior to this discovery, I had no idea that women’s bodies give them direct and obvious signs when they’re fertile. I was outraged that I’d never been taught that in Sex Education. Learning how to chart and interpret your cycle using the Justisse method is effective, free and incredibly empowering. I won’t deny that in order to chart your cycle you need to be dedicated, organized, and practice charting for about 6 months before you get the hang of it. It’s not easy at first, but it’s so rewarding.

Now I intimately understand every phase of my cycle. I’ve been off hormonal birth control for almost two and a half years and I feel great. Many women are unaware of the potential side effects of hormonal contraceptives, including anxiety, depression, decreased sex drive, weight gain, intense mood swings and more.* Not only do I understand my cycle better, I feel that my sexuality is truly mine because it’s not influenced by external hormones. Since going off hormonal birth control, I’ve felt more confident and open about my own sexuality. It’s good to know what my natural rhythm is, because the more I understand about my body, the more I know what’s healthy and normal for me. Knowledge is power, especially when it relates to our own health.

I’m grateful for the inventions of tampons and The Pill and the many freedoms they have brought women, but we need to be aware of the other options out there. All women deserve bodily autonomy: the choice and resources to have children (or not), to have an abortion (or not), to choose our sexual partners, to choose when to have sex and so much more. In order to make those choices, we should know more about our cycles, but no one is going to spoon feed that information to us. You have to be responsible for your own reproductive health, and although that’s not easy, it’s empowering to take that responsibility into your own hands. I recommend it to everyone – so, what are you waiting for? Get out there and learn about your cycle! It’s probably some of the most useful and practical knowledge you can obtain.

*Reference: Coming off the Pill, the Patch, the Shot and Other Hormonal Contraceptives by M. Lalonde and G. Matus.

Your Birth Control Options
A great little video by Dr. Betty Dodson and Carlin Ross - two very cool feminist sex educators.

Monday's Show - A Menstruation Special!

Join us on Monday evening for our "Menstruation Special" - a discussion about our menstrual cycles, PMS, birth control, ovulation and so much more!

Jennie Thunder interviews Megan Lalonde - a fertility expert and student midwife - who sheds light on our menstrual cycles, which is something that most women know surprisingly little about. For example, did you know that when you're on hormonal birth control (such as the pill, patch or injections), you don't have an actual period? You have a "withdrawal bleed." Learn about this and so much more by tuning in on Monday night from 8:30 to 9:00 pm on CJSW 90.9 fm!

This interview will also be podcasted, so if you miss the live show, be sure to check out our podcast. It should be available by Wednesday January 27 at the latest.

If you are interested in learning more about women's fertility, menstrual cycles and other related things, check out Justisse Healthworks for Women. You can contact Megan or find a Justisse practitioner near you by checking out the Practitioner Directory.

Lap Dancers Make More $$$ When Fertile

Something we discussed last night on our radio program was how women's menstrual cycles and our pheromones affect our sexual attraction to others, and their attraction to us. Studies have shown that when women are ovulating (fertile), men find them more attractive. Naturally, when a woman is on a hormonal contraceptive (such as the birth control pill), it suppresses ovulation and thus does not achieve the same effect.

While cruising the internet today, I came across a study from 2007 that found that lap dancers make more money in tips when they are ovulating. Here's a clip from the study abstract:

...we examined ovulatory cycle effects on tip earnings by professional lap dancers working in gentlemen's clubs. Eighteen dancers recorded their menstrual periods, work shifts, and tip earnings for 60 days on a study web site. A mixed-model analysis of 296 work shifts (representing about 5300 lap dances) showed an interaction between cycle phase and hormonal contraception use. Normally cycling participants earned about US$335 per 5-h shift during estrus [ovulation/fertile], US$260 per shift during the luteal phase [infertile], and US$185 per shift during menstruation. By contrast, participants using contraceptive pills showed no estrous earnings peak. These results constitute the first direct economic evidence for the existence and importance of estrus in contemporary human females, in a real-world work setting. These results have clear implications for human evolution, sexuality, and economics.

While Economy Slumps, Birth Control Increases

The Los Angeles Times reports that the slumping economy is causing more women to inquire about abortion, adoption and long-term birth control options. And it’s not just the young single girls who want to avoid pregnancy. Married women who already have children are afraid to have another child while the threat of losing jobs is so high.

ACCESS, an Oakland-based women’s health organization, says 72% of women who call want information on abortion, which is up from 60% last year. A Chicago adoption agency has seen a 30% increase in pregnant women asking about adoption. Furthermore, a recent survey conducted for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists found that one in five women is more conscientious about using birth control, and one in ten married women say the economy is a factor in their decision to postpone a planned pregnancy.

Bristol Palin - Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Bristol Palin, daughter of Alaska governor Sarah Palin, is the new face of the abstinence movement. It may seem like a funny choice, considering she became pregnant at 17, now has a little boy named Tripp, and just a few months ago said that "abstenence doesn't work." Despite that, I think she's probably a good person for the job because she knows how hard it is to be a single teenage mom.

Bristol made the rounds of the American talk-show circuit on Wednesday morning to promote abstinence on the eighth annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. She is the "teen amabassador" for the Candie's Foundation, a national organization that educates teens about the realities of being a teenage mom. Although the organization says it also advocates for safe sex (and not just abstinence), Bristol has said that "abstinence is the only 100 per cent fool-proof way of preventing teen pregnancy."

Speaking about her life as a teen mom, Briston said, "You don't have friends, can't just go to the movies, get your hair done. You put your baby first." Had she not had Tripp, "I would have been to college out of state, hanging out with my friends, a lot more freedom."

It's great that she's using her experience to warn other teens about the consequences of teen pregnancy, but I wish she would also promote safe sex as another option. As I mentioned in an earlier post, abstenence only education DOES NOT WORK, and countries that openly teach young people about birth control and give them realistic options have much lower rates of teen pregnancy. The United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the industralized world - twice the rate of Canada's.

Wild Girl, Virgin, or Something Inbetween?

Jessica Valenti, founder of the kick-ass feminist blog, Feministing.com, was recently featured on the Today Show. Check out the video - the women are chatting about young women's sexuality and the abstinence movement. I think some of the points that Jessica makes are really important - especially her point that when it comes to women and sexuality, there seems to be only two options: you're either the promiscuous girl gone wild, or the chaste virgin. In reality, most women fall somewhere inbetween the extremes of wild girl and virgin, yet those are the only two options for female sexuality that we are presented.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Good to Know

Did you know that Canadian women can get the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) without a prescription? If you've had unprotected sex, you can take the ECP within 3 days to avoid pregnancy. The ECP works best within 72 hours after sex - the earlier you can take it, the better.

You can get an ECP at any pharmacy and you will receive two high-dose hormonal pills which prevent ovulation or implantation of a fertilized egg. All pharmacists should give you this pill, regardless of their own personal beliefs; if the pharmacist you speak to gives you any hassle, you can report it to the College of Pharmacists.

The ECP is also a really good idea to consider for traveling. If you're going to a foreign country, it could be wise to try and get ECPs before you go - you never know when you might need them.

Women Deserve Better - Women Deserve Choice

I discovered this talented slam poet a couple of years ago. In this spine-chilling performance she outlines the reasons why women desperately need reproductive choice. This video is truly inspiring - if it doesn't make you feel empowered at the same it almost makes you cry, I don't know what will.

Her name is Sonya Renee and you can check out her MySpace page for more info.

Janssen-Ortho Settles Lawsuit over Evra Patch

From Canadian Women's Health Network:

Lawsuit over Evra contraception patch settled
February 27 2009
CTV.ca News Staff

Janssen-Ortho Inc. has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit started by Canadian women who claimed they were injured by the Evra contraceptive skin patch.

The women alleged that Janssen-Ortho failed to adequately warn them and their doctors about Evra's association with an increased risk of developing blood clots, pulmonary embolisms, strokes, heart attacks and deep vein thrombosis.

On Friday, Janssen-Ortho agreed to settle the claims on an individual basis, without admitting liability. They are also prepared to settle any other valid claims that are brought forward.


I wasn't even aware that this lawsuit had taken place until now. It just goes to show that no matter how much research is done on hormonal contraceptives, there will virtually always be unforeseen risks. Feel free to check out the full article from CTV for more details.

Teenage Pregnancy Rates a Concern in US & UK

A 13 year old boy in England recently became one of Britain's youngest fathers. The boy, Alfie, was just 12 when he impregnated his 14 year old girlfriend. When asked what he'd do to support his child financially, he answered "What's financially?"

The UK has a high number of teenage pregnancies with about 27 out of 1,000 births by girls aged 15-19. Britain's teen pregnancy rate, however, is still far below that of the United States, which registers 44 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19.

To put those rates in perspective, here are the rates for some other Western countries:

• Australia: 17 per 1,000
• Canada: 11 per 1,000
  
• Spain: 10 per 1,000
• France: 8 per 1,000
• The Netherlands: 5 per 1,000

That means that the teenage pregnancy rate in the USA is almost 9x greater than the Netherlands, and 4x greater than Canada's.

I think it's fascinating that The Netherlands, which is one of the most sexually liberated countries on the earth (with their red light district and legalized prostitution) has such a low teen pregnancy rate. I think that when a society is open and honest about sex, people are better educated about the risks and take more precautions.

*Stats for this blog entry were taken from this CBC article.

Bristol Palin - Abstinence Doesn't Work

Bristol Palin, the 16-yr old daughter of Sarah Palin, admits that abstinence as a form of birth control DOES NOT WORK. Bristol was pregnant during her mom's campaign for vice-presidency, which sparked a lot of debate about issues of family values, sex education and teen pregnancy.

The Bush administration really pushed for schools to only teach abstinence-only sex education, but many studies prove that it doesn't work. Now we're hearing it from a young teen herself.

Spinster Aunt: Gag rule bagged for 4 years

The blogosphere's favorite Spinster Aunt and writer behind "I Blame The Patriarchy" is exercising a little dissidence and is doing it in an interesting way as she tends to. Check out what she had to say about US President Barack Obama' s recent repeal on the global abortion gag rule a.k.a "The New Mexico Policy" , initially instilled by the Reagan Administration in 1984, repealed by Clinton in 1993 and revived again by G.Dub back in 2001.

I have to say, I appreciate her ability to strip away all the glitz and get straight to the facts... as subversive and far from straight-forward as they may be. See for yourself here. Below are a couple of links to articles on the New Mexico Policy from the past and the present.

Center for Reproductive Rights:
Obama Rescinds Global Gag Rule

Archive, from The New York Times (1987):
Abortions Abroad Are New Focus of Widening Battle Over Reagan's Policy


Thoughts...?