The normalization of women's menstruation is long overdue. For centuries women’s cycles have been shrouded in mysticism and secrecy with the overarching belief being that during the time of the month when a woman bleeds, she is “impure” and must be kept out of the public eye. The menstrual rituals of different cultures run the gamut from the use of menstrual huts to “cleansing” baths once a woman ceases bleeding.
What this broad belief of “menstrual uncleanliness” has done is create a culture around menstruation where bleeding is considered bad or unclean and therefore, as with most bad or unclean things, it does not get discussed; this lack of openness on the subject ensures serious and honest conversations about our cycles, including what is “normal”, do not occur. Too often, women believe that if their mother suffered from it (whatever “it” is…), then that is also their fate and if their mother did not, then they are just the unlucky one to have to deal with this problem now.
For this reason, so many women have no understanding about what a normal cycle is, what a period should feel like and further, what measures can be taken if they experience something pathological with their period. So having said that, I would like to shed some light on what a normal cycle is, what a normal period is and what can be done if you experience pain or discomfort.
A normal cycle (with a cycle being defined as the first day of bleeding to the next first day of bleeding) can be anywhere from 26-35 days with the sweet spot really being 28-30 days. Some patients' cycles are slightly longer or shorter than this, and what I say regarding that is: if you are in good health and your cycle is regular, then that is what is normal for you, and what is normal for you is not pathological. A typical period from start to finish, will last anywhere from 3 to 6 days. Shorter or longer bleeding is atypical and would need to be explored further. As for pain with one's cycle, that is pathological, meaning it is not “normal” and not something that one must learn to just “power through” or “suffer with”. The same goes for pain with ovulation, or Mittelshmirz. Premenstrual syndrome is something many women struggle with, and is comprised of any number of uncomfortable symptoms, such as bloating, irritability, cramping and fatigue, experienced prior to a woman beginning her monthly bleed. There are many different reasons one might experience PMS or feel pain with their cycle or with ovulation, and in addition to speaking with a gynecologist, one can also seek out alternative remedies such as acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine to help alleviate any unusual symptoms. The usual course of treatment for a gynecologist when a women comes in with these complaints is to put the woman on birth control, which comes with its own set of issues. I am all for women having ownership of their bodies, it is another thing for me when I see doctors covering up pathology with a pill that does nothing to address the root of the problem.
Consider how many women you know who have had painful or irregular cycles. Think about how many women you know who may have had trouble conceiving. And now think about how most of those women struggled through the pain and how the ones trying to conceive had to see a number of doctors to get pregnant, if they were lucky enough to get pregnant at all. Think about all the women out there that don’t talk about it at all. This is what a lack of conversation does, it breeds a paucity of education about ourselves. If education is power, then the mainstreaming of women’s health is imperative to our work towards equality in healthcare.