Comments on: Menstruation suppression, again http://electrolicious.com/2006/05/menstruation_suppres Daily affirmations of a word mercenary Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:14:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Sunshine http://electrolicious.com/2006/05/menstruation_suppres#comment-6583 Sunshine Sun, 28 May 2006 18:09:31 +0000 #comment-6583 My experience with menstruation has been interesting. Yes, I did sort of romanticize getting a period when I was thirteen and all of my friends got theirs but I did not, then when I was fourteen, fifteen and so on. I never got a period and to this day have never had a spontaneous period (TMI I know). So my experience with menstruation control has been just the opposite. Doctors have always told me that I "needed" to have a period. They have gone to great lengths and many combinations of meds to make it happen. Of course along with not having it often comes infertility which is the case with me. Just last week in my nursing class we were discussing contraception and it totally blew me away when my instructor said, "we don't need to have periods". Immediately my hand flew up and fifty questions came from my mouth, at first defensive ones then confused and resentful ones. What do you mean we don't have to have periods? Taking the pill causes menstruation when there is a 7 day break, and it is usually given with the assumption that a woman wants to have or has a natural cycle of 28 days. Last Tuesday was the first time I had heard about continuous cycle pills and I just couldn't believe it. I'd always heard that women need to shed their lining because lack of doing so puts us at greater risk for endometrial and ovarian cancer... like *ALL* my life I've been told this. But evidently that is not the case… if your lining doesn't build up in the first place. Interesting that the article is titled, “Lifting the curse”, because you’re right, most girls/women *do* feel that way about it; the way it makes us feel and act, the pain, weakness, cravings, frustration, and high maintenance. I have never heard a woman say, “I can’t *wait* ‘til my period starts”. My experience with menstruation has been interesting. Yes, I did sort of romanticize getting a period when I was thirteen and all of my friends got theirs but I did not, then when I was fourteen, fifteen and so on. I never got a period and to this day have never had a spontaneous period (TMI I know). So my experience with menstruation control has been just the opposite. Doctors have always told me that I “needed” to have a period. They have gone to great lengths and many combinations of meds to make it happen. Of course along with not having it often comes infertility which is the case with me.

Just last week in my nursing class we were discussing contraception and it totally blew me away when my instructor said, “we don’t need to have periods”. Immediately my hand flew up and fifty questions came from my mouth, at first defensive ones then confused and resentful ones. What do you mean we don’t have to have periods?

Taking the pill causes menstruation when there is a 7 day break, and it is usually given with the assumption that a woman wants to have or has a natural cycle of 28 days. Last Tuesday was the first time I had heard about continuous cycle pills and I just couldn’t believe it. I’d always heard that women need to shed their lining because lack of doing so puts us at greater risk for endometrial and ovarian cancer… like *ALL* my life I’ve been told this. But evidently that is not the case… if your lining doesn’t build up in the first place.

Interesting that the article is titled, “Lifting the curse”, because you’re right, most girls/women *do* feel that way about it; the way it makes us feel and act, the pain, weakness, cravings, frustration, and high maintenance. I have never heard a woman say, “I can’t *wait* ‘til my period starts”.

]]> By: Margaret http://electrolicious.com/2006/05/menstruation_suppres#comment-6584 Margaret Sat, 27 May 2006 00:43:59 +0000 #comment-6584 So OK, teenage girls get embarrassed about lots of stuff. Like everything. I'm 16, so I am speaking from the frontline here. Anyway. My personal feeling is that nature intends lots of things that science lets us avoid. Would you encourage women with no resources to have all the babies they end up with, because that's what nature intends and messing with that is wrong? The evidence that women living outside of modern medicine have far far fewer periods than most women today is fairly compelling. Basically, we aren't made to have that many periods. We're built to be nursing or pregnant most of the time. It hasn't been that long, when you consider how long humans have been in roughly the same formation we are now, since women lived basically constantly either pregnant or nursing. Our species is still trying to deal with the impact on our health of the agricultural revolution and of the huge availability of resources we have today. I see these pills as an attempt to adjust to the way we're supposed to be. So OK, teenage girls get embarrassed about lots of stuff. Like everything. I’m 16, so I am speaking from the frontline here. Anyway. My personal feeling is that nature intends lots of things that science lets us avoid. Would you encourage women with no resources to have all the babies they end up with, because that’s what nature intends and messing with that is wrong? The evidence that women living outside of modern medicine have far far fewer periods than most women today is fairly compelling. Basically, we aren’t made to have that many periods. We’re built to be nursing or pregnant most of the time. It hasn’t been that long, when you consider how long humans have been in roughly the same formation we are now, since women lived basically constantly either pregnant or nursing. Our species is still trying to deal with the impact on our health of the agricultural revolution and of the huge availability of resources we have today. I see these pills as an attempt to adjust to the way we’re supposed to be.

]]> By: SecretPeach http://electrolicious.com/2006/05/menstruation_suppres#comment-6585 SecretPeach Fri, 26 May 2006 15:36:40 +0000 #comment-6585 Hey--recently started reading this blog and I like it a lot. I too, do not see the romanticizing of periods--have you seen the commercials for these new feminine products (I can't remember if it's for tampons or pads) that are packaged in material that is supposed to make less crinkling and rustling sounds than the regular packaging? When I saw that commercial I thought how horrible, are there actually women out there who are so embarassed to have their periods that they don't even want other women to hear them opening their tampons in the bathroom?! I hope not! Hey–recently started reading this blog and I like it a lot. I too, do not see the romanticizing of periods–have you seen the commercials for these new feminine products (I can’t remember if it’s for tampons or pads) that are packaged in material that is supposed to make less crinkling and rustling sounds than the regular packaging? When I saw that commercial I thought how horrible, are there actually women out there who are so embarassed to have their periods that they don’t even want other women to hear them opening their tampons in the bathroom?! I hope not!

]]> By: Blair Peters http://electrolicious.com/2006/05/menstruation_suppres#comment-6586 Blair Peters Thu, 25 May 2006 16:44:51 +0000 #comment-6586 Ariel, long time no see! I've had four children and my periods are getting heavier, I'm getting more tired, I'm getting older, etc. I went to my doctor a few years ago and she suggested that I go back on the pill in order to prevent my body from menstruating. It sounded so seductive -no more periods. But wait. I am a woman, who for the first time in my life am trying to accept my body as it is with all it's stretch marks and wrinkles. The human body needs to be honored and valued, especially the female body. I think it is wrong to encourage the women in our society to suppress the natural functions of their body. Sure, it's no fun having your period, especially when you're on a romantic weekend away from your kids with your husband -but that's life. As women, we have to listen to our bodies and embrace the good and the bad. If we don't do that for ourselves no one else will. Ariel, long time no see!
I’ve had four children and my periods are getting heavier, I’m getting more tired, I’m getting older, etc. I went to my doctor a few years ago and she suggested that I go back on the pill in order to prevent my body from menstruating. It sounded so seductive -no more periods. But wait. I am a woman, who for the first time in my life am trying to accept my body as it is with all it’s stretch marks and wrinkles. The human body needs to be honored and valued, especially the female body. I think it is wrong to encourage the women in our society to suppress the natural functions of their body. Sure, it’s no fun having your period, especially when you’re on a romantic weekend away from your kids with your husband -but that’s life. As women, we have to listen to our bodies and embrace the good and the bad. If we don’t do that for ourselves no one else will.

]]> By: catina jane http://electrolicious.com/2006/05/menstruation_suppres#comment-6588 catina jane Tue, 23 May 2006 23:58:57 +0000 #comment-6588 we were just talking about this over at my friend <a href="http://www.daisey.com/journal/2006/05/its_a_girl_thin.html#comments">Daisey's blog .</a> my thought's : <i>"i understand the wanting not to have our monthly friend but i think we do ourselves and our bodies a huge injustice to tweek it into not bleeding.. we need to go with the FLOW..."</i> i guess im just a "if God made it that way , let it be" kinda girl ... leghair & periods - woohoo!! :) (but shh! i do wax my brows ..) we were just talking about this over at my
friend Daisey’s blog .

my thought’s :

“i understand the wanting not to
have our monthly friend but i think
we do ourselves and our bodies a huge
injustice to tweek it into not bleeding..
we need to go with the FLOW…”

i guess im just a “if God made it that way , let it be”
kinda girl … leghair & periods - woohoo!! :)

(but shh! i do wax my brows ..)

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