The menstrual cycle is part of the reproductive
cycle and is characterised by a monthly discharge of blood, mucus,
and tissues from the uterus (called menstruation) and involves changes
to the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) during the rest of the month,
including a few days of fertility after an ovum (egg) is released by an
ovary.
Read an overview of the reproductive cycle.
View the Feminist Women's Health Center [FWHC] page on what happens during your cycle
 SWS Fact Sheet: The Menstrual Cycle: A Feminist Lifespan Perspective, prepared by the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research.
Why do women menstruate? by PZ Myers @ Pharyngula, DEC 21, 2011.
The Most Horrifying Period Stories You’ve Ever Heard, by Dodai Stewart @ Jezebel, NOV 22, 2011.
what to tell the girl in my life about menstruation, by Alexandra Jacoby @ Re:Cycling, the SMCR blog, NOV 24, 2011.
I don't have a 28-day menstrual cycle, and neither should you by Kathryn Clancy, guestblogging @ Scientific American, DEC 23, 2010. |
|
Back in June 2005, I exhibited vagina vérité® at the 16th biennial conference of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research [SMCR], where I discovered how LITTLE I actually know about the workings of my body... Expect the menstruation section to grow as I educate myself. Feel free to suggest sites and books...
The Society for Menstrual Cycle Research, a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1977 by a multidisciplinary group of women who were pioneers in understanding the centrality of menstrual cycle research to women's health. SMCR is an interdisciplinary group of researchers, health care providers, policy makers, and students who share an interest in women's lives and health needs as they are related to the menstrual cycle.
SMCR's mission is to be the source of guidance, expertise, and ethical considerations for researchers, practitioners, policy makers and funding resources interested in the menstrual cycle. SMCR offers a network of communication and support that spans discipline, professional responsibilities, and geography to provide woman-centered perspectives on menstrual experiences. Read more...
The SMCR has a blog!
That means more access to information and discussion about yOur body! Check out the SMCR's blog
re: Cycling
Tampon Safety
and Research
|
|
|
menstruation questionnaire response 78 |
how old were you when you first got your period, what was it like, and what did you know about what to expect?
|
|
12 years 1 month
|
how did you feel about it, and who did you tell about it?
|
|
My mother had told me nothing about it. I called my best friend who was two years older. She tried to get me to use tampons and it didn't work.
|
what menstrual product did you start with? how did you learn about it?
|
|
Pads but I started using tampons soon after.
|
are you still using the same method to deal with the blood; what methods have you tried; which do you prefer and why?
|
|
No changes.
|
do you experience cramps, bloating, soar breasts, get pimples...? - if you do, tell us about it, and also, what remedies do you use?
|
|
All of the above and I cry a lot.
|
do you feel emotional changes relating to where you are in your menstrual cycle?
|
|
I'm like a roller coaster.
|
how do the men in your life relate to your period, or periods in general?
|
|
My husband is the most understanding man on earth and I love him dearly, but sometimes he acts too interested in my period.
|
this conversation makes me think....
|
|
How lucky I am to be married to him.
|
