A guest post by Jenn Leggett

Jenn Leggett - Earthy Crunchy MamaSo with fall comes back to school.  And something lots of young woman will be learning to deal with are periods, and not the punctuation type.  I mean that monthly friend that all women get once a month.  I remember back to being in middle and high school and wishing that it was a good enough excuse for a sick week.  My whole period was a nightmare for me as a young woman.  I never knew exactly when it was coming so when it got close I was constantly worried about getting it, being stuck in class, not being able to be excused and bleeding through my pants.  I used to wear a sweatshirt around my waist to hide the unfortunate spot on my jeans.  I also remember the dread of trying to hide tampons and pads in my hoody as we had a school policy of not carrying bags with us to class, I was horrified that someone would see them and make some snarky teenage boy comment in front of everyone.  I also remember the time spend in the morning finding the right jeans, that I didn’t think would show the bulky disposable pads I was wearing.  It was quite a process, and left me a ball of nerves for the whole week.

What I wish I knew. READ MORE… »

Comments Off on Schools, Books and Periods | Leave a Comment - We'd love to hear from you!

by Nicole Jardim I used to be that girl who dreaded my period AND the week before my period. It would begin with the ridiculous sugar cravings (yes the kind where eating a whole chocolate cake would be just fine), then the bloating would start (probably because of the whole chocolate cake), and it would culminate in the worst cramps ever (think the kind of cramps that make you throw up and want to pass out). And then I’d get my period! That was my life for many years and I felt like I had no control over my body or what was happening to it every month. Approximately 75% of women struggle with similar issues every single month so I’m sure you can relate. Eventually I figured out that I do have control – I have control over the food that I eat and how I live my life. Who knew!? I have learned over the years that every bite you take counts when it comes to how your body functions and how you want to feel physically and emotionally.  I have also learned that the main cause of PMS is an underlying hormonal imbalance in which your estrogen levels increase while your progesterone levels decrease. This is known as estrogen dominance. READ MORE… »

1 Comment | Leave a Comment - We'd love to hear from you!

“We are so thankful for all the strong supporters of our monthly #PeriodTalk tweet chats with You ARE Loved! It is hard to believe we are already celebrating one year of chats! To help us celebrate our great friends over at Maxim Hygiene wrote this special post.” READ MORE… »

Comments Off on Period Talk: A Parent’s Guide to Changing the “Ew” to “Phew” and Fun! – Posted by our friends at Maxim Hygiene | Leave a Comment - We'd love to hear from you!

PeriodTalk Press ReleaseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

First Annual Online Menstrual Party
In celebration of one year of monthly online educational chats, Be Prepared Period and You ARE Loved are proud to announce the First Annual Online Menstrual Party will be held on Friday, July 13 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET.  This public event can be accessed via Twitter using the hashtag #PeriodTalk.

Marysville, WA   June 25, 2012
With the goal of doing more AND better menstrual education, Be Prepared Period and You ARE Loved joined together to launch a monthly menstrual education event in July 2011.  These monthly gatherings, known to many as #PeriodTalk, have grown from a few to fifty or more participants discussing the month’s topic.  Past topics include Periodic Stories: Ours and Yours, Exploring the Many Feminine Hygiene Options, and Puberty and Periods: Guiding Tween and Teen Girls. READ MORE… »

9 Comments | Leave a Comment - We'd love to hear from you!

I just wanted to share a little bit of my story.

Back in 2010 I remember going through so much pain. I had all sorts of tests done along with seeing two doctors. After a scope and colonoscopy, and even having one doctor tell me I didn’t have endometriosis, I was beginning to think I just had to deal with it.

At the end of February 2011 I ended up in the hospital with some extreme pain on my side. After an ultrasound, it was determined I had a massive “chocolate” cyst that had ruptured.

On March 10th, I followed up with the ER doctor. She did an exam and decided we needed to do exploratory surgery.

A week later I went in for my surgery not knowing what would be found. I remember crying to my doctor, telling her I didn’t fear them finding anything. But instead, I feared them not finding a source to my pain.

READ MORE… »

Comments Off on My Endo Journey | Leave a Comment - We'd love to hear from you!

Let me start by saying that I have always had VERY painful periods. Like most other Endo Sisters who have been kind enough to share their story, I thought this was normal. I would spend the first couple days of my period in so much pain, it was insane.

Heather - Endometriosis StoryI can remember as far back as my freshman year in high school (on a half day of school) and watching the clock, just waiting for the minute that I could go home and crawl into bed. There have been days that I had cramps so terrible, I had to miss school or work.

In August of 2012, I began to have extremely painful sex. I went to the emergency room a couple of nights later, because the pain would not stop. The E.R. doctor gave me a pelvic exam, tested me for STD’s and yeast infections (and accused my husband and I of not being committed). When all of the tests came back normal, she gave me a prescription to clear up a yeast infection she said probably didn’t show up on the test. I was then discharged.

A week later, I was still having the same symptoms, along with added back pain, pelvic pain, bloating and fatigue. So, I went to an urgent care facility, since my primary doctor was booked. I paid my insurance co-pay, was taken back to an empty room, met the doctor and gave my symptoms. I was not treated at all, I was told to go follow up with my primary doctor or go to the E.R. again. You can only imagine my frustration since I had just paid my insurance co-pay and didn’t get help. So, I went to my primary doctor (P.D.) two days later, and told them my symptoms. I was unable to see my actual doctor but got in with a P.A.

READ MORE… »

1 Comment | Leave a Comment - We'd love to hear from you!

 

Prepared for PubertyI was 13 when I got my period and although it was 33 years ago, what I remember most about that day is how lonely I felt. Menstruation wasn’t something discussed among friends, much less at home. I was prepared in the literal sense. I had a box of pads under my bathroom sink and I knew I would bleed and what to do about it. Still, I wasn’t prepared emotionally. Facts weren’t very helpful when I felt like nobody understood and nobody wanted to talk about it.

When I found myself the mother of not one, but three daughters, I knew it would be up to me to make sure they were not only physically prepared for whatever life threw at them, but emotionally prepared as well.  From the time they were born, I made it a point to talk to my girls. We talk about everything… from school to friends to puberty and even those darn boys. I always knew that talking and being open and honest with them was going to be the answer to raising smart, secure and self-confident children. I never wanted my kids to feel they couldn’t come to me and ask questions, or talk, or tell me how they were feeling. READ MORE… »

1 Comment | Leave a Comment - We'd love to hear from you!

My Tween, Her Period, & Summer FunA guest post by S. Medlock

My oldest daughter is almost a teenager.  Recently, we have been going through a lot of changes together.  She started her period a few months ago; this will be her first summer to have her cycle. Neither one of us is sure exactly what this will be like.

So far her cycles have been irregular, and her flow has been incredibly light.  Since it has been easy so far, she’s super confident to the point of being over-confident.  “It’s no big deal” is her favorite thing to say, but I know that she’s going to be in shock when her flow finally comes full blast.  Even though there will be caregivers around wherever she may be, it’s not like knowing I will be there when “the BIG cycle” comes.  Because her cycles have been unexpectedly light, I’m afraid I’m not going to be around when the “BIG cycle” comes.  I also worry she or I will forget something important during our summer travels.  I’m just afraid that when the “BIG cycle” comes she won’t be prepared.  I have so many questions.  Summer makes this much more complicated, especially for our family travels (knowing we may need to take more traveling breaks while on the road).

I want to know so much!  Does anyone have a checklist of things not to be without on a short trip, long week vacationing or summer camp?  READ MORE… »

1 Comment | Leave a Comment - We'd love to hear from you!

Until my 20’s, I struggled with PMS. Whether it was backaches, migraines, excessive cramping, etc. it was a constant struggle. I always did the obvious, painkillers, PMS tea, read all the tips from magazines and it seemed, nothing worked. It wasn’t until my late 20’s I met a modern day goddess (and yoga guru), Zahra Haji.  She fashioned unique practices for women to connect with their feminine energy, under her business Yoga Goddess. Amongst her different series of classes, she had a very special offering Moon Goddess.  This class focused on how women’s bodies connect spiritually with the moon, and how women are cyclical just like the moon. Each phase of the moon, connected with one of the four phases of the monthly cycle a woman goes through. It was through this series of kundalini yoga, meditations, and using specific yoga poses for each part of the cycle I go through with my body, that helped me achieve the most important success in my struggle with PMS; love and acceptance of my body, what I go through and how it makes me unique. READ MORE… »

6 Comments | Leave a Comment - We'd love to hear from you!

I have to start by saying that my mom and I are now best of friends and this is in no way criticism of the way she raised me it was a different time and talking about certain things were still taboo.
My First Period - Heather Lynne's StoryWhen I was a young girl there was no “talk” about your cycle or what to expect, actually I don’t think there was much talking about anything regarding our bodies.  I do remember my very forward-thinking mom buying me “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret.”  But that was probably the only real “discussion” we had.
When my period came the only real information I had was the vague information from “health” class (in those days it was less information more ewww it’s yucky) and from my peers as well as the outdated information in the book from mom.
I was 11 or 12 when “aunt flo” came to visit the first time,  I know it was a bit scary and I was surprised when cramps and clots happened.  No one mentioned these exciting and fantastic things I got to discover on my own.
The usage of tampons and pads were awkward and I spent many days scrubbing stains that I wasn’t prepared for.  I knew that mom had a bucket under the sink for her icky things so I took her signal as this was the way it was SUPPOSED to be.
The whole period thing was disgusting, horrible and uncomfortable as I have fibroid cysts on my ovaries (making my cramps insufferable). READ MORE… »

5 Comments | Leave a Comment - We'd love to hear from you!