(no subject)

[erinpinkhair.livejournal.com]

I had a wonderful talk in my women's studies class. We spent the entire day talking about menstration. It was so beautiful having a group of 28 women and one male talk about the female cycle.

One girl in the class brought up something every appauling. Apparently on the Today show 2 summers ago they had a panel of all male doctors who had figured out a way from women not to have their period anymore. They thought women shouldn't have their period because it's "unnatural". Funny how something that happens to women everywhere for thousands/millions of years isn't natural.

My teacher mentioned to us that when she went through menapause she actually wept for her period back.

Another thing we discussed was how PMS is considered a figment of a women's imagination to the psychology world. I remember reading this last semester and I was appauled..after further discussion today I wish I would have been able to speak up and say that "something that everyone woman feels isn't real.. we just imagine the change in emotions and physical pains.

I think it would be interesting to find out who these doctors are and perhaps, send them a list of all the reasons why this is NATURAL.

when I was in my WST class today I just wanted to tell everyone to read the book CUNT. It's so enlightening and I think my teacher had even read it.. she was saying words and ideas that appeared to come strait from the book.

OH yes.. another interesting point. PMS.. prementral syndrome. Syndrome's are a list of alements to a disease... I guess the word PMS shouldn't really be used any longer because, I dunno bout you, but I'm def not diseased because I menstrate.. What's another word we could call it??

Comments

[tree]

Another thing we discussed was how PMS is considered a figment of a women's imagination to the psychology world

hmm, i don't think that is necessarily accurate. i wrote a paper on pms for one of my psychology classes with a lot of recent documentation.

and here in australia it's mostly referred to as PMT: pre-menstrual tension.

[bonniebon.livejournal.com]

yeah, in the UK its often called PMT, I don't like PMT though because I feel that its more of a syndrome than general tension (tension is just one on a long list of symptoms).

[tree]

i agree that we should try to find a more appropriate name for it.
i generally just say something like my uterus hates me ;)

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure it's having periods that some folks find unnatural, but having periods unceasingly for years. Women in previous generations had more kids. Now many women had zero to none. My mom spent somewhere between 4 1/2 and 6 years, as an adult, not menstruating, as she was either pregnant or in the early stages of nursing. Researchers are just now beginning to look at the effects of women over time on menstruating without a break.

I'm not sure what I think about this, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to take a pill just to avoid menstruation, but it's an interesting idea.

on the cover of cosmo.....

[thebluestar98.livejournal.com]

have your period only when u want it, OR NEVER AT ALL!!!

gee whiz, im the first to admit that the period can be a pain in the arse, but to cut out such a natural part of being a womyn?!?! HA! yea friggin right!

just one more reason to boycott those stupid "women" magazines....

Re: on the cover of cosmo.....

[raticus.livejournal.com]

I agree, My period might be a pain in the ass sometimes, but I could never cut out something that is so naturally ocurring in my female body. My period is a time when I rejoice in my womenhood and treat myself, it makes me sit back and realise I'm not in control of my body so I better treat it right.

Re: on the cover of cosmo.....

[therealocelot.livejournal.com]

For me, my period is a pain in the ass. I get some cramps and uncomfortableness the first few days, and having to wear protection is a pain.

For some people, their period is disabling. For some, it's heavy enough to be a medical problem (causing anemia due to blood loss). Can you really say that this is a natural part of being a women, and they should just stick it out month after month?

Especially considering that (as Mactavish mention) it may *not* be a natural part of life for women to menstruate continually throughout their lives?

my oppinions on the matter

[thebluestar98.livejournal.com]

yes, i agreed with u already, that time of the month is a pain in the ass, cramps suck and so does blood pouring out of u for 5 daze, but it *is* natural.

having disabling periods is a symptom of something wrong im pretty sure, dont ask me for any scientific stuffs to back that up, cos i dont have it, i dont need it, pain is a symptom, pain is not normal.....
ive heard in the natropathic community that even just little cramps are a sign of something slightly our of balance, so for those who cant even get out of bed during their monthly seems like something is really wrong, something *abnormal*, not *unnatural*.

and yes i can say that it is part of being a woman, i happen to have anemia in part because i bleed heavily and in part because im a vege head. but the appropriate steps to take are obvious, eat foods with iron, its still perfectly natural, like drinking more water when youre sick. it has, and always will be something that womyn have to stick through month after month, men have their shit they gotta deal with, we have ours....

im sorry, but u cant tell me that menstrating isnt natural. whats not natural is cars, birth control pills, condoms, concrete... but menstration is.

as for the studies mactavius was speaking of, gimme a break, if for any reason menstrating isnt healthy, its because of how far from nature we as a species have come, from all the pollutants that we live in, breathe in, and eat, not because its unnatural or taxing on a woman.... scientist study any friggin thing imaginable just so they can call it science. have u paid attention to how much trial and error that the scientific community has gone through?!?! my goodness, its really amazing how many lives have been fucked up because of what was thought to be a good thing to do at the moment [i.e. taking childrens thyroids out because they were "large", childrens thyroids ARE just larger, period.... stuff like that, ya know?], but thats a whole different story.

so thats my story morning glory, i hope i havent offended u, i just have strong oppinions about what is considered natural, and cosmo telling me that i can have my period whenever i want it or not at all just gets on my fuckin nerves, those mags are so anti-womyn, its not even funny :P

peace :)

Re: my oppinions on the matter

[quietgrrl.livejournal.com]

i completely agree. obviously having your period is natural and birth control pills are not.
if you're in pain, get closer to nature. people tend to forget that nature takes care of us.

Re: my oppinions on the matter

[thebluestar98.livejournal.com]

not even so much as getting back to nature if youre having pain, that might not always help, but taking care of yourself in what u eat, how much u excercise, getting on a more natural rhythm i guess.

im not saying that pain is unnatural in the sense that latex paint is, im saying its abnormal, a symptom of something....

anywho, nature does take care of us, i completely agree

peace and peaches ;)

Re: my oppinions on the matter

[therealocelot.livejournal.com]

Well, guess we should just get rid of all the doctors and scientists, since nothing they say can possibly be right.

I'm not asking people to take the idea that continual menstruation may not be the way our bodies our intended to work as gospel. However, dismissing it out of hand seems equally silly to accepting it without question.

There are numerous bodily systems which are very beneficial under some (probably the historically average) circumstances, and harmful under others. Fevers, vomiting/diarrhea, tanning and fat storage are some examples. The human body is not perfect. It's adapted to react in a way that is beneficial in the average circumstance, though the reaction may be less helpful, or even harmful, in other circumstances.

Is it so hard to believe that the menstrual cycle might not be similarly coded - to be most beneficial in the average circumstance, where a female is not menstruating continuously for years on end? Is it impossible that monthly hormone fluctuations and tissue generation might have a negative effect in the long run?

Again, I'm not saying just to accept the premise without question. Even if it does prove to be true, it's possible that artificially controlling periods has side effects that outweigh the benefits. However, also consider your reasoning as to why the premise is wrong.

[brandyshea.livejournal.com]

If it causes some women so much pain, I don't see the problem in skipping a period or two. Before I was on birth control I dreaded getting my period, now if I could I would just rather avoid it altogether.

[amylynn.livejournal.com]

i wouldn't say menstruation is *unnatural*... because it obviously is... but, at the same time. bleeding once a month for thirty years or so has got to take a toll on the body, no? most women in the past didn't do that -- they stopped to pop out a kid every once in awhile (like i believe mactavish was saying?).
it's never *wrong* to do a scientific study of something, as long as it doesn't harm any subjects in any way.
also, i find it incredibly presumptous of some people to assume that other women should make the same choices that they have. you like your period? great, wonderful, fantastic. but it's unfair and rather rude to criticize women who don't like it for whatever reason -- whether blood makes them squeamish; whether they're in slight to debilitating pain every month [whoever said that no one should ever be in pain during their period unless there's something out of balance that can be easily fixed, is, well, wrong -- ever heard of a disease called endometriosis? sigh.]; whether they find it inconvenient to be bleeding for, say, a quarter of a thirty-year time span; whether they are anemic [which, by the way, can happen even if you get plenty of iron -- sometimes the blood cells don't absorb it the way they should]; or whether they're just tired of having sore boobs or PMS or any number of other things.
in other words, it's nice to have opinions, but keep them off my body.
-amy

[bonniebon.livejournal.com]

I wouldnt consider menstruating to be a desease, but I do consider sever PMS to be a desease (one I've suffered from for 10 years with little or no improvements) because there is obviously an imbalance or something wrong with the hormonal system for symptoms to become severe.
Personally, I wish these doctors would come up with a cure for PMS (other than bc pills etc.) rather than a cure for menstruation.
I actually like my menses because they make me feel renewed, detoxified, cleansed etc. I wouldn't want to give that up.
The PMS I could live without though for sure.