Reclaiming Your Menstrual Cycle As Your Superpower

Feb 2

How many of us womxn have been taught to hate our menstrual cycle, especially our periods?

At school, or at least in the US, they teach you a little about sexual maturation and reproduction in biology class followed by a lot of giggles and awkward moments as well as Sex Ed in P.E. class or some other elective if you’re “lucky”. The information is very superficial, they pressure abstinence, and NO ONE talks about how the menstrual cycle works. All they mention is that at some point adolescent girls will get their period and end of story.

As time goes on, women are taught by our patriarchal society that periods are gross, they suck, it’s normal to have lots of period pain and that as a result being a woman sucks. Long gone are the rites of passage when a woman gets her first menarche in which important women in a girl’s life shares their female wisdom. Instead most moms shove a box of pads at their daughter and tell them to hope for the best.

No one teaches their daughters the mystery and magic of being a woman— that the menstrual cycle unlocks a whole new set of creative energies that can be very powerful and transformative.

I recommend you read my previous posts How the menstrual cycle works and 7 signs of a healthy period first so that you understand the hormonal changes that occur during your cycle and what’s normal and what’s not.

OUr Menstrual Cycle is our Superpower

My goal is to reframe the menstrual cycle as women’s superpower and not something that we should be ashamed of or hate. Here are a few thoughts I have about the menstrual cycle:

It is our fifth vital sign. Problems with the period and the menstruation cycle in general mean that there is a hormonal imbalance that should not be ignored.
Regular ovulation reflects good female health. Physically speaking, ovulation is the most important event in the cycle because it’s the only way women can produce progesterone, which is our calming female sex hormone that helps balance out estrogen.
The menstrual cycle helps us to be more creative, productive, and powerful.
The menstrual cycle reflects our cyclical nature. Women are connected to the rhythms and cycles of nature and our menstrual cycle is a physical reflection of that.
The body is always working for us, not against us.
Without periods we wouldn’t exist! As women, we have learned that periods are a burden that women have to suffer. Well, I’m here to tell you that it is NOT normal to suffer during the period or the premenstrual phase. I want us to change our mentality about periods and the menstrual cycle, that it is not a pain in the ass and it is not just to have babies. If we embrace our cyclical nature and work with the unique energies of each phase we can access our superpowers. The belief that women are crazy, especially before menstruation comes from the ancient Greek philosopher Plato who believed that hysteria was caused by a mourning womb when a woman was not carrying a baby. We now know that hormonal changes during menstruation cause changes to the brain which affect our creativity and productivity, and synchronizing our lives with these hormonal changes can be our superpower.

Womxn are cyclical by nature

The menstrual cycle can be broken down into four cycles: the folicular, ovulatory, luteal and menstrual which have traditionally correlated with the four seasons, lunar cycles and four major female archetypes: the Maiden/ Virgen, the Mother, the Enchantress and the Wise Woman/ Crone. An archetype is a typical character, action, or situation that appears to represent universal patterns of human nature. Each of these phases has a unique energy that women can work with to increase their productivity and creativity.

Unfortunately, we live in a male-dominated society that’s more linear in nature and requires a do, do, do mentality. Women’s cyclical nature causes ebbs and flow in energy levels and creativity that are often discordant with the male-oriented way of doing things that can cause hormonal, energetic and spiritual imbalances. For example, many women suffer from burn out thinking that they have to do it all and be everything to everyone which can result in fatigue, depression, low libido, PMS and a loss of connection to herself. Learning about the four female archetypes as they relate to the four phases of the menstrual cycle can help womxn have more ease and flow in their lives.

What is creativity?

Creativity is much more than creating a work of art or having kids. Other types of creativity include:

Problem solving
Self expression- clothes, way of talking, way of being and living, etc
Way of thinking and looking at the world
Relationships
Psychic abilities
Art in all of its forms
Ability to create opportunities (jobs, networking, travel, adventures, etc)
Decorating your home and gardening
Cooking

The Four Phases of the Menstrual Cycle

There are many ways to track your cycle today thanks to modern technology. There are mobile apps in which you enter data such as when the period begins, menstrual and cervical flow, symptoms such as cramps, fatigue, libido, etc. and body temperature. It is a good way to be aware of some patterns and to know when your fertile window is. I recommend these apps for women who do not take hormonal contraceptives, are looking to conceive or just want to get to know their cycle and hormones better. These apps are also great for tracking patterns and seeing if something is awry or pinpointing diet and lifestyle factors that could have negative effects on your hormones like poor sleep, stress, lack of exercise, etc.

Another way is to write everything on a paper that you can download from the internet. Google Fertility Awareness Method cycle tracking sheets and you will find downloadable documents you can easily print and fill out. Day 1 is the first day of the period and every day you mark the menstrual or cervical flow, the basal temperature that you take before getting up and when you see a temperature peak of around 0.3ºC for at least 3 days in a row you know that you have ovulated . Many women like the ritual of writing everything on paper and creates a good visual representation as you can see in the image. You can even get real fancy and color code your menstrual phases.

Another way is called Moon Dial that was created by the author of the book "The Red Moon" Miranda Gray. On a piece of paper you draw a circle with lines that represents each day of the menstrual cycle like pizza slices. In each triangle you write down the day of the cycle, the date, the phase of the moon and your state of mind and any other observation that you want to write down such as your energy level, dreams, health and sexuality. You can also paint with four different colors to mark the different phases of the cycle. Pinterest also has a lot of other ideas and inspiration so let your imagination run wild!

I know that traditional paper methods take longer to do, but it is worth it because it is therapeutic and a very good way to get to know your cycle.

Benefits of Tracking your Cycle

Better knowledge of your body and cyclical nature
More self care
More mindfulness about your emotions and physical symptoms and how to take care of yourself
Better understanding of when to be productive
Empowerment
Appreciation for your menstrual cycle
Better understanding of women’s cyclical nature and how to flow more in your life

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my periods are irregular or I have PCOS?
You can still track your cycle although some fases, particularly the folicular phase, will be longer than most women’s and that’s ok! The importance is building awareness around your cycle and shifting energies.
For women who are postpartum and have not begun cycling again, you can track the phases of the moon when you are ready to step out of adopting a predominantly Mother archetype to start to shift your energy back towards the cyclical nature of the menstrual cycle.
What if I’m in menopause or have had a hysterectomy?
You can still track your cycle by tracking the lunar cycles and work with the energies that are associated with that lunar phase.
What if I’m on hormonal birth control and therefore don’t ovulate or produce hormones cyclically?
You can still track your cycles according to the lunar cycles if you wish.
Can transgender women work with these archetypes?
Yes of course! Although these archetypes are female, anyone can embrace them or work with them regardless of sex or gender.

How to take advantage of your cyclical nature

Understand and appreciate the hormonal and energetic changes that occur in every phase.
Maintain a positive attitude about your cycle, especially during the premenstrual and menstrual phases.
Accept your cyclical nature as a woman.
Express your feelings, thoughts, creativity and desires freely.
Instead of judging yourself, reflect.
Start to organize your life around your cycle.
Write down your experiences and observations during your cycle and notice any patterns.