As I’m writing this, today is national Women’s Day, which somehow seems ironic when we’re so often treated like second class citizens. March is also Endometriosis Awareness month, which is one reason why the subject has been on my mind. This morning I was having a chat with a friend about contraception and it made me really angry that its so normal for women to be prescribed synthetic hormones to mask or interrupt their own hormonal cycles. This may be for birth control, or to “regulate” periods and PMS symptoms, or to “ease” the pain of endometriosis, or to “help” PCOS, or to get rid of acne, etc. And this is often without exploration of the underlying cause of these diseases or symptoms, and without explaining the impact on our bodies of the cessation of our natural hormonal cycle.
It also amazes and frightens me how many women think it is “normal” to have painful periods, heavy bleeding, clots, etc. This is not normal. Yes it is common, and it is often dismissed as “normal”, but it is a sign that our body has underlying problems that need to be addressed. Continue Reading →