By Terra Rafael (formerly Terra Palmarini Richardson), Wisewoman Midwife & Healer

Menstruation - the monthly bleeding  which is part of the cycling of women who are fertile can be more than "the curse" or a "period".  Ayurveda views menstruation as a cleansing time for a woman's body, which benefits it greatly.  It is a time for self healing - if enough energy is devoted to taking care of oneself.  However, in this culture, women are expected to act "the same", no matter what, & her expected duties during the time of bleeding are no different than at any other time.  Partly due to such lack of rest, care & awareness during the menses, many women in our culture experience menstrual problems and other related women's reproductive diseases, such as fibroids, endometriosis, infertility, PID etc.  By nurturing themselves, maintaining energetic balance & avoiding build-up of toxins in the body throughout the cycle women can find less discomfort and, in the long term, less disease.

By bringing awareness & care into the menstrual cycle, women also gain in experience that will serve them if they ever become pregnant.  Excellent nutrition, maintaining energetic balance, nurturing herbs, adequate exercise & rest, relaxation practice -- all serve in both cases.  A woman who has been taught at menarche how to care for herself at that special time is also practicing what she needs to know to take care of herself in pregnancy.  Women who begin using the Wisewoman Steps of Healing to care for themselves in their cycles will feel very at home doing so in their childbearing time. They will also have a healthier & more balanced start because by resting during their periods they will have honored the natural cleansing of menses which will have preserved their reproductive health, both physically and energetically.

    The emotional changes of the cycle also prepare for dealing with pregnancy.  Women who listen to themselves with awareness and care for themselves adequately find that heightened emotional sensitivity is not necessarily a call to bitchiness (although that too can be useful), but is an opportunity to hear themselves more clearly in respect to what in their lives serves them & what does not.  More alone time is a common need that women easily overlook at other times of their lives which may become more pressing during pre-bleeding & pre-birthing.

Women who have experienced the inward, downward pulling of energy during moon bleeding will be familiar with that feeling in its greatly intensified form during labor.  Ayurveda calls this energy the Apana Vayu or Apan Prana. Healthy menstrual practices  help preserve the balance of this key energy for pregnancy & birth.

Those who have experienced menstrual cramps and found ways to come to terms with them will recognize the early labor sensation of the cervix beginning to open as a familiar one, not so scary.  This brings the relaxed familiarity to early labor often considered possible only for those who have already given birth.

The Doshas & the Menstrual Cycle

During the menstrual cycle the energy of a woman may shift considerably.  This is true more for some women than for others.  By considering the possibility that we really aren't the same the whole month and acting & eating accordingly, imbalances may be avoided. Our women's bodies have their own seasons - just as Mother Earth does!

               p. 2 Ayurveda, Menses, Wisewomen

The cycle itself has goes through the three different doshas:

            Ovulation time until bleeding begins is Vata predominant. Apan vayu stimulates ovulation  & degeneration of endometrium. During the premenstrual phase, apana vayu may push kapha, pitta or vata into uterus, creating different types of PMS  - woman becomes emotional depending on predominant dosha.

            Bleeding time is Pitta predominant.

            Between bleeding & ovulation is Kapha predominant. The new endometrium is built, ojas glows through her eyes & lips, love & compassion come more easily, she become sexually active, movement in nipples & clitoris, constantly thinking of her mate.

            Estrogens are necessary to create vaginal bleeding.

            Progesterones are necessary for continuation of pregnancy.                               

Ama & the Menstrual Cycle

Besides the effects of disordered doshas affecting the menstrual period, it may also be affected by excess Ama or toxins built up in the body.   The most common cause of Ama is improper digestion.  In Ayurveda there are cleansing processes available called Pancha Karma to rid the body of built up toxins from incomplete digestion or other causes.  By ridding the body of these excesses the menstrual time, which concerns purification of the woman's body, is not overloaded with its task and can work more easily, in the way Nature intended. Pancha Karma should be undertaken with the help of a trained practitioner.  Ayurvedic practitioners can also recommend herbs & other means for re-kindling the digestive fire which is necessary to proper digestion.

The build up of ama can also be avoided by following these simple dietary practices:

            - Sip plain hot water frequently throughout the day.  This helps the body digest & eliminate ama & metabolic wastes so that your internal balance can be restored & maintained.

            -Eat a full, warm, cooked meal at lunch time, with all the six tastes described by Ayurveda.

            -Take at least twenty minutes to eat, & sit for a few minutes at the end of the meal.

            -Eat a light, early dinner & have only liquids after 8 pm.

            -Leave time for food to digest from last meal before eating any more solid food - about 1hr for fruits, 2hrs for vegetables & grains, 3 hrs for dairy & heavy proteins

            -Sip room temperature or warm water with meals, avoiding dumping a whole glass of liquid into your stomach soon after eating

                                                                                    p. 3 Ayurveda, Menses, Wisewomen

Recommendations for Between Your Moon Bloods

            -Eat according to your dosha, following the ama reducing recommendations

            -Exercise according to your dosha

            -Get enough rest on a regular basis

            -Practice a daily form of turning inward - meditation, contemplation, chanting/singing/drumming, dancing, divination, prayer

            -Use nourishing herbs (red raspberry, nettles, oatstraw) & food supplements (sea weed, bee pollen, etc.) that suit your dosha

 Recommendations for During Your Moon Bloods

 -Take time out for Rest.  Some women ask their bloods to come on the weekends - and that works.  Some women wear special jewelry or clothes to signify they are bleeding to their family & friends, which allows those in their life to give them extra care & extra space.  Some women seclude themselves while they bleed.  Some cut back on work those days.  The investment of time off during bleeding will pay off in more energy to accomplish things during the rest of your cycle.  Women can honor each other when they are bleeding with food, herb teas, massages, taking the kids.

 -Keep your Exercise easy - Avoid strenuous exercise = jogging, jumping, running, riding,inverted hatha yoga poses

 -Let yourself Turn Inward as much of your bleeding time as possible.  The traditional Moon Hut where women secluded themselves during their moon blood was a place where women could be free from daily work & distraction and allow their intuitions & visions to emerge uninterrupted.  Use your favorite help to turn inward - meditation, contemplation, chanting/singing/drumming, dancing, divination, prayer

 -Eat a diet to pacify your doshas,  eating lightly and warmly (no cold drinks or foods)

 -Handle cravings comfortably -if you crave sweets eat healthy sweets or just a little milk chocolate.

 -Shower  with warm, not hot or cold water rather than bathe -- Baths may disturb meridians of the ovaries. deranging Vata, according to Dr. Lad.

 -Avoid vigorous massage especially of head

 -Avoid sexual activity during bleeding time.  Intercourse during menses may create cervical erosion, dysplasia, and cancer, including testicular & prostate cancer.  Low resistance of genital organs during menses means viral infections e.g. herpes may be more easily obtained. Engaging in intercourse creates anti peristaltic movements, disturbing the rhythm of the fallopian tubes.  Intercourse during menses will disturb the direction of apan vayu ( the specific type of Vata energy regulating menstruation, ovulation, urination, & excretion) and may create vata abnormality in women's reproductive system. Western medicine agrees that there may be a connection between intercourse during menses and endometriosis.

 -Use external absorbent pads if possible  - tampons create anti peristaltic movements, disturbing the  rhythm of fallopian tubes & the apana vayu, not to mention the medically acknowledged possibility of toxic shock syndrome if tampons are left in too long.  Feeling the flow coming out may be an experience keyed into our inherited physical well-being, since women have been experiencing it that way since the beginning of womanhood.  Tampons also encourage the idea that we can just act "normal" during our periods without any possible sign that we are bleeding.  Some women use cloth pads, soaking them and then giving their blood directly back to the earth & plants -- or at least their household plants (the plants love it!).  Connecting to the cycle of giving back to the earth is another way to heal menstrually & ecologically.

-Use the Steps of Healing to deal with discomforts that arise - information, environment, energy, nourishment, herbs,  & resorting only when absolutely necessary with drugs or surgery.

Common PMS & Menstrual Symptoms by Dosha   (modified from Lonsdorf, Butler & Brown)

Vata Type

Premenstrual: Nervous tension; mood swings; anxiety , depression; Insomnia; forgetfulness; constipation; abdominal bloating; fatigue

Menstrual:  Pain, cramps, & backache happening before bleeding begins; extended length of period; light amount of flow; dark, clotted flow;lots of thin blood; irregular periods; spotting

Common diagnoses:  endometriosis; dysmenorrhea

Pitta Type

Premenstrual:  Irritability, anger; increased appetite; sugar craving; headache (especially migraine); excessive body heat or sweating, strong smelling sweat; diarrhea or increased bowel movements; skin rashes, acne

Menstrual:  Pain, cramping during bleeding; excessive bleeding; increased frequency of periods; headache

Common diagnoses: Menorrhagia, endometrial hyperplasia, dysfunctional uterine bleeding

Kapha Type (and Ama-related)

Premenstrual:  Weight gain; fluid retention; breast enlargement; lethargy; vaginal yeast infections; slow digestion

Menstrual:  Stiffness in back, joints; pale, mucus like menstrual flow; lots of clots

Common diagnoses:  Fluid retention, fibrocystic breast disease, ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, vaginitis (yeast type)

Premenstrual Syndrome (thanks to Dr. Lad)

Vata PMS         Aggravation of Vata in pelvic cavity stimulates endometrium, myometrium, fallopian tubes & ovaries, creating abnormal movements in ovaries & tubes leading to lower abdominal pain. 

            Blockage in I & II chakras leads to pain & tightness in low back; calf muscle pain; head pain => uterus ; constipation; gases; increased cracking & popping of joints; fatigue; lack of sleep; dry hair/skin/ dry vagina; palpitations; dizziness; tinnitus; bone pain; cranky; sciatica; craves hot drinks ;  migraines

            Cervix cannot dilate when the uterus contracts, leading to clot formation.  Feels relief after scanty menstruation with passage of clots.  Before menstruation all energy moving to dilate the cervix.  Pinhole cervix - apan vayu disorder = deep-seated fear & insecurity in I & II chakra (also leads to delayed labor); craves meat/protein. 

            common in Vata woman or women w/ vatogenic lifestyle, including :  popcorn, beans, frozen food, traveling, jumping, jogging, hitchhiking, hiking, biking, dry milk, cold drinks, coca cola, horror movies, excess sexual activity, masturbation, riding horse or motorbike; Vata season (fall)

Pitta PMS         Caused by P prakriti; P season (summer); P producing diet - grapefruit juice, pungent peppers;lying in the sun; working near fire; repressed emotions of anger, judgment, criticism  (suppressed Pitta emotion is in chakras I & II; apana vayu pushes pitta into uterus); smoking, drinking alcohol

            Estrogen overproduction leading to hot flashes; sensitive or bloodshot eyes; perspiration; nipples sensitive to touch; burning cystitis; urethritis; hand/feet burn; hair loss; gums sensitive; irritable; tightness in solar plexus; aching liver; loose stools; irritable bowel; yellowish vaginal discharge & hot gush of fluid; bruises easily; scanty, interrupted sleep; craves sugar; high colored urine; temporal headache and back ache; critical & judgmental; bites lips; clenches/grinds teeth in sleep; hives; urticaria;; acne; nausea; acid indigestion; intense appetite; migraines

Kapha PMS       Caused by K prakriti; K seasons; K producing diet - watermelon, ice cream

            Kapha is pushed by apan vayu into womb

            Leads to possessiveness, greed, very emotional, fluid retention; breast engorgement; weight gain; breast tenderness; bloated belly; watery eyes; sinus congestion; tightness in chest; low appetite; leucorrhea - may be foul smelling, diagnosed as "yeast infection" or trichomonas; polyuria; excess thirst; lethargic; sleepy; drowsy; craves salt or hot, spicy food; swollen lymphatic glands -inguinal lymph node

Mixed PMS       Feel pulse; count number of V/P/K symptoms then

            -determine which dosha was aggravated first & treat that one OR

            -treat most complicated problem first then treat underlying, chronically involved dosha

TREATMENT OF PMS (thanks to Dr. Lad)

Vata PMS        

                        -Vata pacifying diet

                        -Oil massage w/ warm sesame oil

                        -or tub baths w/ 1/3 cup baking soda and 1/3 cup powdered ginger

            This will relieve 50 % of symptoms.

                        -1 cup warm sesame oil basti retained 10 min, then 1 pint Dasha mula tea (1                                  tbs./pt) give in Vata time (early morning/ evening)

            This will relieve  75% of symptoms.

            sama - if tongue is coated - triphala guggulu  200 mg tid, 5 min before food

            (medicine before meal acts on womb; after meals on lungs; between meals on stomach &               intestines)

            if tongue clears go to nirama regime

            nirama - if tongue clear- yogaraj guggulu 200 mg bid before lunch & dinner

            If she is very skinny & tiny          -ashwagandha 500 mg

                                                            bala 500 mg

                                                            vidari  500 mg

                        in a tea of equal parts(1/3 tsp.) chamomile, comfrey & angelica??? 2 X day

            Severe cramps & lower abdominal pain - Hot castor oil compress to lower abdomen

                        If pain is not relieved by this - garlic tea :  1 cup hot water w/ chopped 1 clove         garlic, 1/2 tsp. cumin,  1/2 tsp. cinnamon

            Insomnia - Jatamansi ( or valerian) : chamomile: skullcap tea in equal proportions, steeped

                        -Almond drink - 10 almonds soaked 12 hours, peel, blend with 1 cup hot cows        milk & pinch of ginger, cardamom, saffron, and 1 tsp. ghee - "She will sleep like a buffalo."

Gem elixirs & flower essences for Vata PMS:

            Ruby, Blue sapphire, yellow sapphire

            Rose, lotus, marigold (good for womb), red hibiscus

            Wear yellow sapphire (2.5 carrot) in gold on right index finger or in pierced ear wear             yellow sapphire or ruby

Sleep position - with head east, feet west on right side to open Ida.  If very cold, sleep on left side.

                                                                                    P. 6 Ayurveda, Menses, Wisewomen

PITTA PMS

            Massage w/ sunflower/coconut oil with chandana (sandalwood)

            Lukewarm shower

Treating Pitta PMS cont.

            Pitta pacifying diet

            Shatavari 500 mg, Guduchi 500 mg, Tikta  200 mg  tid

            During PMS - aloe vera gel 1 tbs. w/ pinch black pepper tid/bid

            Triphala or amla - 1 tsp. with warm water before bed

            (2 drops chandana oil in umbilicus relieves P instantly)

            Blue Hibiscus Tea

            Cumin Coriander & Fennel tea

            Coconut oil applied to soles of feet

            Urethritis sandalwood rose tea - rose 1 tsp., chandana(sandalwood) 1 tsp., coriander 1 tsp.

            Sensitive nipples/breasts gently apply 1 tsp. coconut oil w/ 5 drops chandana (sandalwood)                         oil

Pitta reducing Gem elixirs -

            pearl, amethyst, blue sapphire, red coral and sapphire

            Wear silver ring w/ pearl, red coral on pinkie /ring finger on left hand, or necklace w/ pearl.

Sleep position - sleep with head west, feet east on right side 

KAPHA PMS

            K pacifying diet

            Punarnavadi guggulu 200 mg bid/tid 10 mins before lunch & dinner

            Chandraprabha 200 mg bid after food

            Snehan svedam - sesame oil to whole body & ginger/baking soda bath

            Vaman - 1 pt licorice tea ( 3 tbs. / pint), tickle tongue - vomit

                        or licorice tea to drink

            Calamus root 1/2 tsp. steep in glass overnight, strain, take 6 sips daily

            Trikatu tincture

            Surya Namaskar - sun salutations

            Fluid retention Punanarva  1/2 tsp. bid w/ water   

            Swollen breasts  warm castor oil, gentle massage, warm shower on breasts

Gem elixirs for reducing Kapha- copper , gold 5 drops; amethyst, ruby, quartz crystal.

ASANAS FOR PMS

VATA    Chest-knee pose; cobra; leg lift; plow - halasana; camel; spinal twist; kulcatasana?? crossed leg toe balance

PITTA   Hidden lotus; elevated lotus; supta vajrasan; fish; boat

KAPHA             Bhadrasan; akarna Dhanuraran I ??; shooting bow; go mudih asana; bow pose; walking tree pose - walking on toes

            Kapha w/Tender breasts - lion pose                    

                                                                                    P. 7  Ayurveda, Menses, Wisewomen

Dysmenorrhea (thanks to Dr. Lad)

Dysmenorrhea = pain before/during/after menses

Vata = spasm = spasmodic dysmenorrhea

Pitta = inflamed endometrium = congestive dysmenorrhea

Kapha = congested myometrium  =  congestive dysmenorrhea

VATA : Spasmodic Dysmenorrhea

            Tightness of wall of uterus, spasm of cervix, with more pain before onset, relieved when clots are passed.

            Due to   1. retroverted uterus

                        2. lumbar scoliosis, disalignment of lumbar spine

                        3.  displacement of the pelvic girdle

                        4. sacrum displaced

                        5.  constipation

                        6.  hemorrhoids

                        7. Lumbosacral arthritis

            Vatogenic lifestyle aggravates Vata in  colon, which pushed to recto uterine ligaments

Congestive Dysmenorrhea: PITTA type

            Endometrium has increased vascularity.  More pain during bleeding phase.  Pain stops when bleeding stops.  Pain, tenderness in lower abdomen; profuse vaginal bleeding; burning hands & feet; yellowish water gushes out

Congestive Dysmenorrhea: KAPHA type

            Whitish curdy discharge, cervix congested; myometrium congested; cystic ovaries.

Kapha & Pitta type:UTERINE FIBROID may follow untreated congestive dysmenorrhea

            Cysts & fibroids can go together.

            May feel fibroid in supra pubic area but often may not be found except by ultrasound view.

            Pain & profuse menses if pitta provoked.

            Less profuse if K is provoked, less pain.  Ovarian cyst & fibroid = involvement of Kapha

            Abortion weakens endometrial wall.   The Vata pushes K & P there to create fibroid ( 6 months to 1 year)  Localized tumor of myometrium

            Fibroid tumor causes dysmenorrhea - for differential diagnosis - feel pulse, check when pain starts.

            Pseudo pregnancy - starts w/ dream sex.  Kapha type fibroid uterus may mimic early pregnancy - check for fetal ballotement and fetal heart - if absent, possibly fibroid/pseudo pregnancy.

Treatment of Vata Dysmenorrhea

            Douche w/ Dasha mula tea - 1 tbs. ( A: 1 tsp.)/ 1 pt & 1/2 cup warm sesame oil

            Warm Castor oil pack to lower abdomen

            Maha Yogaraj guggulu bid

            Dashamula basti w/ warm sesame oil

            Copper ring on 2nd toe, both legs

Treatment of Pitta Dysmenorrhea

            Aloe vera gel 2 tbs. & pinch black pepper orally bid

            Shatavari 500 mg, Manjista 200 mg, & Tikta 200 mg  -  tid or bid

            Silver ring on 2nd toe

                                                                                    P. 8 Ayurveda, Menses, Wisewomen

Treatment of Kapha Dysmenorrhea

            Triphala tea douche

            Warm Castor oil pack to lower abdomen

            Aroggavardhini 200 mg bid ( can continue 1 month) & Chandra Prabha  200 mg bid

            Copper ring on 2nd toe, both legs

Effect of Dysmenorrhea on Agni according to Dr. Lad

            Any disease first manifests into the astral body (emotional).  Many people don't know how to deal w/emotions & suppress/control/run away.  Unresolved emotions are stored up like tape recordings of every experience in the chakras.  Experiences of past lives are recorded in the brain.  Temporal experience is always limited.  Emotions accumulate in chakras and are the cause of most gynecological problems due to blockage in I, II Chakras so that prana doesn't move to the respective organ.

            Chakra I = survival, groundedness, security

            Chakra II = sensual experience, sensual expression, lovemaking, spleen, lymphatic, adrenal, kidney, bladder   Chakra II constantly influences chakra III

            Chakra III - Agni, self power, control, ambition, achievement, pancreas, duodenum, stomach, liver, gallbladder, gastrointestinal system.             (Agni = digestion, absorption, assimilation, metabolism)

Therefore dysmenorrhea, dysfunctional uterine bleeding may influence agni.  The dosha which is accumulated in the womb reflexly affects agni.  Agni is bombarded by the dosha from the womb.

Amenorrhea

No menstrual periods.

Causes:

            Pregnancy                                                         no treatment is

            After menopause                                                necessary for these

            Anemia - treat anemia

            Tuberculosis - treat TB

            Too much exercise - reduce exercise

            Too much traveling increases Vata - stop traveling

            Prolonged fasting - stop fasting, restore body

            Lactation

            Hormonal imbalances 

Pregnancy test

            Take 2 tbs. honey at night.  If that creates cramps in 90 minutes there is conception.

            If no cramps, no conception.Try for 3 days.  Then eat no more honey if you want a child.

            Continue honey & take trikatu for the scraping action (organic curettage) will not allow conception.

            Don't take honey during pregnancy or if endeavoring to have conception - honey prevents implantation within first month ( does not prevent conception, just implantation)    

                                                                                    P. 9 Ayurveda, Menses, Wisewomen

Treating anemia

            chlorophyll with iron, B12, raisins, currants, beet juice, carrot juice

            Abrak  (mica) bhasma 50 mg with ghee

            nettles infusion, Herbal Iron or Floradex liquid (made from foods & herbs)

Treating TB  -see a practitioner

Treating too much exercise

            Stop excessive exercise; Almond drink, cashew drink; Massage

Treating amenorrhea due to traveling

Stay still; Oil massage; Meditate

Jatamamsi   500 mg, Bala    500 mg, Trikatu  100  mg         all bid orally

Treating amenorrhea due to fasting

break fast; eat regular diet; treat for Vata disorder

Treating amenorrhea due to lactation

wean when menstruation is desired; Shatavari, guduchi & carrot seed

Treating amenorrhea due to hormonal imbalance

Carrot seed - good source of estrogen, will induce menses

Sources & More information:  Notes from Dr. Lad's lecture on Ayurvedic Gynecology

Lonsdorf, Butler, & Brown A Woman's Best Medicine - Health, Happiness & Long Life Through Ayur-Veda.

Dr. David Frawley, Ayurvedic Healing

Sarasvati Buhrman, lectures

Menstrual Sutras

Menses is women's vulnerability & women's power.  Deny neither.

Denying menstrual needs leads to disease and disempowerment of women.

Honoring menarche honors the new woman & all of womanhood.

Menses is women's natural monthly cleanse.  By rest, appropriate eating, and supporting the downward energy this purpose if fulfilled.  By ignoring or suppressing it, disease is created.

Outward rest at menses allows intuition & inward creativity to emerge.

The openness of menses deserves the protection of seclusion & rest, rather than secrecy & shame.

Menses is the time of giving birth to ourselves-respecting it is respecting ourselves.

Wise self care throughout fertility cycles allows for healthy menses.

Ease of menses is a sign of overall balance and health.

Women's cycles were commonly entrained to the moon & the tribe before artificial lights and isolating nuclear families.

Moving downward energy of the body - allow it, maintain it.

Moving downward energy of menses - respect it.

Moving downward energy of childbirth - be it.

The health of the woman & the womb promotes the life long health of the offspring.

Self care through fertility cycles, allows more graceful giving birth when it is time & more graceful entering into menopause when it is time.

 Conscious Menses Cycles, Conscious Childbirth

I don't really remember when my moon bloods began.  When I was in 6th grade all the girls were brought to the gymnasium to watch a movie.  Mothers were invited.  No boys or men were allowed.  It was a cartoon, "tastefully" done by Walt Disney but it wasn't very funny and no on sang songs -- "The Story of Menstruation."  We watched dutifully and took home booklets that reiterated the plot, with illustrations straight from the movie.  My mother asked if I had any questions.  I felt I was not to mention this whole thing to my friends who were boys--they were not allowed in the room to watch the movie with us.  This was my initiation into womanhood.

In 7th grade, I decided I had to start acting like a girl instead of a tomboy.  My next menstrual remembrance was as a 10th grader who had a gymnastics meet -- and my period.  I locked myself in the bathroom and tried for an hour to get a tampon into by vagina.  "Tampax" was the only kind available in those days and my mom used super sized ones after having five kids.  Mom offered to help but I was too embarrassed, so embarrassed that I gave up and wore a pad under my leotard.

Since before she was three years old my daughter noticed when I had my moon blood.  She knew early that when she becomes a woman she will have moon bloods too and that it means that she could grow a baby in her.  One day, she was singing one of her hundreds of variations of "Mary has a little lamb.."  It was "Mary has her moon blood."  At age 7 1/2 she said," Some women call their moon blood their period, so it doesn't sound so gross."  She looks forward to her initiation into womanhood and knows about it as a matter of fact.

Its interesting how I can still get, as feminist comedian Kate Clinton puts it, "menstrual amnesia."  I'll start feeling off, more tired, cry easily, cranky, poor digestion and then achey in my lower abdomen.  Suddenly I realize -- it's time for my moon blood!  Once that bloods starts flowing freely my cramping is better.  When I take space and time in my life for the increased sensitivity and do what feels good for me I feel nourished.  When I try to ignore it and go on as though I am no different at this time, I end up feeling out of touch and unfulfilled.

My moons have been quite regular, about 28 days apart and last 5 days, medium the second and third days and light the others.  (To me medium means I change my pad 3-4 times a day and light is 1-2 times). The last couple of years they are becoming more irregular, which is common with approaching premenopause. Many months I began marking ahead in my calendar when my moon bloods might appear.  It feels comfortable to include it more as part of my life plan, to honor my fertility and myself.  Using reusable cloth pads puts me into direct relationship with my blood.  I can give my blood to plants, to the EArth.  In some myths, the amount of women's blood given to the earth offsets the need for the blood of war & violence to be shed on her.  I also acknowledge my bleeding time to my friends & family by wearing a special gown the first days.  It signals my inner focus, my need for rest & solitude, and my altered psychic state.  I've found this state to be similar to the altered state of going into & being in  labor.  By practicing it myself each month it makes it easier to encourage & protect it in laboring women.

Then there is egg time -- no, I don't mean Easter!  It's the more subtle turn of the fertility dance, those few days each moon when you have an egg available for joining with Mr. Sperm  and your body often does what it can to encourage such a meeting to occur.

For several years I used the Ovulation Method of birth control.  I checked my cervical mucous daily to determine if it was stretchy (fertile) or not.  Since my cycle was always quite regular, I never got into taking Basal Body Temperature also.  You do literally "get hot" when you are fertile.  And the fertile mucous produced at that time stretches to form a little Stairway to Heaven for the  sperm who may come to call in your yoni.  For me this fertile period lasted 3 days.

Someimes, when not being do distracted by the outside world too much, I notice my egg time by my bodily sensations.  I often do feel hotter all over my body.  I feel juicier.  I often have sexy dreams and feel sexually turned on quite easily.  I also notice I get POS - PreOvulatory Syndrome - emotionally more labile, less energy for digestion.  Sometimes I notice an ovary being tender for several hours.  Do you notice your egg time?

            Since I have become more aware of the changes of my menstrual cycle, I have begun talking with women about how being aware in that cycle can be excellent preparation for childbearing. 

            For many women the premenstrual time is a time for extra concentration on self care, just as the case during pregnancy.  Excellent nutrition, nurturing herbs, adequate exercise & rest, relaxation practice -- all serve in both cases.  A woman who has grown up respecting & looking forward to her future as a fertile woman will have a different attitude towards her ripening pregnant body than a woman who learned to be ashamed of her cycles.  A woman who has been taught at menarche how to care for herself at that special time is also practicing what she needs to know to take care of herself in pregnancy.

            In the U.S. culture women are encouraged to pretend to the world that they don't have periods.  Tampons hide the blood and the odor and even waylay that primal sensation of blood dripping through the yoni onto a pad.  They are touted as giving women freedom to do things during their period as though they weren't bleeding (like men or girls).  This cultural denial of women's cycles has even been promoted at some turns by feminists -- since being like a man is the cultural norm, well then, women can be normal too by not having cycles.  Yet denying women's cycles denies one of our core processes as women, creating a shaming situation.  Ancient wisdom of many cultures included a time of separation for women which allowed them time to rest and go inward when they bled. This promoted both physical and emotional health.

            In the same way the U.S. culture today most commonly encourages women to act as though they are not really pregnant.  They continue working the same, doing sports the same, and eating (hardly anything) the same.  It's as though a little basketball is placed under the shirt.  Then of course it is convenient to have someone else inchharge of the baby coming out.  Preferably without unnecessary pain.  This attitude closely parallels the attitude towards menses which has been practiced month in and month out.

            The emotional changes of the cycle also prepare for dealing with pregnancy.  Women who listen to  themselves with awareness and care for themselves adequately find that heightened emotional sensitivity is not necessarily a call to bitchiness (although that too can be useful), but is an opportunity to hear themselves more clearly in respect to what in their lives serves them & what does not.  More alone time is a common need that women easily overlook at other times of their lives which may become more pressing during pre-bleeding & pre-birthing.

            Women who have experienced the inward, downward pulling of energy during moon bleeding will be familiar with that feeling in its greatly intensified form during labor.  To me it is a calling me home to my body & Mother Earth.  During pregnancy, doing practices which bring us into our bodies helps smooth that process for the birth itself. 

             Those who have experienced menstrual cramps and found ways to come to terms with them will recognize the early labor sensation of the cervix beginning to open as a familiar one, not so scary; a coming home again.  I often tell women that labor is like having a really big period -- and in many ways it is.  This brings the relaxed familiarity to early labor that in our culture is thought reserved only for those who have already given birth.  I believe it may also shorten the potential length of labor.  Women who have been taught to rush to pills and other pain relief for their monthly cycle than to use self-care modalities have been effectively trained to  use drugs to allay their labor pains.  Those women may need help reclaiming their cycle sensations, even during pregnancy, to help them avoid this unconscious programming.

            Once a woman is already pregnant she cannot (usually) have the menstrual opportunity again before laboring.  However, we can talk about her bleedings in this perspective and draw on the knowledge that is in her body already to comfort her mind & emotions regarding giving birth.  We can also encourage all women to become aware in their moonblood cycling to develop this natural resource in womankind for the use of our friends & daughters.