The ‘Us’ in Uterus

If the thought of blood makes you squeamish, skip this one. The television commercials lied to you. Period blood isn't blue. What is often treated as taboo is worthy of scientific inquiry.

My first period arrived in September 2001 when I was twelve years old.

At the time I had limited knowledge of what this meant but my sacred American Girl book, The Care and Keeping of You, offered delicate lessons on feminine hygiene, from flossing my teeth to breast development, exercise, shaving, and even illustrated instructions for inserting a tampon.

It began after I came home from choir practice. The first night I lined my underwear with a stack of toilet paper sheets because my mom was unprepared and didn’t have pads for me. Small acknowledgments were made but little was discussed. Puberty and hormonal changes were not a topic of conversation between my immigrant mother and I.

This event coincided with the week of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. This passage of time was painfully memorable; there are many reasons for me to never forget September 2001.

People don’t tend to openly talk about menstruation more in depth than using euphemisms like it’s “that time of the month”. For regularly cycling women, all parts of the month justify a label, not just the phase of the shedding of uterine lining. Each phase brings shifts in mood, appetite, energy, sleep, and sexual desire. Many women experience disabling fatigue, pain, mood swings, tenderness, and other sensitivities.

Only recently I began to learn about cycle-syncing- the concept of optimizing one’s individual biology to hormonal fluctuations. The bleed, follicular, ovulation and luteal phases have their own rhythms. A mix of gore and glory- the luteal phase is an energy vampire; ovulation is magnetically alluring. The endocrine system is wonderfully enigmatic.

I participated in a study at Mount Sinai on heavy menstrual bleeding, documenting my menstrual cycles in remarkable detail, including the saturation of blood on pads and tampons, the color of the toilet water, and details about my health history like cognitive functioning, mood, anxiety, stress, and dietary intake. I captured 12 months of logged menstrual cycles.

One personal observation is that I’m a certified bloody bougie babe who uses organic cotton, ethically sourced , eco-friendly tampons from brands like Lola and L., produced without synthetics, fragrances or pesticides. L. funds non-profits around the world in support of menstrual health education. I value the importance of social and environmental justice so by supporting this cause others gain access to care while I lose blood.

The final assessment of the study was a blood draw for my ferritin levels- the body’s iron stores. The labs revealed that while I am not anemic, my iron reserves are lower than expected. I am an O positive universal donor so I have periodically donated to the New York Blood Centers. They’re always calling me up like a clingy boyfriend because we’ve had a few dates. We had to break up because my iron levels are too marginal for me to be that charitable with my fluids. Now I eat my steaks rare and combine iron-rich foods with vitamin C for absorption.

Conversations about cholesterol levels and blood pressure are commonplace and not difficult to talk about. Yet one of the most universal experiences affecting half of the population is understudied and concealed. We’ve watched countless fictional murders on television yet advertisers spent decades coloring menses blue.

Let’s open the bathroom door and talk about it.

With careful attention to the female body in all its complexity, there is value in vulnerability, presence, and sharing our lived experiences. Research studies, honest conversations, and contemporary art are modes where we can advance and express what it means to be one of us united in strength and womanhood. That’s the “us” in uterus- it’s more than anatomy, it’s community.

Apps like Apple Health and Moody offer platforms to track menstrual cycles and come with features that log symptoms and chart hormonal shifts. Calessa is a platform that syncs cycles directly into Google Calendar so feminine rhythms align with planning and life goals.

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