Thoughts on Mensruation

It's hard not to hate those 4 or 5 days once a lunar cycle - the cramping, bloating, breakouts - it's not a fun time for most of us. And with all the new fancy birth control pills, patches and shots, it's easy to feel like pharmaceuticals aren't the obvious answer. They've got some pills that'll relieve cramping and acne, others that'll let you bleed only three times a year, and shots that'll stop your period all together. And let me tell you, there's something to be said for that convenience. BUT (you knew it was coming), while I am the last person who lets herself be defined in terms of her genital organs, I just have to question a pill or injection that stops or changes the very thing that makes me a woman.
About a year ago, I stopped taking Demulen 30. Now, anyone who knows the birth control world knows this is quite a strong one - this is because my body, as it turns out, is pretty stubborn when it comes to it's natural rhythm. I have also been on Diane and Ortho TriCyclin. I took them for cramping and acne, and, of course, for protection against pregnancy. And while I think every woman should have access to birth control, I stopped taking them because I was getting a little worried about all the new possible long-term effects that were appearing in newspapers. For example, what exactly are the effects of only having three or four periods a year? The answer: no one knows. But what we do know is that women's uterus's have been functioning on a lunar, or 28-day, calendar for as far back as we know. Somehow, changing that with pharmaceuticals just doesn't seem right to me. Besides that there are other risks, including blood clots, an increased risk of breast cancer, and depression. We're also starting to see the effects of birth control in the increased amount of hormones found in water, which enter via human waste. The result is an imbalance of the female-to-male ratio of aquatic offspring.
Regardless, all women have the right to access to birth control and to make the choice of whether pharmaceutical birth control is right for them. But I urge you, and your daughters, to reconcile yourselves with your uterus's, and embrace your bodily rhythms. We do something that no one else can and that's something to flaunt, not stifle.