Just browsed at the excerpt you had posted in MUM (haven't read their book). Some questions come to mind.
The good doctors mention that delaying menarche in young girls has no other health effects. Why, then, have doctors and scientists told us for years that menstruation increases bone density, and that young girls who have delayed menarche (ice skaters, gymnasts, etc.) are at higher risk for osteoporosis?
Also, their suggestion of women taking oral contraceptives to avoid menstruation is also a bit ill-advised. Women taking oral contraceptives are known to be at higher risk for blood clots, particularly women who smoke, or women with auto-immune diseases (such as lupus or multiple sclerosis).
I know you have nothing to do with this book, and are not responsible for the information contained therein, but I just wanted to dash off a few thoughts while they were fresh in my mind.
Keep up the great work on the museum!
Hi, Harry,
I want to tell you about my Web site: www.goddessmoons.com
I just started a small business with my sister Carol Witt called "Goddess Moons Eco Products." We hand make washable, reusable menstrual pads/incontinence garments. Ours differ from most of the competition in that the TOP layer is removable and replaceable throughout the day and has very little bulk. Our site is temporary and will be much larger and include pictures, links, etc. soon. Our domain name will remain the same though. I would be honoured and grateful to be listed in your links page!
Thanks,
Suzanne Rouse
Hello,
I use The Keeper and it's great! I also use Gladrags. Gladrags are shaped like the Always pads but with snaps. They are very good quality. They have saved me so much money. I will never go back to disposeables, which are toxic and unsafe. Years ago I had a thought. They had washable diapers for babies, so why not washable pads for women? And a year later I discovered Gladrads and The Keeper. I'm very happy with my new system. And it's better for the environment, too.
Sincerely,
Janet [Janet suggested I use her name.]
I just have to say WOW!!! Your site is so interesting. At first I thought it was a little bizarre but I ended up spending hours just browsing your huge collection of artifacts. I am a nursing student and find all of this info very interesting. I am young and now realize truly how blessed I am to have modern convenience. I will surely tell others about this site.
Keep up the great work!!!
Hi,
I am 34 years old and am still learning about my cycles/moon. You're right about school tours, but having been a home schooler, public schooler, and now an unschooler, your best bet is with the unschoolers.
I have four daughters, aged from 5 to 12. They need to know how lucky they are in this day and age. As for me, I was horrified at the old products. [See what Montgomery Ward offered in 1924, and the Sears catalog in 1946.]
I'll count my lucky stars now.
As for adults, this information has to get out there. Women have had the wool pulled over their eyes by the medical community. I would absolutely hate to see it go there . I always thought it would be nice to have a few New-Age menstrual huts [here's an old-age hut in Hawaii] around, so you could sit, read, eat, possibly do arts and crafts, and be with others (women) who were at the same level of understanding. A place of renewal.
Author unknown [of the following poem], unfortunately . . . .
>^..^<
A kitten's prayer
Now I lay me down to sleep,
The king-size bed is soft and deep.
I sleep right in the center groove
My human cannot hardly move!
I've trapped her legs, she's tucked in tight
And here is where I pass the night
No one disturbs me or dares intrude
Till morning comes and "I want food!"
I sneak up slowly to begin
my nibbles on my human's chin.
She wakes up quickly,
I have sharp teeth
And my claws I will unsheathe
So thank you Lord for giving me
This human person that I see.
The one who hugs me and holds me tight
And sacrifices her bed at night!
Please, may I post a letter on your letter page?
I'm researching a documentary for the BBC [British Broadcasting Corporation] about menstruation - myths and facts and blessing or curse.
I have much information about the curse and prejudice but I am finding scant information about the blessing! I was thrilled to find medical information linking surgery for breast cancer and the menstrual cycle and the New Scientist report about differing medication levels required during the 28-day cycle, and the research about eating requirements differing during the cycle etc., but I want to hear from women who have evidence of the cycle as a blessing, for example, artists, writers, etc., who are at their most creative whilst menstruating.
I also want to meet women who practice menstrual seclusion, as with menstrual huts of the past [and of the present; women still use menstrual huts].
And anything and everything to do with research into menstruation.
Next week I am interviewing Mr Peter Redgrove and Penelope Shuttle who wrote the first book on menstruation that offered positive information, The Wise Wound, 1978. I am very excited about asking many questions resulting from the book. If you have any questions for them pertaining to the book or their second book, Alchemy for Women, about the dream cycle corresponding to the menstrual cycle, I would be delighted to forward them to them on your behalf. They are not on the net so any questions would have to have addresses!
Thank you so much for this glorious Web site [many thanks to you for saying that!] and I look forward to hearing from visitors to your site.
Ali Kedge.
ali@shortkedge.freeserve.co.uk or fflic.zip@business.ntl.com
Irregular menses identify women at high risk for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which exists in 6-10% of women of reproductive age. PCOS is a major cause of infertility and is linked to diabetes.