5 Reasons to Look Forward to Having Your Next Period (via Beat the Syndrome)

I realize from a guy’s standpoint and not knowing what the pain/inconvenience of periods feel like, I assure you just as this author does, that having your period CAN be something you can learn to appreciate. Men, given that we really have little comparison to make between what girls go through during their menstrual cycle, we should be understanding and compassionate. We should be a positive support for our female counterparts. After all, if we’re negative towards a situation, that negativity will only make things worse. Likewise, being positive may influence those around us to feel positively or at the very LEAST, not feel worse. Menstruation is a blessing which nature have gifted us, the ability for our sperm to meet with the female egg to produce a new life. Without menstruation, we would not be alive today. Don’t you owe it to your girlfriend, wife and mother to have some practical knowledge of what menstruation is all about? Such, is the beauty of menstruation.

If you go to Google and ask it what the benefits of having a period are, the results are not as informative as you would think. Many hits lead you to sites that explain how to make the time between each cycle longer. There are many reasons why a woman would want to space out her periods (pain, mood swings, discomfort) but I wonder if this attempt to alter a cycle (if it is regular in the first place) is another method to try and make any references to menstruation disappear.

Perhaps we, as a society, need to focus on promoting the benefits of menstruation instead of always focusing on the negative.

Aside from pregnancy (and some women will argue that that is not necessarily a benefit), what else does the menstrual cycle do to a woman’s body?

1. Guards against Cancer: the shedding of the uterine lining helps stop excess cell division so that these cells do not become malignant/cancerous.
2. Lowers the risk for cardiovascular disease: the menstrual cycle gets rid of excess iron as well as bacteria from the reproductive tract.
3. Slows the aging process: less iron means that there are less “free radicals” in the blood, which increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s.
4. Could prevent other forms of disease: the color, odor, and texture of menstrual blood can reveal signs of developing illness.
5. Improves mood and appearance: “The hormonal recipe that kicks in on or about day three or four triggers a significant improvement in how women feel and look,” says Dr Rebecca Booth, author of The Venus Week: Discover the Powerful Secret of your Cycle…at Any Age.

These are things to celebrate. Yes,  premenstrual symptoms are not always the most delightful things to experience, but the actual act of menstruation is not dirty, or unclean, or demeaning, or shameful. It is a disease-fighting, age-fighting, mood-enhancing marvel.

via Beat the Syndrome