Why is it important to know my body?
If you don’t know how your body works, who will? How will youexplain to your doctor or health care provider (HCP) what your symptoms and concerns are without knowing what your body looks like or how it works? How can you tell your boyfriend or girlfriend what feels good? How will you know if you should get checked for an STD if you don’t know what’s normal or not normal for your body? Before you let an HCP, boyfriend, or girlfriend touch you, examine your own body and look at it without any shame–it’s yours after all.

What is the VULVA?
The vulva are the female genitals that are between the legs on the outside of the body. The vulva is the area where our outer lips (labia majora), inner lips (labia minora), the tip of our clitoris, and the urinary and vaginal openings are located. People often say  vagina when they are referring to the vulva.

Why do women hate getting their period?
Having your period can be a drag for some women. You have toweara pad or tampon and many women get cramps, headaches, or feel lousy. But sometimes we hate our periods because we’re told we should. We might fear that people know when we’re menstruating or we’ve been told we can’t do certain things when we have our periods. Some of us are even told our period is dirty. Getting your period is not a bad or horrible thing. It’s a beautiful thing your body does to take care of itself. During your period, cherish your body by taking warm baths, drinking warm liquids, stretching and exercising.

Some slang terms for menstruation include:
• My moon
• Riding the cotton pony
• On the rag
• Riding the crimson wave
• My friend this month
• Time of the month

During your period, you might want to stay away from foods that are:
• High in salt because it may make you retain water or feel bloated.
• High in sugar like sodas, cookies, and donuts. Sugar wears you out and leaves you with low energy.
• High in caffeine like coffee, chocolate, and sodas. Some teas have caffeine too, somake sure to check. Caffeine can make cramping worse.

Stuff to do to keep your body feeling good:
• Exercise.
• Drink lots of water.
• Eat fruits and vegetables, beans, lean meat, and whole grains.
• Find healthier substitutions, for example you can try eating fruit or sugar free products instead of eating a donut.
• Don’t deprive yourself. If you really want that piece of chocolate then have some, just don’t binge on the stuff.

Web Resources:

MUM
http://www.mum.org/director.htm
Museum of Menstruation and Women’s Health
This site has lots of information on menstruation, including links and a long list of books related to the topic.

ONLINE BLEED
http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~ejack/bleed.htm
Online Bleed All Women Do It, Too
Few Celebrate It.

SCARLETEEN
www.scarleteen.com
“Sex education for the real world”

BLOODSISTERS
www.bloodsisters.org
“when the private becomes public.”
A good site for re-useable menstruation products.

I have never told you this before but I miss the times I used to call
you mine
The sugarcoated world that carried our bumpy ride
Our lows and highs filled with tricks and rides
It was all a game where your arms filled me with curiosity and your
lips with warmth
You took my strength and mended into blindness
My blindness became weakness
And this all became a feeling?
I will always hold you down R.A.W

We Are Weak
We are weak
Life is bleak
Full of diseased

We are weak
Minds of bleach
Not thinking about what would be
Not of ME
But of WE

We as a whole are weak
For we all hold our fears
Within our ears
And we’ll continue to grieve
For we are weak

We decide to witness life
That flies by
With lies intoxicating our lives
Enabling us to react to what is being done

We feel strong

That’s where our deepest weakness lies
Between the lines that have been set up
For us to classify by

Many sit back and laugh at us
For we have fallen into their sight
And we can’t escape right?

What about me?
I’m able to recognize and organize
I want to mobilize and humanize
For I am NOT weak and that will be prioritized