Why should we care about menstrual health?

On average a woman will menstruate for about forty years, from her early teens to her early 50’s. This equates to roughly 450 periods in her lifetime, give or take several factors of course.

Besides spending A LOT of days having their periods and nearly half of their lives in their menstrual cycling years, both the perimenopausal transition and post-menopausal stage can also profoundly impact womens’ lives for many more years both during and afterwards.

Did you know that in 2015, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists formally recommended the use of the menstrual cycle as a vital sign? That’s right, after temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate, blood pressure, and pain, the menstrual cycle is finally being recognized as a valuable, valid, and crucial window into the health and well-being of women.

2015 was dubbed the ‘Year of the Period’ and 2022 as ‘Year of Menopause’, referring to both coming out ‘into the open and out of the shadows’. It’s time and quite frankly long overdue for better awareness, more education and more options when it comes to menstrual health.