MAY 2021 | PAD Monthly

Period Activists at ‘Deis (PAD) fights for menstrual justice and seeks to uplift the voices of all menstruators. We strive to facilitate access to menstrual products and education, dismantle the menstrual stigma, and advocate for policies that protect the rights of menstruators.

PAD EXECUTIVE BOARD: Cassady Adams, Sydney Carim, Ilana Feldman, Savannah Jackson, Hunter Kessous, Madison Leifer, Kyla Speizer

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What Covid-19 response teaches us about menstrual access

If we can afford to meet the pressing public health needs of our citizens, why do we selectively choose not to? In the wake of the pandemic, facilities across Massachusetts instantaneously scrambled to meet the hygienic and sanitary needs of those in the Commonwealth. As I returned to Brandeis University in fall of 2020 for my junior year, I remarked at the seemingly miraculous and abundant availability of free personal protective equipment (PPE). However, these measures are not miraculous; they highlight the capability of state action in responding to public health needs. However, with prompt action demonstrated as possible, what justifies continuous inaction in the face of voiced menstrual needs? Now more than ever, the Massachusetts State Legislature must acknowledge ongoing menstrual inaccess and respond through the swift passage of the I AM bill.

I know what you may be thinking. The PPE summoned in the past year is in direct response to the catastrophe of the pandemic, which, among other consequences, resulted in millions of deaths. However, it is essential to consider the parallels between PPE and menstrual products: a great proportion of the population in regular need, the detriment of inaccessibility in the Commonwealth, and a clear solution.

Over half the population menstruates and, although data exposes the grave extent to which menstruators' needs remain unmet. Massachusetts’ NOW’s 2019 “State of Menstrual Access” survey found that 56% of responding nurses at Massachusetts schools observed students missing class to obtain products. Furthermore, 25% of Massachusetts temporary housing facilities reported that their shelter does not provide any menstrual products. This absence is especially dangerous considering the vulnerability of those who seek temporary housing.

Currently, menstruators are expected to provide their own products wherever they go. This differs drastically from other sanitary essentials, such as toilet paper. I mean, imagine you walk into a bathroom only to have been expected to bring your own toilet paper. The taken-for-granted accessibility of public health essentials, like toilet paper, respond to and validate our right to feel safe, empowered, and sanitary in our own bodies, wherever we may go. The products vital to menstruation are no exception.

The personal onus placed on menstruation is both unjustified and detrimental when it comes to public health. Inaccess can pose significant medical and social impediments, as menstruators risk their sanitation and safety by keeping products in for too long. Inaccess can also lead to education absenteeism and sexual coercion for products in prisons. Furthermore, we cannot neglect the ways in which menstruators of color and of lower incomes are disproportionately impacted by inaccess.

Luckily, the Commonwealth has the opportunity to respond and demonstrate their commitment to individuals who menstruate. The I AM bill, also known as H.2354 and S.1445, is the pathway forward. This vastly cosponsored bill would confront menstrual inaccess in Massachusetts by requiring that menstrual products are provided at no cost in three public sectors: 1) state prison facilities, 2) institutions of temporary housing assistance, and 3) all k-12 public schools. Through the I AM bill, menstruators will have their public health needs affirmed and consequently be more empowered in their bodies -- both of which are basic human rights.

Various other states, including New York and New Hampshire, have already affirmed these basic rights by passing legislation mandating menstrual products in all public schools. Not only must Massachusetts follow these states’ example, but we also have an opportunity to lead. In passing the I AM bill, Massachusetts can be the first state to address this issue for all three populations, creating a precedent that additionally empowers vulnerable populations in temporary housing and prisons.

The need for increased menstrual access can no longer be willed away by superfluous defenses about budget shortcomings or a lack of data. Such factors did not undermine the need for PPE or the ongoing availability of toilet paper. It is clear that continuous menstrual inaccess results not from a lack of need or information, but from a lack of priority. The time is up for inaction. Constituents of Massachusetts, I urge you to contact your legislators and implore that they cosponsor and help pass the I AM bill. The safety and public health of menstruators rely on it.

ALISON HAGANI is a third year at Brandeis University majoring in Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies. She served as the Chair of the Women’s Caucus for College Democrats of Massachusetts from 2018-2020. She can be reached at alisonhagani@brandeis.edu.

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ARTIST FEATURE: Simone Maj Hoffenblad

PAD reached out to Simone after we fell in love with her incredible feminist art on Instagram. We sent her the following questions to understand her inspiration and what feminism means to her! She sent us her answers as well as a few of her pieces which you can see here.

1. Where are you from?

I am from Denmark, born in 1990. I currently live in Sweden at Ängsbacka Course and Festival Center.

2. What is the meaning behind these pieces of art?

The first piece “Life Blood” shows a Goddess holding a drop of blood above her head. The painting came through very clearly and was done in 45 minutes. She is the goddess of creation and sexuality, holding a drop of period blood above her head, showing that it is sacred.

The second piece “Bliss and Suffering” is a more recent creation, made as part of an art project. The idea was to show “both sides of the coin”: the love, beauty and praise we have for Mother Earth and the devastating impact we humans have on the planet.Bliss and suffering side by side. We tend to forget one, so the painting is made as a remembrance. It was surprisingly challenging to paint the suffering, and feel the emotions it brought to the surface.

3. What inspires you to create your art?

The first time I saw a piece of period art was one year ago at Ängsbacka. My friend showed me a few pictures she had made, using her period blood as paint. Seeing them gave me mixed feelings. At first I found it disgusting, that she was painting with her period blood. But the more I looked, the more intrigued I became.

The colours were beautiful red and brown nuances, swirling in interesting spontaneous splashes and fine lines. It was beautiful!
It took me a while (and some inner work) before I found the courage to try and paint with my own blood. I had to let go of my old conditioning and belief that menstrual blood is gross, smelly and shameful.

To paint with my life blood, was truly freeing. It really inspired me, hearing my friend and others at Ängsbacka talk passionately about how: “without our period, there will be no new life”.

I have come to see period blood as a sacred part of creation, and without it we simply would not be here. Every mother on the planet has been bleeding.

If we can not honour our Mother, how do we honour creation and life?

4. What does menstrual justice/feminism mean to you?
I come from a privileged part of the world, where women are not seen as dirty, when they are bleeding. But many women still try to hide the fact, as if it was shameful. My wish is that women start connecting with their cycle, period and blood even more. That mothers around the world teach their daughters, that the blood is sacred, and that there is nothing to be ashamed about. I wish for women to be happy and proud they are bleeding! It means you can create new life!

Only if women start owning and honouring their own and their sisters periods, can we normalize the most normal thing in the world.

5. What message do you hope people get from your art?
I hope my art will inspire more women to re-evaluate their connection and beliefs around their period blood. The more women who honour themselves and their body the way it was created, the stronger we all stand!

6. Is there anything else you want to add?
If you wish to see more of my art, you are welcome to have a look at my instagram: @simonemaj - https://www.instagram.com/simonemaj/You can also visit Ängsbackas website, if you are interested in reading about living, sharing and inspiring each other in community: https://www.angsbacka.com/

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Black activists in the menstrual movement

The Black menstruators behind incredible menstrual organizations

Lynette Medley- Founder of No More Secrets and The SPOT Period

Lynette Medley is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has over 15 years of experience in the areas of sexuality, behavioral health, education, religion, and advocacy. Lynette aims to give a voice to and allow people to express themselves. No More Secrets focuses on multiple aspects of sexual wellness, not just menstruation. Lynette is known to incorporate these taboo topics in ways that successfully reach her listeners. Through the #BlackGirlsBleed campaign, Lynette addresses the menstrual stigma in the Black community and amplifies Black menstruator’s voices to address systemic racism in the menstrual health space.

Most recently, Lynette and her daughter Nya McGlone opened The SPOT Period hub in Philadelphia. The SPOT PERIOD offers free menstrual products, educational materials and other resources, access to clean water and toilets, a computer room, first period kits, and a Breonna Taylor safe room to offer space for “marginalized women to escape the dangers of the world.” The SPOT Period is funded entirely by community donations and is thought to be the first of its kind in the US.

Bria Gadsden- Co-Founder of Love Your Menses

Bria Gadsden is a Boston native, and much of her early menstrual advocacy work helped menstruators in the Boston area. Gadsden’s work through Love Your Menses addresses the menstrual taboo in the Black and Brown community, aiming to enable Black and Brown adolescents to have a healthy menstrual cycle and focusing on the experience of menstruators throughout the entire lifespan. The organization offers an abundance of services including product distribution, menstrual education, materials for new mothers, and workshops teaching menstruators to sew their own reusable menstrual products. She emphasizes the importance of safe period products: those without toxic chemicals that can disrupt hormones or other toxic ingredients. Throughout the pandemic, Love Your Menses has created period care packs to menstruators in Boston, Liberia and Nigeria. Love Your Menses has since expanded to multiple cities throughout the US and countries throughout the world.

In 2020, Gadsden co-authored the book “Mya Learns About Menstruation,” which answered common questions about beginning your period. This year, Gadsden founded Bria Gadsden LLC. Through this company, Gadsden helps those starting nonprofits, works with companies to ensure worksite wellness, offers menstrual wellness coaching, and creates blog posts around menstrual health and related issues.

Ileri Jaiyeoba- Founder of Code Red Collective

Ileri Jaiyeoba founded Code Red Collective at age 16 through a program empowering girls to start projects in their community. Code Red Collective’s projects tend to focus on empowering Black and Indigenous menstruators. The website also features “The Red Thread” where menstruators can publish articles related to menstruation. Code Red Collective aims to “promote period wellness and de-stigmatization through literacy, aid, and advocacy.” The organization is currently transitioning from a collective to a cooperative. This change aims to address more issues faced by the Black community, such as the school to prison pipeline, economic exploitation, and police brutality. This shift in structure and goal “is us introducing a new era: decolonizing wellness as a divestment from a system that criminalizes and incarcerates into an investment in that based on collective and community care.”

Jaiyeoba is also well known for an article published on Medium, which drew attention to anti-Blackness within the menstrual equity space and the harmful actions of Nadya Okamoto. Her article exposed the uncredited work of Black activists throughout the movement, and she used Code Red Collectives platform to acknowledge the work plagiarized by PERIOD, while keeping those sharing their stories anonymous. Jaiyeoba restored the power of grassroot organizations in the menstrual movement, addressed anti-Blackness in the movement, and drew attention to the importance of collaboration and correctly crediting work to advance the movement and empower all in the menstrual movement.

Chelsea VonChaz- Founder of #Happy Period

Chelsea VonChaz founded #Happy Period after noticing the need for menstrual products in downtown Los Angeles. After seeing a menstruator bleeding through her clothes, VonChaz and her friends began to pack menstrual products and deliver these products to homeless menstruators and shelters. After only a few weeks, VonChaz founded #Happy Period. Since its founding, #Happy Period expanded its projects to include menstrual education and distributes products in schools and community centers in addition to their prior distribution sites. #Happy Period aims to advance menstrual care for Black menstruators.

#Happy Period uses their social media platforms to amplify the voices of other Black activists in the menstrual space. Chelsea specifically talks about the strong taboo within the Black community surrounding menstruation, and encourages everyone to speak about their periods as a way to combat this issue. In response to COVID, VonChaz created a virtual version of the menstrual education typically offered through #Happy Period.

While these are some of the Black voices in the menstrual movement, I encourage you to research more about Black activists in this movement. The end of Ileri Jaiyeoba’s Medium article lists some of these activists and their organizations. Amplify their voices, listen to their communities and knowledge, and donate if you can.

BY MADISON LEIFER

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CONTRACEPTION & YOUR PERIOD

Hormonal contraceptives cause changes in your period. These can be great: less cramps, shorter periods. Or, they can be a nuisance, like spotting and irregular bleeding. Let’s talk about it!

The biggest change to your cycle that hormonal contraception will cause is that you don’t have a real period- technically. Without hormonal contraceptives, our cycles include a fluctuation of hormones. The change in hormone levels throughout the month causes the endometrial lining (the wall of the uterus) thickens to prepare for implantation of an embryo, and an egg is released from the ovary. If fertilization does not occur, the endometrial lining is shed during menstruation. Hormonal contraceptives prevent this fluctuation in hormones by providing a consistent level of hormones throughout the month. Ovulation does not occur and the endometrial lining doesn’t thicken as much. The period that people experience with hormonal contraception is called withdrawal bleeding, and it occurs during the days of the month where the body is not receiving hormones from the contraception. Since the endometrium did not thicken, the period is normally lighter.

A lot of people who use hormonal contraceptives experience breakthrough bleeding, which is bleeding that occurs outside of the withdrawal period. It’s a common concern that breakthrough bleeding means the contraception didn’t work. Fortunately, that is not the case, however you might want to try a higher dose to prevent breakthrough bleeding. Additionally, many contraception users experience unexpected spotting for the first few months of taking contraception. This will often go away on its own!

Contraception can also offer a lot of great benefits for our periods! All hormonal contraceptives should make periods and cramps lighter. Several can ease period symptoms. Some hormonal contraceptives can even be used to skip periods entirely. This can be done by skipping the withdrawal period, or the placebo week, and directly starting the next set of your contraception. This is safe, because there is really no medical need to have a period when one is using contraception. In fact, the reason that the birth control pill was created with a placebo week in the first place was because one of the inventors hoped the pope might accept the pill if users still had periods. The Church never came around to the pill, and many contraception users today are choosing not to have periods. The combination pill, the ring and the patch can all be used to deliberately skip withdrawal bleeding. Many people who use the other forms of hormonal contraception will stop having periods, but it is less of a guarantee.

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Hormonal contraception can be the best thing that ever happened to some people’s periods, or it can be so much of an annoyance that they eventually stop using hormonal contraception. Each of our bodies are unique, so we will all experience contraception use differently. It’s best to do a bit of research beforehand on which contraceptive best fits your needs, and discuss the options with your doctor.

BY HUNTER KESSOUS

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10 Things Menstruators Want Non-Menstruators to Know

1. No, we can’t “hold it in.”

We have no control over how much blood comes out of our vagina--or when!--so you can go ahead and stop using that misconception to criticize menstruators, please. Yes, when we say that we need to go to the bathroom now, we really mean it (even if we went only an hour ago). Sometimes our flow suddenly picks up or the product we’re using becomes full and we don’t realize that we’re leaking, or we just don’t get to the bathroom in time, or we don’t have more products on hand. There are so many things that could happen, and trust us, it’s more of an inconvenience for us than for you.

2. No, we can’t control when we get our period either.

Mine always seems to hit me at the start of a road trip. Or the day that I have a big exam. Or on a day when I have a 10hr shift at work. Trust me, if we could choose which week we got our period, we would.

3. Yes, periods mess with our emotions, but no, that doesn’t give you an excuse to blow us off as crazy.

Ah, the infamous, “that time of month” comment. Menstruation really does mess with our hormones (I’m looking at you, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone). But that doesn’t mean we totally lose control of ourselves. Menstruators often get mocked and disregarded for expressing our emotions whether we’re bleeding or not, and it needs to stop.

4. Yes, period cramps really are that bad....

Think: lying down hurts, sitting hurts, standing hurts… sometimes you just need a heat pack and some pain meds. Instead, we’re expected to still go to school and work and cook and clean and pretend like everything is normal. But the truth is, period cramps can be debilitating. When’s the last time you went about your usual day while you were experiencing uterine contractions?

5. ...But no, it’s not just cramps.

Cramps are one of the things that we experience while we’re on our period. But dealing with being on our period also means dealing with mood swings, nausea, migraines, fatigue, bloating, breast swelling, breast tenderness, back pain, weight gain, food cravings, etc. And of course, all of this is on top of the fact that we’re actively bleeding and can’t control it. It’s also important to recognize that a lot of the things that we experience because of menstruation affect us before we even start bleeding.

6. No two periods are the same.

This means that no two menstruators experience menstruation in the same way. This also means that one menstruator’s period can vary from one cycle to the next. This also means that the things that a menstruator experiences during a given cycle can change day to day (or hour to hour).

7. No, we don’t pee out of the same hole that menstrual blood comes out of.

I don’t actually know what else to say. This is basic anatomy, folks.

8. The blood doesn’t all come out at once.

I suspect this stems from the same misconception that we can somehow “hold it in,” but I’m here to clear up the confusion for you: menstruation usually lasts somewhere from 5-8 days, and we can’t control our flow during those days, and we can’t pick when those days happen.

9. Yes, we can have sex while we’re on our period.

Some menstruators might experience a decreased sex drive during their period, but others experience an increased sex drive. There’s nothing gross or dirty or shameful about period blood, and having sex or masturbating can actually help with cramps! As long as you’re comfortable with it, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having sex on your period--just remember to still use protection because you can get pregnant while on your period.

10. There is absolutely literally nothing sexual about inserting a tampon.

It physically pains me to even have to write this one. Really? Really?! I’d like to say it loud and clear for everyone in the back: inserting a tampon is not even remotely a sexually pleasurable experience. Please stop sexualizing menstruating bodies.

BY SAVANNAH JACKSON

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My Journey with Chronic Period Pain

I first started to experience intense period pain my freshman year of high school, about a year and a half after my period began. My period had largely been pain free up until that point, and I was confused by the stabbing sensations that started suddenly, like a knife twisting into my abdomen. At first I regarded the pain as my official coming-of-age, I had now reached the point of womanhood* where I had period pain, and I was going to suffer through it to show solidarity with my fellow menstruators.

Despite my best attempts to suffer through the monthly cramps in solace, it quickly became evident to me that something was very wrong. As soon as my period began, I would be seized by debilitating pain that made it largely impossible for me to move. I tried my best to continue as usual, because I didn’t feel like cramps were a good enough excuse to miss school or social events.

I walked through the halls of my high school clutching my stomach, feeling lightheaded, and trying not to cry. Occasionally I would have to stop to lean against a wall or crouch while I waited for the pain to ease, and sitting in hard public school desk chairs was largely impossible. I was constantly squirming, and making frequent trips to the girl’s bathroom floor, where I would sit and pray that I wouldn’t be sick. I took twice the normal dosage of Pamprin, constantly had a stick-on heating pad on me, and drank as much herbal tea as possible, but nothing seemed to relieve the pain. I was so nauseous that I couldn’t eat, and the pain would keep me up at night, leaving me exhausted in the morning. Eventually I started having consistent monthly absences from school--days where I would lay in my bed in a fetal position and wonder what was wrong with me.

I remember a particular moment in which my mom found me, clutching my knees on the floor of our bathroom, crying and trying not to throw up at 5 in the morning. I was fed up with my pain and my period and the fact that everyone else I knew seemed to have it so much easier. I told her, I simply can’t go on like this. The thought of experiencing such pain every month for the next 30 years was crushing me.

At times like that I honestly wondered what it would be like if I just got rid of my uterus, but I’ve always known that I want to carry a child. I better have the greatest kids in existence because I’ve sacrificed a lot of days for them in my bed.

The next chapter of my journey involves my interactions with relatively unhelpful doctors. My pediatrician said she thought it was endometriosis, a condition where the tissue that lines your uterus begins to grow on your ovaries, bowels, and pelvic tissue, resulting in debilitating pain and sometimes infertility. However, to officially diagnose endo, doctors must perform a semi-invasive surgical procedure called a laparoscopy. As the treatment wouldn’t be much different whether my period pain was endo or something else, I’ve decided not to go through a laparoscopy at this point in my life. I was put on hormonal birth control at the age of 16, in order to ease my pain.

Unfortunately, the pill did not assist with my cramps, but it did make me extremely moody, depressed, and anxious. So much for that plan! I went off of birth control after 6 months of rapidly declining mental health, and back to the doctor it was.

At this point I felt like the situation was relatively hopeless. Nonetheless, I went to the gynecologist and explained my symptoms.

“Given what you described,” she said, “I think you are having contractions similar to that of someone in the early stages of labor.”

She agreed that hormonal birth control was risky for me, and suggested that I try taking 4 advils every 8 hours.

This was about a year ago, and I still struggle with chronic period pain. I have since found the Ovira, which is a Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) device that prevents pain signals from my uterus from getting to my brain. I’m four months in, and while it’s not a perfect fix, it’s absolutely life-changing for my period pain. While I still may be bed-ridden at times, I no longer struggle with nausea or near the level of pain as I was before. It has made my period more manageable, and I’m thankful for that.

I don’t know what’s next for me on this journey, whether I will ever get an official diagnosis, whether I will discover that I’m infertile, or whether the pain will ever get unmanageable again. But I do know that I have learned a lot about advocating for myself and I have three pieces of advice for those who may also be struggling with chronic period pain.

1. Don’t suffer in silence-- seek medical help.

So often menstruators’ pain is dismissed and disregarded. If you are suffering from debilitating period pain, this is not normal cramping. Your period should be an inconvenience at most, and you do not deserve to suffer in silence. If you have a uterus, chances are you have been disbelieved by doctors-- if you are Black or Brown and have a uterus, you may have faced dismissal by doctors time and time again. Although this can be discouraging, I encourage you to find a doctor that will listen to you and treat your pain as important.

2. Explore your options.

Hormonal birth control, IUDs, stick-on heating pads, and medicine such as Pamprin, Advil, etc. have all helped people I know with chronic period pain. Even if they didn’t work for me, they may work for you. Check out the possibility of getting a TENS device such as the Ovira or Livia through your insurance. It qualifies as a medical device if you have a diagnosis for chronic pain or a specific menstrual disorder.

3. Explore menstrual justice

Menstrual justice has been one of the most healing tools for me in my struggle with period pain. I have long been frustrated by how my pain is diminished just because it is due to menstruation. Menstrual justice has empowered me to stand up for myself in the face of menstrual stigma and has made me value my period and my beautiful body capable of creating life, even if it hurts.

*Note: I recognize that not all menstruators are women, I am speaking about my personal relationship with my menstruation and my womanhood.

CASSADY ADAMS

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PAD ADVICE COLUMN

1. why do i eat so much on my period?

A lot of menstruators experience an increased appetite while they are PMSing (right before their period) and during the beginning of their period. There are a couple of reasons why you might be more hungry than normal. First, your resting metabolic rate increases in the days after ovulation. You can actually burn between 2-10% more calories than normal! Your body is working hard to prepare the uterine lining for a potential pregnancy. Then, in the days before your period begins and while your period is starting, the estrogen levels in your body drop. Since estrogen is a hormone that suppresses appetite, decreased estrogen levels cause you to experience a higher appetite.

3. Why do i crave so many unhealthy foods on my period?

Some of the most common cravings that menstruators experience include sweets like ice cream or chocolate, salty foods like chips, and carby foods like pizza. While you’re on your period, and especially at the start, your estrogen and progesterone levels drop. This causes your serotonin and dopamine levels to also decrease. When you crave foods that have a lot of carbs and sugars, it’s because these foods help relieve your low mood and reduce fatigue. So next time you find yourself eating a whole pint of Ben & Jerry’s by yourself or taking an extra piece of pizza, try not to think of it as “bad” food, and instead remind yourself that your body is doing its best to take care of you!

2. Why do i gain weight when on my period?

It’s totally normal to gain anywhere between 3-5 pounds while you’re on your period. Most menstruators will gain this weight during the first few days of their period, and lose the extra pounds by the end of their period. This weight gain is caused by--you guessed it--changes in hormone levels. The combination of increased water retention, overeating, and sugar and carb cravings (in addition to the fact that many period symptoms cause menstruators to skip usual workouts) cause the rapid weight gain/loss.

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Advice Column!

4. Why do i bloat so much when on my period?

Bloating is a common symptom of PMS, and is characterized by swelling and discomfort in your lower abdomen. Like your increased appetite and cravings, bloating is caused by the drop in estrogen and progesterone levels. These hormonal changes cause your body to retain more water and salt, which is what causes bloating.

PERIOD ACTIVISTS AT 'DEIS DIGITAL MAGAZINE