The information below was borrowed from Heather Corinna's Sexuality Education website for teens, Scarleteen. Heather Corinna is a queer, feminist sexual health educator, advocate and activist, an author and an artist. She has several websites that promote sex-positive, healthy and affirming messages about sexuality & sexual health, including Scarlet Letters, the All Girl Army, and Scarleteen. In On the Rag: A Guide to Menstruation, she writes extensively about how menstruation works, how to manage it, and how to use it to empower yourself and stay healthy both physically and emotionally.

Before we read on about mensturation, however, let's spend a moment reflecting on who actually menstruates. Easy enough - women, right? Well, yes.. but its important to highlight that not ALL women menstruate, and not all people who menstruate are women.

When we talk about menstruation, the widely accepted assumption is that all women share the experience of menstruating, and in many cases, that menstruating is embraced by all as the characteristic event that marks womanhood. But in fact, it isn't true that all women menstruate. For example, women may not menstruate because of birth control regimens, dietary factors, hystorectomies, menopause, and a host of other reasons. On the other hand, men may menstruate because they were born biologically female and don't have the means, or the desire, to change that whether hormonally or surgically. So, not all individuals who menstruate are women. Menstruation is a deeply personal and individualized process and does not mean the same thing to everyone who experiences it. Keep this in mind as you continue reading through the information and resources below.

The Basics, Period.

Despite what you might think, your period doesn't just effect you when you're on the rag. In fact, your period is only one part of a complex hormonal, physiological and emotional cycle that circles every month, and on some level, effects you every single day. Understanding how your menstrual cycle works, and what it all means is a tool you can use to understand yourself, your sexuality, and your body for the rest of your life.

Like much of your sexuality, your reproductive cycle starts in your brain, in a region called the hypothalamus. It produces and then releases some substances which travel down to the pituitary gland and stimulate it so that the pituitary releases two hormones: the follicle-stimulating hormones (FSH) and the luteinizing hormone (LH). These create changes in the ovaries that make an egg mature.

Eggs, or ovum, are what is fertilized by sperm to create a zygote. When they stay unfertilized, they send out chemical signals that bring on your menses, or period. Ovum aren't created every month. They instead mature, one at a time (in most women - some women release more than one egg per cycle), and usually alternate in each ovary. That's why one month you can have a fairly mild period, but the next you can have painful cramps. The eggs in your body are held in your ovaries, and have been there since before you were born. You started with one to two million of them, and by the time you hit puberty, you have about three hundred to four hundred thousand of them left. These are the eggs that you have for the rest of your life, and when they're gone, they're gone.

When the FSH and LH stimulate an egg to maturity, the ovary that held it ruptures, and the egg is released into the fallopian tube. The little finger-like structures that appear to hold the ovary, the fimbriae, help to pull the egg into the tube. The wall of the fallopian tube then has a series of contractions that move the egg towards the uterus. At this time, another hormone, progesterone, is produced by the ovary, and this hormone is what prepares the lining of your uterus to nourish and house an egg, should it be fertilized by sperm. If the egg is fertilized, even more progesterone is released. If it is not, then the level of progesterone drops, and it is that drop that causes your period. That whole cycle takes on average, 28 days, and most women have a cycle that falls anywhere from 23 to 35 days. From the time the egg is released until you get your period takes around 14 days.

It's Just a Phase

Let's look at this a different way. The menstrual or fertility cycle can be divided into three phases: the menstrual phase, the proliferative phase and the secretory, or luteal phase.

The Menstrual Phase

Each of your monthly cycles starts on the first day of your period. You begin to bleed because the uterine lining that was prepared to nurture a fertilized egg is sloughed off because you did not get pregnant. It is perfectly normal to have a menstrual phase that lasts anywhere from just a couple days to seven or more days. And both light and heavy flow, or a combination of the two, are both also normal.

How can I tell I'm in the Menstrual phase?
Because you're bleeding! In addition, when your flow decreases or stops, you'll notice that your vaginal secretions (you can see this on your underpants, or by putting a finger in your vagina and pulling a little from it's opening) is either hard to find at all (your vagina may be "dry") or is a little thick. It is not abnormal for it to have a brownish color during this phase, because even when your flow stops, the vagina is discarding some old blood.

The Proliferative Phase
The proliferative phase brings about more of another hormone, estrogen, and that stimulates the lining of the uterus to ready itself to nurture a fertilized egg. It is during the proliferative phase the you ovulate: the egg is released from the ovary and begins it's travels to the uterus.

How can I tell I'm in the Proliferative phase?
Some women experience a little bit of cramping during ovulation. Your vaginal secretions may be a little thick or chalky, just like in the menstrual phase.

The Secretory Phase
This follows right after ovulation, and is when the progesterone increases, and when you may be most fertile, and continues until either the egg is fertilized, or until it is not, at which time you will begin the cycle all over again by getting your period. If you have sex with bio men, many birth control specialists will recommend that even when using a good birth control method, you get in the habit of keeping from sex during ovulation (between the end of the proliferative and the beginning of the secretor phase), and a few days before and after.

How can I tell I'm in the Secretory phase?
Your vaginal secretions will get a little thinner, and have a consistency that is like an egg white. This happens because it provides the best environment for sperm to reach the egg. You may also notice that during this time, you want sex a lot more, or are more easily aroused.

It's a great idea to keep track of your menstrual cycles each month, from the very start of them, especially if you are sexually active with bio men. If you keep a journal or a calendar, there is an easy system to do this. The first day of your period, just make a little red dot on your calendar. Continue the dots until you are no longer bleeding. After that, pay attention to your vaginal secretions, or discharge, and chart what you observe. When your discharge seems thinner, that's a sign of being fertile. Charting your cycles will help you to best understand them, and help you to be more alert when you may have any problems. It can also help you to understand when the best time is for you to avoid sex with bio men, whether you use birth control or not. Later in your life, should you ever want to conceive, or have a child, knowing your cycles will help you to do so most easily.

The Rag, When it's a Drag

It is absolutely normal, and quite common for the menstrual cycle to take up to as much as five years to become really regular. You might find that you go a few months without a period sometimes, or have shorter cycles, bleeding every three weeks instead of every four. Just remember that regardless of how often you get your period, from the first time you get it, you're able to get pregnant, even if you go months without bleeding.

It is also possible, if you're missing periods, that it is due to diet or exercise. If you aren't eating enough, or are overexercising (more than four hours a day, or running over ten miles a day), it throws your system out of whack, and you may begin to miss periods. Take care of yourself. Be sure to eat enough calories for the calories you burn, get enough rest, and eat a well-balanced diet. Stress can also make you miss a period, and more times than not that stress is because women think they may be pregnant, which can actually fool your body into acting like it is, thus causing you to miss a period. If you're sexually active with bio men, get rid of that stress by using sound birth control and STD protection.

Menstrual flow (how much you bleed) varies from heavy to light depending on the individual. Cramps are a normal part of menstruating and can be taken care of with some ibuprofen, or a hot bath, or a warm compress to place over the lower abdomen. Last but certainly not the least of which help with cramps, are good old fashioned orgasms. And the more, the better!

There are some good herbal and vitamin remedies for helping your cycles and the discomfort you may experience. Vitamins E and K, which are usually in a regular daily multivitamin help with regularity, and to slow a very heavy flow. You can also make an herbal tea of red raspberry leaf, strawberry leaf, peppermint and ginger (and it tastes nice, too) to help with cramps and to balance your cycles. If it tastes gross to you, add some honey. Go to your local health food store, and they can help you find what you need. Alternative medicine, like acupuncture, can also be a big help, especially if standard medical approaches don't seem to have much to offer you.

Flow with It, Baby: Pads, Tampons and Even Better Solutions

You have a lot of choices when it comes to how you absorb your menstrual flow. You can choose between commercial pads, natural/reusable pads, tampons, sponges or cups. Read below to find out what might be best for you. Bear in mind, too, to consider the waste you create with your choice. It often happens that what is best for our bodies is also best for our ecosystem. If you can use a method that creates minimal waste, you're doing the whole world a favor.

Disposable Pads: Pads are usually the best choice when you're first starting your period, if you have a heavy flow, and at night when you're sleeping. Most have an adhesive backing (sticky) that you pull paper away from and attach to your underwear. If you're going to use pads, make sure you do not get any that are scented, or have any added perfumes, as these can cause vaginal infections. Organic cotton is the best thing you can do for your body, if you're going to use disposable pads. No one is going to smell your period unless you aren't changing your pad often enough. Some women complain though that pads make them feel like they're wearing a diaper. In that case, you may try using smaller pads and changing them more often.

Recommended Disposable Pads: Natracare or Seventh Generation, and other brands which offer pads that are 100% cotton, preferably unbleached.

Reusable Pads: When using pads, these really are a better choice: for the environment, for your body, and over time, for your wallet as well. They're made out of a cotton liner, wrapped in fabric, and you just wash and dry them for reuse. Some brands have a "filler" you can remove as well. Some have snaps on little wings that you just snap around your underwear, and others attach like a pair of underwear , with a little g-string. I cannot encourage women enough to try using washable pads: not only are they less wasteful, but they're better for you too, both physically and emotionally.

Great Reusable Pads: Lunapads are the best thing since sliced bread.
GladRags, Taluhlah Bean, and New Moon Pads make cloth pads as well, or you can make your own!

Tampons: Tampons are good for when you're swimming, if you're active, if you have a special occasion, or if you just don't like pads. They are best for lighter flows, since the larger, more absorbent tampons can cause problems as I'll explain in a moment. Again, be sure to buy the kind without any fragrance or perfumes, and to really get to know your body, I prefer the kind without the applicator. It is possible if you have an unbroken hymen that it might be more difficult for you to use tampons. To insert a tampon, it's easiest if you sit on the toilet or squat. If you're using one without an applicator, press your finger into the bottom of it where the string is, and push the tampon up deeply into your vaginal canal. You do not have to worry about losing it in there, as there is not an endless canal in which it goes. If you're using a tampon with an applicator, you press the curved top of the applicator into your vagina, and then push the bottom of the applicator up, until it releases the tampon.

Something serious you need to be aware of with tampons is that it is critically important you change them often. Tampons not changed often (every few hours), and especially commercial brands that contain rayon fibers and bleaches (and all of them do) can pose a risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). TSS can cause severe medical problems such as hair loss, shock, kidney failure, heart and lung disease, and in as many as 15% of cases, death. To safeguard, make sure you only use tampons during the day (use a pad at night), change them often and buy 100% cotton tampons (again, in your local health food store) when possible.

Good Tampons (Cotton Only): Organic Essentials, Natracare and Seventh Generation.

Sea Sponges: For many years I used small sponges (you can get them in the cosmetics section of your local health food store or at a bath store) instead of tampons. They're recyclable, natural, and all you do is insert them inside your vagina. Then to change them, pull it out, clean it with hot water before reuse, and put in a fresh one as need be. This is a good alternative if you feel "poked" by tampons, or are looking for an alternative that creates less waste. Lunapads carries them.

Menstrual Cups: The Divacup, Keeper and Instead (which you can get at drug stores) are another fantastic choice if you want something insertable. These are not as easy to insert as tampons or sponges, but many women find they work very well, and enjoy them because they do not have to worry about the possibility of TSS as they do with tampons. But once you get used to them, inserting them will begin to come more naturally. To insert a cup, you simply squeeze its sides and slide it into your vagina. If it is placed right, you shouldn't feel it at all. It may be helpful to use a little water-based lubricant (like KY Jelly) to insert it if you need to.

The Divacup and the Keeper are generally better for most women than Instead - they're just engineered in a much smarter way - and unlike Instead cups they're also reusable. They can be used for years, so you'll save big bucks on menstrual products, and do the planet a favor, if you invest in a long-term cup rather than a disposable. As an extra bonus, because they contain flow - rather than absorb flow and vaginal fluids like tampons - they can help reduce cramping.

Some other interesting links around menstruating & menstrual health include:

The Museum of Menstruation & Women's Health
The Society for Menstrual Cycle Research
re: Cycling: The New Blog of The Society for Menstrual Cycle Research