Free Bleeding, Let's Talk About It

The horror! Just kidding. Put a towel down and live your life

Courtesy of: https://ca.pinterest.com/pin/452611831304171898/

For the squeamish among us, I know that the concept of free bleeding, where you simply allow your period blood to flow freely without some type of product, feels intimidating and unattractive. I too at one point in time had my qualms and thought it was gross. I’d love to banish this word from the lexicon when talking about our own bodies; how can anything our womb so lovingly and intentionally created be gross? I understand that I’m going up against heavy layers of social programming that have reinforced for generations that our period is something to feel embarrassed about, to cover up, to deal with as discreetly as possible. Literally every advertisement for a period product mentions how “discreet” it is; why is hiding my period so important? Who am I supposed to be afraid of grossing out? The more time I’ve personally invested in understanding the divine energy my womb dedicates every month to building the perfect environment to sustain a pregnancy, the more I’ve come to revere this ability for the incredible power it truly is. So when my body is ready to release my endometrial lining, the blood and tissue full of life-force energy that it so lovingly and passionately built, I can’t help but feel fascination and deep respect this cleansing process and everything that comes out of my womb.

I’ve tried every period product on the market, both out of curiosity and out of true and serious love for my sheets and underwear. I was forever in search of the perfect thing that would keep my clothes and blankets safe from stains. In my early teen years I ditched pads and switched to tampons for convenience. I was a competitive dancer and had no choice but to wear what would cause the least disturbance in tights and costumes. It was also during these years of my life that I experienced debilitating cramps and extremely heavy periods, so I often ended up bleeding through my tampon and having to use a pad or liner as backup. As an older teen I found menstrual cups (ah, the days of the DivaCup!) and felt like I had found the thing. Finally a product that could safely stay in all day, it was reusable and not wasteful, and I was actually fascinated to see the amount and quality of the blood I collected. Nowadays there are tons of menstrual cup options on the market, but I started using them relatively at the beginning of their boom, so as more products emerged I tried each of them out of curiosity. I ended up researching different options for cervix position and height, and also tried a menstrual disc — this I couldn’t get the hang of, although lots of women swear by it. By this time I was in my early twenties, and my “period” was irregular, painful, and artificially managed by a hormonal IUD (and then soon after by a copper IUD).

When I embarked on my journey of body literacy, releasing myself of these evil little devices, and restoring my hormonal harmony, I found myself dreading returning to tampons. Not only did I feel that they were wasteful, I was aware that conventional brands of tampons (and pads!) are full of harmful chemicals, pesticides, and bleach, all of which belong nowhere near the most delicate and absorbent tissue on your body. The absorption of these chemicals (not to mention the microplastics!) is a huge source of hormonal disruption and a major trigger for menstruation-related dis-eases. If we’re then considering the vaginal microbiome, tampons specifically pose a serious risk for disruption, conventional OR organic, because they dry out the inside of the vagina and hold potentially harmful bacteria in place. This stagnation stops the vagina’s self-cleaning “flushing” mechanism that is particularly at play during your period, when the goal of your body is literally to flush out your endometrial lining. This can increase your risk for yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis, particularly with regular and extended use.

There is also the energetic side to consider. Your period is literally referred to as your “flow”, and with good reason. This is a divine detox, your body’s well-anticipated opportunity to cleanse itself of the month you’ve had both literally and spiritually. Your period blood is full of life force energy, and includes the energetic imprint of your experiences during the previous phases of your cycle. This is also why you may feel more introspective or reflective during your bleed, because it’s your body and soul’s way of sorting through and releasing your emotions. When we stagnate or completely block this flow, we are also obstructing the flow of our second chakra which governs our reproductive system. This can leave us feeling creatively stuck, emotionally destabilized, fearful of change or the unknown, anxious, and missing a lust for life. Physically this can also manifest as lower back pain, intense fatigue, uterine cramps, and low libido. If a doctor in the industrial medical model were to hear of these symptoms either leading up to or during menstruation, they would likely either dismiss them as normal “PMS” or in severe cases diagnose PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) and recommend medication to manage the symptoms (and perhaps everyone’s favorite little pill to shut it down altogether). What if instead of suffering endlessly or severing our intuitive self-connection with medication, we could make a simple change in how we handle our bleed and invite more physical and energetic free-flow into our lives? Here’s where you have to get comfortable with yourself.

Free-bleeding has a significant base of anecdotal evidence to support its benefits. Women who practice free bleeding, even if only during part of their cycle, report that it has relieved them of menstrual cramps, lightened their flow, and improved their emotional experience over the course of their bleed. It also improves your connection to your womb, as you actually allow yourself to feel the sensation of bleeding and the differences in flow from day to day. Many women even report that over time their periods have become shorter overall (I myself can attest to this). You also get the opportunity to observe the quality of your period blood (its colour, texture, if there are clots, etc) which give you important insight into your health.

There’s no need to get crazy with it! A couple hours a day when you’re at home and a towel you don’t care about staining is all you need. If your flow is especially heavy, perhaps you’ll want to get yourself a pair of period underwear (another realm of products that has evolved impressively in the past few years). In the moments where it feels impractical to free-bleed, make the effort to find plastic-free, unbleached organic pads. Tampons and menstrual cups, however organic-unbleached/chemical-free/medical-grade silicone they may come, are products that unequivocally cause stagnation. It is my opinion that they should be saved only for moments of absolute necessity when no other option is possible.

If the idea of allowing your period blood to flow freely brings up feelings of shame, disgust, fear, anxiety, or even general objection in you, I invite you to sit with those feelings. Don’t judge yourself for what you feel, just notice where they appear in your body. I offer you the following questions, and I encourage some journaling:

What about the idea of interacting with your own biological matter feels wrong to you?

Are you concerned about stains? About having to touch, smell, or see your own blood?

How were periods and bodily functions in general handled in your home growing up?

Have you ever been made to feel ashamed or embarrassed about your period?

How much power do you have in deciding what type of experience you have now with your cycle as an adult? (Hint: ALL of the power ;))

Go forth and free-bleed in total empowerment! Your body is an incredible creation deserving of all your reverence and love.