September 2nd, 2010 by Elizabeth Kissling
The headline of a story at ABC news about infertility among female athletes is “Female Athletes Are Too Fit To Get Pregnant“. Many women athletes in their 20s, at peak performance levels and peak physical fitness by most measures, may find themselves unable to conceive. This is attributed to low percentages of body fat, which essentially shut down the hypothalamus, which then fails to trigger the H-P-O (hypothalamus, pituitary, ovary) hormone sequence necessary for regular menstrual cycles. About 12% of infertile women seeking treatment are athletes.
According to the article, even women who are not professional athletes (or training at that level) can experience infertility due to physical fitness:
It noted that recreational jogging — only 12 to 18 miles a week — can result in poor follicular development, decreased estrogen and progesterone secretion and absent ovulation.
Setting aside the seriousness of infertility, I’m intrigued by the tone of the article, and especially the language of the headline. In North America today, there is a strong emphasis socially and in mass media on the importance of exercise and being physically fit, and corresponding demonization of fatness as a personal moral failing. But amenorrhea and infertility as a result of thinness is reported without judgment and body-shaming. There are no quotations from experts about women exercising too much or advice to stop working out; instead, professional athletes are advised to freeze their eggs in their early 20s. When fat* women have trouble conceiving or have difficult pregnancies, it is frequently attributed to their weight, which is presumed to be a behavioral a matter of choice.
*I am following the practice of other advocates of fat acceptance and Health At Every Size (HAES) in using the term fat as a descriptive adjective, not a pejorative.
Tags: Amenorrhea, fat acceptance, H-P-O Axis, health, hypothalamus, infertility, ovulation, physical fitness
Posted in Amenorrhea, Health Care, Media, Menstruation | 1 Comment »
August 11th, 2010 by Elizabeth Kissling
Fascinating new research from the National Institutes of Health finds that women’s cholesterol levels correspond with cyclic changes in estrogen levels. Total cholesterol levels can vary by as much as 19% over the course of the cycle.
The researchers found that as the level of estrogen rises, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol also rises, peaking at the time of ovulation.
In a typical cycle, estrogen levels steadily increase as the egg cell matures, peaking just before ovulation. Previous studies have shown that taking formulations which contain estrogen — oral contraceptives or menopausal hormone therapy — can affect cholesterol levels. However, the results of studies examining the effects of naturally occurring hormone levels on cholesterol have not been conclusive. According to the NIH’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, high blood cholesterol levels raise the risk for heart disease.
. . . .
In contrast, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels — as well as another form of blood fat known as triglycerides — declined as estrogen levels rose. The decline was not immediate, beginning a couple of days after the estrogen peak at ovulation.
These findings provide another reason for girls and women to learn to track their cycles, so their blood tests can be interpreted more precisely.
It also gives more weight to the frequent assertion of members of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research that menstruation matters — and is worthy of our study — in part because it is not an event isolated in the uterus and vagina, but a complex part of the endocrine system that has effects on health and well-being throughout a woman’s body.
Tags: cholesterol, endocrine system, estrogen, hormones, menstrual cycle, ovulation
Posted in Health Care, Menstruation, New Research, ovulation | 1 Comment »
August 10th, 2010 by Elizabeth Kissling
Guest post by Anastacia Kurylo, Marymount Manhattan College
"Ovulation", oil on canvas by Von Taylor
It’s been four years since I had my period. I did get a visit from my ‘friend’ for six months a couple of years ago but considering that I menstruated regularly for nearly twenty years before that six months was not a long time to get reacquainted. Now I am menstruating again regularly.
Having my period again reminds me of the person I was for the twenty years before I had my children-independent, in control, free to eat and sleep when I wanted – and how that part of my life is over.
Having my period again also reminds me of the person I have become the last four years – pregnant or lactating with one of my two children either in my belly or on my breast for most of this time – and how that part of my life is over too.
I never liked or understood the euphemism of my ‘friend’ representing menstruation. I saw it as a silly way to refer to a mundane biological occurrence females should own, be proud of, and state bluntly.
Now I understand the metaphor. For twenty years, my ‘friend’ was close to me physically and emotionally. My period was a reminder of my maturity and femininity and just as often an inconvenience and annoyance. I knew her well – her tendencies, how she would behave, and how to handle her. After twenty years of being inseparable, my ‘friend’ left and was replaced by my daughter and, then, my son. At times, my children are also reminders of my maturity and femininity and are also, at times, an inconvenience and annoyance. As I have begun to get to know my children, I forgot about my ‘friend.’
Having my period again and no longer being or anticipating being pregnant or lactating marks the start of yet another part of my life. Now that my ‘friend’ is back, we have to get reacquainted –she is not the same and neither am I.
Tags: attitudes toward menstruation, Language, Menopause, Menstruation, slang, words
Posted in Language, Menstruation | 1 Comment »
August 2nd, 2010 by Giovanna Chesler
Red Moon: Menstruation, Culture and the Politics of Gender may have crossed your path as The Moon Inside You (its original title prior to 2010 its current distribution through Media Education Foundation). It is a film that has enjoyed wide release, with exhibition on French television and inclusion in an EU showcase of films that circulated last year. The broad exhibition strategy of Red Moon is fitting; it has a casual, heartfelt and humorous style that should appeal to many.
The purpose of Red Moon, as articulated by the filmmaker Diana Fabianova in voice over, is to answer this question: “At any given time, 25% of the female population is menstruating. Invisible. Discreet. Why is this normal, biological function taboo? There must be some deeper meaning.” There are problems with this statistical framing device – 25% is an over inflated number that eliminates girls and post-menopausal women as “females”. It also glosses over females that do not menstruate because of gender transformations and amenorrhea. Outside of this statistical malfunction, there are a few other facts provided through voice over which are not supported by specific research or attributed directly to any menstrual researchers. However, beyond these slights, Red Moon has great potential to make a taboo subject approachable. Continue reading...
Tags: birth control pill, blood, Communication, menstrual suppression, Menstruation
Posted in Film, Independent Film, Menstruation, Religion/Spirituality | 2 Comments »
July 8th, 2010 by Elizabeth Kissling
Tags: Birth Control, heavy bleeding, IUD, Mirena, painful periods, teens
Posted in Birth Control, Dysmenorrhea, Girls, Health Care, Menorrhagia, New Research, Pharmaceutical | 1 Comment »
June 14th, 2010 by Laura Wershler
Tags: culture, documentary, Radio, ritual, tradition
Posted in Communication, Menstruation, Radio | Comments Off
June 8th, 2010 by Elizabeth Kissling
Is it just me, or is Tampax’s “Outsmart Mother Nature” campaign wearing a little thin?
These two ads, from the June, 2010, edition of a ladymag, seem lackluster. Visually, they’re just not easy to read.
Serena burns a hole into Mother Nature’s monthly gift? She damages menstruation? How are we to interpret this image?
This one is also a little strange. Cut Mother Nature down to size? Doesn’t this imply reducing one’s period, which is more consistent with the advertising slogans of cycle-stopping contraceptives (e.g., Re-punctuate your life with Seasonique)?
When did the wheels fall off this one, Tampax?
Tags: Celebrities, FemCare advertising, mother nature, Procter & Gamble
Posted in Advertising, Celebrities, Disposable menstrual products, Menstruation | 1 Comment »
May 29th, 2010 by Elizabeth Kissling
Tags: evo-psych, hormones
Posted in Menarche, Menopause, Menstruation, New Research | Comments Off
Readers should note that statements published in re: Cycling are those of individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the Society as a whole.
RSS 
