Feminine "Moon"

Some women call their menstrual periods their "moon" because their hormones are also on a monthly cycle. Some women can look at the moon and say to themselves "crap, moon's almost full/new/waxing gibbous... you know what that means." And some men ponder if that is where the idea of the werewolf really came from...
Some women just say "I'm on the rag" because in olden times women use to shove a rag between their legs and deal with it. That's perhaps where the idea of *shudders* the pad comes from? Tampons were first used by the Egyptians, who were also inventive enough to wax their legs and enjoy vibrators made from jars of buzzing bees!
Most women today still use the ancient practice of using cotton to collect the menses.
At least once a month a lady can expect to pay around $5 for a box of tampons (if she only needs one), $5 for a box of pantyliner or pads because you shouldn't sleep with tampons; unless you wake in 5 hours to change. Maybe every other month $8 will be spent on pain relievers such as Midol or mood enhancers.

Or you could do what I do! You could purchase one menstrual cup. The particular one I use is called the Diva cup, made from silicone. There is also one called the Moon cup which appears to be the UK version. For $35 the diva cup can essentially be used forever, as long as you take care of it and clean regularly. The best part about it is that I never have to worry about going to the store to get anything. If I go camping there is no worry about dry packing tampons to keep out moisture. Depending on how heavy your flow is you can wear your menstrual cup safely up to 12 hours, no more rustling in your purse for tampons during class! I bought mine at a whole foods type store (Earth Fare actually) and haven't seen them anywhere else, but online.


In my last post I mentioned a menstrual massage I found in the book Making Stuff and Doing Things. I want to try to avoid taking pain relievers because I feel it builds up a need for them, and there are better alternatives.
Such as massage!
The lady "on her moon" lays flat on the ground on her belly, arms out and relaxed. Her partner stands next to her facing her feet, using a chair for support, uses the heel of his/her foot to gently "hook"/massage around the pelvic bone. You can first try it with your hands to find the spot I am talking about~ the women should feel relief once massaged. I have tried this and it works. You may have to do it a few times a day for desired relief. Or as much as you want ;)
One other alternative is tea. I am still toying around with the perfect teas for my menses and everybody is different! Chamomile works great so far... avoid green and black tea because of the caffeine.
For me it worked to uplift my mood and relieve my cramps and back ache. St. Johns wort is an excellent natural mood enhancer that can be taken in the capsules but also opened and prepared as tea. But do not take if you are on the Pill, it decreases the effectiveness of it; as well as high doses of vitamin C.
Go out and get you a diva cup, its not for the squeemish, but its made my monthly Moon a lot easier! ;)