Aunt Flow. Hell Week. The Crimson Wave. Shark Week. We all know what those phrases are referencing: the dreaded period. We bleed. We cry. We cramp. We eat. We sleep. And then we carry on. We keep living life as though we aren’t losing part of our body every time we get our period. Once we get our first period, we know that this process returns over and over until menopause, where our bodies undergo another big change and our periods stop.

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But what do we know beyond that? What about the rest of the month? Do any of us know what’s actually happening within our bodies before and after our periods? And when we do, how does that impact the quality of our lives? Will we fully understand how our menstrual health is tied to our overall well-being? Will we recognize how to better care for ourselves? Will we respect our body before, during, and after our periods so our overall mental and physical health will improve?

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It’s taken years of learning through experience, talking with other menstruators, and researching to find out what I know now. It’s my hope that in sharing what I’ve learned in this zine series, I can help other menstruators out there improve their quality of life like I’ve learned to with mine. If there’s one thing I want you to take away from reading this guide, it’s that every person’s experience is different-- and that’s ok. It’s up to you to decide what feels best for you and your body. It’s ok to ask for help. It’s ok to have questions. It’s ok to not know all the answers. It’s ok that you have different symptoms and experiences than your friends, family, and other menstruators in your life. And it’s ok to talk about your menstrual health!​
 

Each part in this series is made up of:

1. Information and illustrations about a menstrual related topic (like period products, cycle care, tracking, etc)

2. Activities for your enjoyment and learning like crosswords, coloring pages, etc.

3. Reflection questions

4. Additional resources to explore on your own

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There’s a lot of information in here, and it’s ok if it feels overwhelming. You’re not going to figure everything out on your first try-- and that’s ok too! Feel free to go at your own pace, skip around, fill things in or out-of-order, let it sit for a while, take breaks, get messy, and color to your heart’s content! This is your guide to your cycle-- and you get to choose how you’ll use the information provided. You got this! Let’s get started!