Why I love having my period

I’m lying. Who in their right mind enjoys their uncontrollable bleeding vagina every month? Not me, and not any other sane woman I know.

Let’s talk about the monthly bleeding that makes me want to rip my uterus out and burn it. The ‘novelty’ of having your first ever period when you’re just hitting puberty soon wears away after discovering the traumas of never being able to own any non-stained pants ever again.

“Being a woman is great” they say. “You can give life, grow a human being inside you!” Yes, that may be amazing (for some) but the consequences that come with the ‘privilege’ are not. Periods are, unfortunately, a part of womanhood that almost every female must suffer, and trust me…it will become the bane of your life. 

The bloated-ness, hunger, angriness, fatigue, mood swings, stomach cramps and all the other benefits of menstruating don’t exactly make me feel privileged to be a woman. Firstly, the expense is shocking. With an average price of £3.50 for a pack of tampons, I feel like crying every time I hand my money over to the cashier at boots.

Why is something that causes me so much pain so expensive? Having sanitary products is not a luxury, it’s a necessity, yet we spend over £18,000 on having periods in our lifetime. It’s a joke.

And it’s not as if periods are just a day event, something that will pass. They last a week. Every month. That’s ¼ of our lives spent bleeding uncontrollably. The joys.

And cramps! I had never experienced such bad stomach ache until my first period. And I know I’m not the only one; 91% of women in the UK have needed to purchase pain relief medication to help ease period cramps. It’s the gift that’s keep on giving.

Menstrual cups, sponges, period panties (I like how they attempt to market them as ‘cute’), you name it, I’ve tried it. But nothing seems to make my time of the month any less traumatic than the last.

Nothing is easy about having a period. Nothing is cheap about having a period. And nothing is fair about having a period.

Being a woman is hard enough already.

Having periods is just the icing on top the cake.

#Periodsarebull. Period.