Graceful Women: A Deeper Connection

Through my review of the DivaCup, I was fortunate enough to be contacted by the co-founders of Lunapads, Suzanne Siemens and Madeleine Shaw. Wanting to know more about these women, whose philosophy on women’s health and environmental health matched that of Silver & Grace, I read their bios.  This statement about Madeleine jumped off the page at me:

“Switching from tampons to cloth pads brought her the unexpected benefit of discovering a deeper connection with her body”.

I immediately knew I had to have her write a Graceful Women’s post. I am honoured that she accepted my request.  Here is Madeleine’s story.

Connecting with my fertility cycle

 As someone who has built a 17 year career in the field of women’s fertility cycles, I have taken a particular interest in my own cycle and how my relationship to it has changed through my teens, 20s, 30s and now 40s. 

Coming of age as a young woman I was fascinated by menstruation and was an avid reader of Judy Blume’s classic Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret.  The magic of being an adult woman absolutely tantalized me and I could hardly wait to be initiated into its beautiful, powerful mystery.  Menarche itself, however, was painful and unheralded by celebration.

I started using tampons pretty much immediately, and within a few years added birth control pills to my monthly routine. Even as a self-proclaimed feminist in my late teens and early 20s, I never questioned the potential downsides of either of these choices.  It simply felt like the modern, convenient thing to do: freeing even, to have such “control over” and “protection from” my own body.  In hindsight I am appalled at how thoroughly brainwashed I was.  And as for any health or environmental implications, they simply never entered my mind.

When I finally realized that my recurrent bladder infections were connected to my use of tampons, I was in my mid 20s, and I was about as disconnected from my cycle as I could be.  Going off the pill and switching to washable menstrual pads coincided to bring about a profound change: for the first time in my adult life I was actually experiencing my unmitigated, complete cycle from start to finish.  After a few months I was amazed by how different I felt, and literally wept with regret over the years I had abandoned my body and the wisdom that my girl-self had known was there all along.

By chance at about that time I came across a powerful article called The Truth About Tamponsand learned about the environmental impact of disposable pads and tampons, as well as questionable health and regulatory issues, particularly with respect to tampons.  I created a business venture to manufacture alternative products that were reusable and “birthed” Lunapads in 1993 at the age of 25.  I continued my journey to go deeper with my cycle, attending Goddess rituals, reading extensively and reaching out to other women via the internet.

 My 30s brought about yet another major change – just as I had started formally charting my cycle I discovered that I was pregnant with my daughter.  Saying goodbye to my cycle for a while ironically made me all the more grateful for it, feeling for the first time its true purpose and power.  By the time my period resumed over 2 years later I felt as though I was hitting menarche all over again, but this time from a healed, empowered perspective – it felt wonderful.

In the last few years I have noticed that things are shifting yet again and I am unquestionably feeling the onset of peri-menopause.  My period itself remains relatively problem-free, but for about 10 days immediately preceding it I am beset with cramps, moodiness and aching breasts.  The upside is that for the rest of the month I have abundant energy.

What does my body need during this change, what can I learn, and how can I support myself?  With the help of a progressive family doctor, naturopath, massage therapist and simply paying gentle attention to my body, I hope to be able to continue to reap the gifts of my cycle.  And when my cycle finally ceases, I hope I move through the next phase of womanhood with an equal amount of care and grace.

 Madeleine Shaw is co-founder of Lunapads International (www.lunapads.com), the web’s finest collection of natural menstrual products.  She lives in Vancouver Canada with her family.