The Menstrual cycle 101 - Online class (Gender neutral)
What is the menstrual cycle? How stress, food restriction and weight loss affect the cycle, amenorrhea, how to track the cycle and how to support it
"We have been socialized to view periods as something that only occurs for cis-gendered women, but people of all genders and identities can have a period and acknowledging this does not take away any of the empowerment many have from their period"
NOTE: Anyone who enrolls in Food Freedom Fundamentals automatically gets access to the menstrual cycle class so no need to buy both if you have Food Freedom Fundamentals. If you want to learn more about Food Freedom Fundamentals then click here
My education of the menstrual cycle was a very common one! The "girls" were split from the "boys" and only the girls were taught about it and even then, the education was awful. It was not empowering, it led many people to dread their periods, left not knowing how we could support it and left with a fuck ton of shame around it.
When I was younger I always knew that one day I would create a small library of resources for people. I wanted to share my thoughts, perspectives and what the research/science had taught me and that's where this school came from. This class in particular was a passion project for me. As a nutritionist I'm aware that it may seem a bit left field for me to be talking about the menstrual cycle but it is so interconnected with so many parts of our wellbeing and health.
This lecture is an depth discussion about the menstrual cycle and it covers:
- The menstrual cycle; a gendered concept?
- The four phases (two phases, two events) that occur (Hormone changes, common feelings, energy levels, things to expect, things people often crave, how to support the body through each phase etc)
- The story we are told around periods and why its wrong
- How stress, food restriction and intentional weight-loss affect the cycle
- Amenorrhea
- How the cycle changes over time
- How to track your cycle
Who is this lecture for?
This lecture is not just for people who have a period, this is for anyone who wants to learn more about the menstrual cycle, who wants to understand that it's not just cis gendered women who get periods, to begin to work on understanding the misogyny surrounding periods, to understand how lifestyle factors can influence the menstrual cycle and how we can support the cycle
What to except:
- Non-gendered language ( We don't assume that only cis-gendered women have periods)
- Both a written and audio version
- No medicalization of bodies (no fatphobia, weight stigma etc)
- Written and presented using plain language, no academic of scientific language that isn't explained
- Written and presented through a Health at Every Size lens
- 1 hour long
- All prices are in Australian dollars.
- Lifetime access to this lecture and any updates
NOTE: I am committed to learning/unlearning language around gender, the body, health, sexuality and identities and I'm certainly not perfect. I do my best, I'm sure I mess up but I always aim to do better. I'm very open to feedback so if please feel free to email me at [email protected] and I will aim to do better.
"I was 24 when I learned that their were different phases of the menstrual cycle, that these phases were linked to changes in energy levels, mood, hormonal fluctuations and that my body's needs differed throughout the cycle. In this class I wanted to share the ways in which we can support our body throughout the menstrual cycle (if that's something we want/can do)."