Fertility

The phase of our lives when we are capable of becoming pregnant, but before we become mothers, carries a sense of both potential and danger.

If we become sexually active we must either take steps to prevent pregnancy or live with the fear that it could happen. If an unexpected pregnancy does result, women are the ones who deal with most of the life-altering consequences.

Menstruation

Television ads promise freedom from the discomfort and hassle of menstruating, telling us that we can still play volleyball if we use this brand of tampon or pad. However they also promote a bit of modern mystery by touting the "wings" of one brand or the "special shape" of another.

Women's cycles do carry this aura of mystery about them, even with all the scientific knowledge we now have about them. Girls used to get out of school gym class if they were menstruating. And all sorts of family and cultural taboos might be inherited which forbid swimming, hair-washing or other normal activities during menstruation.

Regardless of TV images or family taboos, we must cope with the physical necessities of our monthly bleeding, which may make us feel proud or ugly or just uncomfortable.

PMS

The scientific community has finally validated what women have known all along -- that Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS) is physical. For years women have been told that it was "all in our heads," but now some real research is being done on PMS and how to cope with it.

Not all women suffer from PMS, and those who do feel it to different degrees. Doctors sometimes prescribe anti-depressants like Prozac to those among us with the most severe symptoms. Some think that PMS accounts for the fact that depression is more prevalent among women than men.

Less drastic remedies include hot drinks, heating pads, vitamin B-6 supplements, ibuprofen for cramps, exercise and drinking more water than usual to compensate for the tendency to eat more salt and chocolate during this time. Alcohol and other drugs affect most women more strongly during the week before their periods; even using hair color or bleach may cause a rash or other discomfort during this phase of our cycles.

Becoming a Woman

Though we hear much more about the coming-of-age rituals of men in various cultures, some people do celebrate a girl's transition to womanhood. In the United States, "sweet sixteen" and debut parties may seem old-fashioned, but they still exist. In Latin countries, a girl's fifteenth birthday -- her quinceñera -- is an occasion of major festivities, often with formal dress, an orchestra, food and dancing.

The Jewish Bat Mitzvah for 12- and 13-years-old girls is a relatively recent ritual, arising from a feminist insistence on equality. Jewish women protested the inequities inherent in the custom of recognizing a boy's manhood with a Bar Mitzvah while girls had nothing to mark their entry into womanhood. This manifests only on the reform side of the religion, not in the Orthodox.

Indigenous communities all over the world have some version of a puberty ceremony for girls. One example is the Flower Dance of the Karuk, Hupa, Wintu and other northern California Indians.

More on Women's Cycles:

Women's Cycles
Birth Control
Pregnancy
Menopause

Recommended Links on Fertility and Menstruation:

iVillage All Health Channel
iVillage Parentsplace Channel
iVillage Parent Soup Channel