Have you ever heard the term ‘Menstrual Cycle Awareness’? This was actually coined by authors Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer, a concept they explore in depth in Wild Power. They also founded period education organization Red School and have published many other books between them.

Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you're enjoying this interview, please support us by donating a small amount. There’s this way that especially in Western science and culture, we think of humans as separate from nature, instead of understanding that there is interconnection. We are as deserving of care and conservation as the rest of the planet. What I hope is that by putting attention on the material body, we start to notice once again that our bodies are just as worthy of conservation. If we’re not taking care of ourselves, I don’t understand the point of taking care of everything else. The content of the book should be age-appropriate. Most of these books are recommended for girls above 7 years, considering the fact that some girls attain puberty as early as 8 years of age. So, as parents, you know your child better. Choose a book that is suitable for her age group. And always ensure that you read the book first and then hand it over to your child so that you are sure that the content is appropriate for her age. You can also opt for parent-recommended options to ensure the books are appropriate for your child. 2. Readability: Now we’re at the last book you recommended, which is Dangerous Pregnancies: Mothers, Disabilities, and Abortion in Modern America by Leslie Reagan. Tell me about this book.There is a HUGE gaping hole in our education and health care system when it comes to the menstrual cycle. Until this is filled it’s up to us to seek out information for ourselves. This is up to you. Tampons, menstrual cups, disposable or reusable pads (towels) and period underwear are safe and suitable if you've just started your period. You might want to use pads for your very first period as tampons and cups can take some getting used to. It might be worth experimenting until you find the product that suits you best. Can a tampon get lost inside me? So you’ve chosen this book because you like the approach, rather than because it has a menstruation angle per se? Alma Gottlieb is an emeritus professor from my university and my office at work is her old office. She gave me a copy of this book just as I was about to start writing. It’s a cultural anthropology of menstruation. It’s one of the first books that said, ‘Instead of universalizing the idea that all humans have menstrual stigma, let’s actually take a closer look at all of these different groups.’

Susan's Growing Up" is a picture book about periods that has been specially developed for people with learning disabilities. It's from the Books Beyond Words series from the Royal College of Psychiatrists. You can use TV ads for tampons, or buying sanitary towels at the supermarket, for example, to start the conversation about periods. Or simply ask your daughter what she already knows and go from there.Talk to your parent or another adult you trust about what you can expect before it actually happens. Allow questions and keep an open mind to conversations that could be had whilst discussing menstruation. I wish this book had been written before I stopped having them. I might have enjoyed them more! It's brilliant, informative and funny. Period.' - Jennifer Saunders As it goes beyond menstruation to changing the world, what was the message you were trying to get across in your book? Wild Power takes a holistic approach to menstrual cycle education, with particular focus on the emotional and spiritual aspects. In addition, it breaks down the cycle in a way that is relatable and easy to understand, by pairing each phase with an Inner Season.

Then, in my sophomore year in college, I was double majoring in biological anthropology and women’s studies. Instead of large lectures, I had to take some small group seminars and there was one called ‘reproductive ecology.’ I didn’t know what that was, but the class turned out to be about hormones and menstrual cycles and it was with Susan Lipson. It was this realization that I could actually make this thing—that people had said was gross or weird but felt special to me—my life’s work. I could study it in a scholarly way. That was pretty cool. Nadya tells her period story, covers the essentials about menstruation, how it is portrayed in the media and the political environment. Bleeding Thunder is filled with honest and moving stories, poetry and art from genderqueer menstruators, artists and writers. The Zine explores the nuanced and often misunderstood relationship between periods and the trans and non-binary communities. The future is going to be messy. The future is going to include real bodies. How are we going to manage that? We can’t just all sit in a cubicle and sip Soylent all day, as much as some tech bro in Silicon Valley might want that. First, there's no shame. Afraid of nothing. Let's learn more about menstrual equality and spread the word to other people. There are about half of people who get their period, and it's the most basic bodily function, so it shouldn't be kept a secret any more. A primer on the menstrual movement and everything you need to know about periods is one of these books. It also talks about the political activism of the world, how you can make your period work for you, and essays and a memoir about not-so-great periods. Let's get to it now. Important Books About Periods Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement by Nadya Okamoto, illustrated by Rebecca Elfast

Teaching about the latest events?

No, but there is a connection to health, to medicine. What moves me about this book is the incredible detail, compassion and attention that Dr. Reagan puts on all these parents who said, ‘No, my kid deserves something better. And I deserve something better because I don’t want this to happen again.’ Mothers were saying, ‘Nobody is protecting me. I’m going to get rubella and my kid is going to die.’ And another thing. Next year Sophie’s class will see the movieabout body changes, and her classmates are already buzzing about it. Sophie doesn’t want to know about that embarrassing stuff yet. Does that mean she’s immature? How can she prove otherwise? Through stories and folklore, Dr Pinkola Estés outlines the many ways in which women can begin finding their voice, harnessing their power and reclaiming their inner ‘Wild Woman’. The whole cycle is actually very clever, extremely interesting and can tell you a lot more about your life than ‘you need to buy tampons.’

While this book may be a little too ‘woo-woo’ for some, if you are in any way spiritually inclined you will love it! Even if spirituality is not your thing, it is still a worthwhile read and will give you some solid tips for practicing cyclical awareness in every day life. Let’s go through the books you’ve chosen. The first one is The Managed Body: Developing Girls and Menstrual Health in the Global South. Tell me about this book and why you like it. Margaret Simon, almost twelve, likes long hair, tuna fish, the smell of rain, and things that are pink. She’s just moved from New York City to Farbook, New Jersey, and is anxious to fit in with her new friends—Nancy, Gretchen, and Janie. When they form a secret club to talk about private subjects like boys, bras, and getting their first periods, Margaret is happy to belong. Studying variation helps us understand how the environment leads to bodies developing adaptations, and how that creates change over time. So what I love about a biological anthropology approach to periods, for instance, is that we don’t start from a clinical perspective of asking questions around ‘What counts as healthy?’ ‘What counts as diseased?’ Instead, we ask, ‘What’s the full variation of what it means to experience or have a period? And how does that help us inform and understand evolutionary biology?’ There they are: 17 of the best middle grade books about periods and puberty! I’m sure tweens will love these stories. Which of these books have you read? Which ones did I miss? More Book ListsPeriod resources should be for everyone, not just cis women! After all not all women menstruate, not all menstruators are women. You may be referred to a specialist (usually a gynaecologist – a specialist in women's health) to find out what's causing your delayed periods and discuss any treatments that might help. How do I get ready for my first period? Margaret shares her secrets and her spirituality in this iconic Judy Blume novel, beloved by millions, that now has a fresh new look. I teach a general education course called ‘humanizing science.’ It’s a social science course designed for science majors. For the last class of the semester, I assigned two readings that were trying to expose students to a justice-minded way of thinking about the world, to ethics, to understanding the history of science and medicine and the incentive structures and problems of science so they can go and produce a different way of doing science. That’s my big dream.