Unite For The Uterus

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?Menstruation Matters: Period Myths Debunked

It’s a little crazy how little most women know about the female body. From a younger age girls start to hear about how gross their period is and immediately start hiding their armor in their purses to protect themselves from Lady Flow coming to town and destroying their seat cushions and favorite pieces of clothing. However, its extremely important for girls to realize that a woman’s time of the month is a beautiful thing that deserves to be celebrated and not shamed.

Girls generally get their period between the ages of twelve and thirteen. Their Menarche (the first occurrence of menstruation) happens due to the rise and fall of hormones throughout the body. This cycle results in the thickening of uterus linking and the growth of an egg (which is required for pregnancy) nutrients are provided to the embryo through the thick linking of the uterus. If the woman is not pregnant, the lining is released in what is known as menstruation.

As you can see from the information above, menstruation is as normal and natural a process as breathing. It is a signal that the girl has grown to become a woman and that she is fertile and beautiful. However, there are all sorts of stigmas associated with a woman’s period that cause young women to be scared to engage in normal activities or cause discomfort when discussing subjects related to their periods. Today we will talk about a few of those issues and put some of the myths to rest so we can empower young women to feel beautiful in their bodies no matter what time of the month it is.

5. Sharks Will Attack Women On Their Periods

I blame the movie Jaws for this one. While it is true that sharks can detect a drop of blood from .25 miles away, there is no data to support the belief that menstruating females are at an increased risk for shark attacks. Sharks have extraordinary sensory competencies so it is very likely that they can certainly detect menstrual discharge that naturally occurs when a women is menstruating. However, this detection is similar to the detection of a splash nearby or a loud noise and is not likely to attract sharks to attack. They do not associate the fluid involved in menstruation with feeding opportunities.

So for everyone (guys and girls) out there thinking menstruation attracts sharks, think again before you blame periods before you’re peeing in the ocean. Which nobody does of course because that’s gross…right?

4. You Cannot Get Pregnant During Your Period

This isn’t true, despite what a lot of people believe. Tell your friends. Tell every female you know who’s sexually active or plans to be any time soon. You CAN get pregnant during your period. Once inside you, sperm can live for 3-5 days. Ovulation can occur during, or soon after, the bleeding phase. If you don’t want to get pregnant, either don’t have sex, or use birth control every single time you do.

Some people attempt to use the “rhythm method” to prevent pregnancy. In other words, they only have sex during the “safe” days of pregnancy, when the woman is least likely to have an egg around. If you have really regular periods, you keep track of them carefully, and you can estimate the time when you ovulate by changes in the thickness of cervical mucus or body temperature, you might have a slightly better chance to avoid pregnancy for a while. The “rhythm method” teaches us that no time is completely “safe” for avoiding pregnancy.

3. A Tampon Can Get Lost Inside Your Vagina

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This is probably the silliest one I think I have ever heard, so ring the alarms and tell the world NOTHING CAN GET LOST INSIDE YOUR VAGINA. Your vagina ends at your cervix and there is no physical way that a tampon can get beyond that. The vagina is only about 3-4 inches long (although it does stretch to accommodate for intercourse or birth of a child), so chances are that if you did insert a tampon you will be able to feel it when its time for removal.

From personal experience when I was a young girl there was a lot of period shaming happening. I remember being told by my mother that tampons were for girls that had already had other things inside them. This made me feel really uncomfortable and dirty for wanting to use tampons and I didn’t for years. However, pads and other options were really uncomfortable for me. They made me feel even more dirty and kind of like I was wearing a diaper. Eventually I just bit the bulliet and started using tampons but the point is that there are striking similarity between the sexism of “slut shaming” and “period shaming“. Girls are made to feel uncomfortable about using products that are completely natural. ITS NOT OKAY, and we are here to put a stop to it.

2. Periods Are Debilitating For Women

Can you imagine a life where you were asked to miss work every single month even if you do not feel sick? This is a reality of women all across the world whose employees enforce a strong policy on women not being allowed to come to work when they are on their period. Its a much bigger deal in some places than in others, however in multiple Eastern countries such as South Korea, China, Japan and Indonesia there are laws that provide women sick leave during menstruation. The argument continues to be about whether this is a medical necessity or a form of discrimination against women.

Personally, I have experienced extreme pain when on my period. For days at a time I would be crouched in the fetal position wondering if I would ever have the capacity to have a normal week. After doing some research I discovered that I am a part of only a small percentage of women that experience severe symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). Apparently, only 20 percent of women report severe pain during their periods. (Thanks Aunt Flow!) There is also data and experience that documents women doing amazing things while menstruating, even such as running a marathon!

1. PMS Is All In Your Head

Those mood swings and cravings you feel just before your period arrives? Totally real and totally normal. Phew! A minimum of 20 percent of women have emotional and physical symptoms of premenstrual syndrome five days before their period starts. “Symptoms can range from bloating, fatigue, and changes in your appetite, to anxiety, tension, dizziness, and/or tender breasts,” says Dr. Nucatola. Both exercise and over the counter pain medication have been known to lesson the symptoms, but if they are really bad, see your doctor for alternate options.

Ladies you are all beautiful and you are all wonderful all times of the month. Menstruation is a beautiful process that happens to you throughout the majority of your life. It is a symbol that you are a grown and healthy woman. So the next time you feel uncomfortable or disgruntled by your period just remember that it is a symbol of your womanhood and its a beautiful thing you should feel empowered to embrace!

?#TBT Women’s Liberation in American History

February 9, 2017 / mrangel5 / 0 Comments

It’s 2017 and millions of citizens peacefully protested for women’s rights around the world but what exactly lead to this event to occur in this current age where we have advanced in so many ways? After seeing images of elderly women holding protest signs reading “I can’t believe I still have to protest this sh*t” from the marches I really began to wonder what have the women in America faced before me and what does that say about where we are today. In order to understand the current issues that women are facing in America, I think it’s important to understand the history of women’s rights in America and what we can do about the future of women.

Women have faced various issues in American history like restrictions towards voting, employment opportunities, access to education, unfair treatment, unequal pay, reproductive rights, maternity leave, and violence. The shocking thing is that many of these are still very prevalent today some have improved which shows a sign of progression. The women’s rights movement arose out of the frustration towards the unfair treatment around the mid-1800’s with the National Women’s Rights Convention that brought attention to the struggles they faced (Imbornoni). I can’t even imagine how shocking this was for a male dominated society to hear their frustrations but the voice of women needed to be heard.

The women’s suffrage reform movement soon began but weren’t granted the right to vote until the 19th amendment was passed in 1920 over 50 years after the women’s rights movement began. The women’s movement also focused on labor issues because they weren’t given equal employment opportunities and wages due to discrimination and the strong belief in traditional gender roles. Some areas of the U.S. were more forward-looking than others offering new jobs for women but while still setting limitations like in Illinois they weren’t allowed to practice law (Imbornoni). These new advances were great and all but it mainly applied to white women leaving all women of color behind. Okay, so some progress nonetheless with restrictions on the side but what about women of color?

The National Association of Colored Women was formed in 1896 with the mission of “raising to the highest plane the home life, moral standards, and civic life of our race” (Imbornoni). This divide between these movements relates to the current issues with white feminism which is so important why our feminism must intersectional if we want to grow as a gender and seek equality. Another big historical event was the creation of Planned Parenthood in 1942 and the invention of birth control soon after that. With these new establishments for reproductive health, there came a lot of backlashes that resulted in restrictions towards access to contraceptives and abortions. So it turns out that our current issues with women’s rights aren’t so new therefore making the statements on those elderly woman’s signs at the protest totally reasonable.

The rights that we have today were only possible after years of our fellow women demanding equality and though we’re not quite there yet we could be heading in the right direction but how many more years will it take? I think that this question is one of the biggest reason that the Women’s March was so powerful because we have come a long way and don’t want to regress especially after the misogynous comments that our President made during his election. Fighting for equal treatment has never been easy and will remain a challenge and this is the time that we need to stand up to the fight and continue not only for ourselves but for all the ladies of the world. The want for basic human rights, justice and liberation is nothing new and we need to bring our strength together to fight for all women, our society, and for future generations like in the past women have for us!
Imbornoni, Ann-Marie. “Women’s Rights Movement in the U.S.” Infoplease. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2017.

?The Women’s March

February 5, 2017 / slonge / 0 Comments

The nationwide Women’s Marches occurred on January 21st, 2017. The purpose of each march was to unify women of all backgrounds that were insulted, demonized and threatened in this past election year. The objective was to stand together in solidarity for our nation to hear our voice. This was one of the largest protests in the United States’ history. More than 650sister marches occurred throughout the world with more than 4,956,000 protestors. These marches occurred not only in countries such as France, Poland, Bulgaria and Italy, but also in our home state of Texas. Austin itself brought together 100,000 protestors.

The Women’s March participants, united to fight for human rights. The marches fought to end violence in all forms, for example police brutality, ending racial profiling and the targeting of communities of color. They fought for reproductive freedom, LGBTQIA rights, workers rights, civil rights, disability rights, immigrant rights, and environmental justice. Many protestors felt President Trump expressed misogynistic views throughout his presidential campaign and chose to fight and stand against him. I was lucky enough to participate in the Austin Women’s March and I want to share my story with you.

I was raised in a conservative family that struggles to see their opponent’s views. Growing up I never fully understood what I truly believed until I went to college. I found my voice and wasn’t afraid to fight for what I valued. I was invited to the Women’s March in Austin, Texas via Facebook, which is how the coordinators organized to get the public interested. I immediately accepted and was ready to stand in unity with my fellow community.

I arrived two hours before the March on Texas was scheduled to begin; I walked on our capitol hill and stopped at every table, signed every petition, and wrote my email down multiple times for more information on how to get more involved. People drove hours, and even chartered buses. There were volunteer and nonviolent protest training days to ensure the safety of this March. Organizers also invited speakers and musicians to inspire and advocate on the Capitol steps. As the two hours flew by the number of people coming in with their signs, and wearing their pussy hats blew me away. Some inspiring signs read, “Hope will never be silent”, “Teach love”, “Women’s rights are human rights”, and “Strong women stand together”. Those were a few of the inspirational signs and chants we yelled at the top of our lungs as we stood on Capitol Hill and began to march. The men, women, and children that stood around me inspired me and motivated me to know that it is possible to make a difference in the world.

No pepper spray was sprayed, no policemen had to step in and no violence erupted. Even though President Trump may expresses misogynistic views, but our country will not stand for it and fight back. In order to move forward and make a change we must unite and understand where our opponent’s views come from to unite and create a more peaceful and inclusive world. These large protests will go down in history and show the generations to come that they too can make a change.

?Welcome to Unite For The Uterus!

February 5, 2017 / kszendre / 0 Comments

In a state where women of all ethnicities, backgrounds and ages are marginalized, sexualized and not heard 100% of the time it is up to us, women, to stand up for what women deserve. Unite For The Uterus aims to provide a place for women to be supported, educated and informed on issues that affect them directly. This group is not only for women, it is for those who advocate for women, and those who might need help understanding the issues. Unite For The Uterus is here to inform, advocate and spread hope.

Throughout this blog you will find various topics that affect women and girls worldwide. Each week Unite For The Uterus will feature a new controversial issue or simply an important topic that needs more attention brought to it. Some will directly deal with policy and legislation and what is happening with these issues. Topics planned to discuss are abortion, periods, intersectional feminism, birth control and more. If there are topics you would like to know more about, let us know within the comments! Our goal is to educate and inform in a fun and engaging way, with a goal for women’s equality at the forefront of our mission.

Some topics introduced on Unite For The Uterus may be unfamiliar to some, but one of our main goals is to educate. Our hope is for the State of the Uterus to be an open place for people to express ideas, concerns, questions and anything else that pertains to women in the world. We encourage discussion in order to broaden each other’s viewpoints and opinions. We strongly discourage all forms of malicious behavior and it will not be tolerated from our organization. Comments of such nature will be subject to deletion. We want this to be a informative, yet safe space for people of all backgrounds and perspectives.

Our organization doesn’t stop at this blog. We can also be found on Twitter and Instagram as @UFTUterus. On those platforms we hope to connect with other organizations who’s values encourage equal rights for women. We will also use Twitter and Instagram to announce our topics of the week, so be sure to keep an eye on those to know when we have new content coming your way!

The first topic of discussion will be the Women’s March which occurred on January 21st, 2017. The purpose of the march was to unify women of all backgrounds to come together in order for our voices to be combined into one loud roar. The roar was deafening and was one of the largest protests in United States history. It got many people involved and inspired work towards the goal of equality. More information on the march will be coming soon on our blog! We look forward to tackling these hard and controversial issues with the world, while opening up a dialogue to people from all walks of life and reminding the world what truly unites us. For now, be sure to follow our Twitter as we begin this journey of female empowerment!