Bodies

We get a lot of questions at Scarleteen from folks who are worried about periods that are MIA (missing in action, for us civilians). Sometimes there’s a pregnancy concern, and sometimes not; but even if you’re not sexually active, a missing period can be worrying.

After a few years of being the postergirl for alternative approaches to menstruation – writing articles, being interviewed, doing workshops, selling washable pads to women and getting involved in too many party conversations on the topic to possibly count – something is starting to give. The truth is, I’m starting to get a little bit tired of being nice. I’ve lost my patience with trying to pussyfoot around the issue until women are willing to talk about their own blood. And so, as a form of cleansing for me and education for you – should you choose to engage in it – I have penned the following set of arguments dispelling the myths about washable menstrual pads and your period. So there.

Vaginal discharge and secretions are normal and usually healthy. The vagina is a passageway between the outside of the body and the internal reproductive system. Vaginal secretions are how the vagina cleanses and regulates itself – how amazing is that? – in the same sort of way that saliva helps keep your mouth clean and healthy and part of the fertility cycle.

But before you run out and get a lovely bit of metal in your eyebrow, or a gorgeous portrait of Bugs Bunny indelibly inked onto your shoulder, take a moment to read up on body modification, and make sure you know what it’s all about. Tattoos and body piercings can be a great way to express your individuality, but they’re permanent, after all, and not without health risks.

Everything I needed to know about body image I learned in a bathroom in the seventh grade. Well, almost everything.

There’s a whole lot more to this anatomy than meets the eye. Sure, you may know where the penis is… but what about the rest of it? This simple guide walks you through the external and internal reproductive and urinary anatomy for most penis-bearing folks.

What’s the menstrual cycle? How does it all work? What are periods and options for managing them, and when’s it time to check in with a healthcare provider?

There are certain physical, hormonal and psychological mechanics that come into play when it comes to human sexual response, and understanding those is essential to lay the foundation for understanding how sex works for ourselves and for our partners. Once we understand how our bodies work when it comes to sexual response, we’ve won half the battle of learning how to enjoy that and incorporate it as a healthy part of our lives, both alone and with others.

A lot of questions about how to have intercourse, how to masturbate, and worries about what’s all going on down there can be solved by simply getting to know your own body. In fact, I’d gander to say that before you let anyone else get to know it, you’d best know it yourself as well as you know your own face.