It IS possible to have a totally painless, predictable, intuition-enriching and enjoyable period. Every. Single. Month. (mic drop). However, most people are too embarrassed about the topic to talk about it, which leaves very little room for education past what we learned in 4th grade health class. Before we can start to create a new conversation around the topic of menstruation, first we have to dig up the dirt and notice how the cultural stigma has played a part in how we feel about this natural bodily process.

Here are the 5 Biggest Menstruation Myths that have been trying to turn you against your body for years…

Newsflash – PMS is NOT normal. Severe mood swings, irritability, food cravings, extreme fatigue, and sore breasts are all indications that something could be off with your hormone balance. Other causes of PMS include unstable blood sugar, nutrient deficiencies, or unhealthy levels of stress. No matter how long you’ve been suffering from it, PMS is not normal. These symptoms are warning signs from your body each month that something isn’t quite right.

Extreme period pain is also not normal. Severe cramps, migraines, or vomiting are your body’s way of signaling that it is in need of something. If your period pain is severe, contact a doctor who will listen to you. This could be a sign of a bigger health issue. Don’t let anyone tell you, “This pain is just a part of being a woman.” This just isn’t true. Your body was not created to punish you, it was designed to communicate with you.

Fluctuating hormones do not make you an erratic, emotionally unpredictable wildfire. Women’s bodies typically follow a fairly calculable 28ish day cycle. The moon also has a 28.5 day cycle each month. Just like we can predict when the next full moon will appear in the sky, we can also foresee how a woman will feel about certain areas of her life, depending on what day of her cycle she’s in.

During the pre-menstrual phase a woman’s estrogen and serotonin dip a bit every day, resulting in her lowest level of feel-good hormones on the first day of her period. After that, these feel-good hormones start to slowly increase every day until they peak at ovulation. When you begin to learn and understand this pattern, it unlocks incredible potential to accurately predict your energy level, needs and feelings on certain days.

While some women may opt out of having sex during their period, you’ve got a green light to do so if you choose. Some studies show that libido can actually increase in women during this time. Trust your body and go with the flow! Having sex and reaching orgasm can actually reduce menstrual pain and give your mood a boost, due to the feel-good hormones that flood your system. Plus, the contractions of the uterus that occur when a woman orgasms can help to expel blood and tissue from the uterine cavity. This can even shorten the length of your period overall.

Menstrual blood is sometimes considered more disgusting than feces, and that’s just plain ludicrous. In truth, period blood is just regular blood mixed with some vaginal secretions and endometrium, or lining of the uterine wall. The blood itself contains sodium, calcium, phosphate, iron, chloride, and even stem cells! Stem cells are cells possess the unique ability to develop into various other types of healthy cells. They are considered the very building blocks of human life.

Currently, there is significant scientific evidence to support the theory that stem cells found in menstrual blood could potentially be incorporated into treatments for stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and more. There are many ancient myths and legends about period blood being one of the most sacred fluids on the planet. So, the next time you feel squeamish about your period blood, remember it’s not only a sign that you are healthy, it is also a reminder that the power to create and heal lives inside of you.

False! For tens of thousands of years on this planet, periods were seen as an incredible and important part of the creation process. Women’s wombs were considered sacred portals to the divine. It was believed that if the blood of life was not used to create a new human life, in the form of a baby, that this blood could then nurture the creative life of the woman from whom the blood flowed.

The creative dreams, visions, and increased intuitions that menstruating women possessed was so revered, in fact, that they often influenced many Native American tribal leaders on big decisions affecting the entire tribe.

It’s only been in the last 4,000 years that the powers and mysteries of menstruation have been demonized. For 30,000 years before that, it was celebrated!