Do you remember when you first got your period? Do you remember your teen years? Tween years? I look back on some of my tweenager years and don’t have fond memories. Lots of big emotions, and some, yes, were due to external factors, however often times emotions that weren’t coming from a grounded state and solid train of thought.
A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of experiencing a treatment by Carly Rae (www.carlyrae.ca….check her out – she’s phenomenal) and we were talking about women’s health and specifically the transition from girlhood into womanhood (these are my words, not hers…I’m not certain there is something called ‘girlhood’…there is now J) She used the word chaotic to describe this transition.
When she did, I had this ‘aha moment’, a reawakened passion to support this process in my patients and a crazy train of thoughts that I will take you through now.
I went home and looked further into why this transition would be linked to the word chaos. What I found through reading on ancient mythology and the divine feminine was that there’s a rhyme and a reason why we are chaotic in our nature and that there is a greater purpose to why we are this way, which serves males, females and children in the bigger picture.
Describing the female reaching womanhood as ‘chaotic’ can be perceived as a negative thing. You, my parent friends to tween/teenage woman, know this. It’s filled with highs and lows of emotions, with lashing out at people they feel safest with (that’s you, my peeps!) and a lot of gray hairs.
However when Carly said chaotic, there was this fire in my belly and this vision in my head of such incredible beauty, growth, creativity, color, dynamic, light, dancing, powerful, earthly movements.
Aren’t all of these traits and characteristics and words to describe life, what we hope for in our young women? How do we encourage these positive thoughts and help support and navigate our children through this chaotic time without suppressing the actual process?
SIDE NOTE (only because I’m on a role in my ‘realization’!!): Carly went on to make another comment that struck me. Men are typically linear. As I sat with this, this is what I came to…linear in their train of thought, their physique, their movement. We as female, in this society, are encouraged to be ‘linear’ human beings as well. Whether it is the way workout programs are designed based on men’s physique, or even standard health practices and care of women’s heart health based on research on men! That’s crazy to me! Women, generally speaking, cannot fit into a randomized control trial as easily as men. Our hormones and the effects on the rest of the body are generally less known. We are quite unexplored and so fascinating. So, chaos it is.
Did you know - When a female first gets their menstrual cycle it is ‘normal’ to have an irregular cycle for the first 1 – 2 years?
Did you know - Hormonal fluctuations new to a body can cause acne and heavy periods?
Did you know - Hormonal changes can cause emotional fluctuations?
So yes - absolutely this time in our lives advancing into motherhood can feel chaotic for sure.
Often I see female tween patients come in with irregular periods or heavy painful periods who have taken/are currently using the birth control pill and subsequently on anti depressants as they are diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety.
The birth control pill is not my preference for this age group. This, in my opinion is the perfect example where conventional medical route should meet naturopathic route. Scratch the synthetic hormone input into a body that is brand new to forming its own flow of hormones, and head on over to get support so that your own body learns to navigate its way through the shift into womanhood and create a smooth cycle. Makes more sense to me.
I should be very clear, I am NOT completely against the birth control pill if we are using it for birth control (its not my first choice, however I can get into that another time). I AM against the pill when it comes to prescribing it for the treatment of a) irregular periods in early teens b) heavy periods in early teens and c) acne (mostly in early teens however, arguably at any age).
The cycle of a new woman should be supported. Her liver is working extra hard metabolizing all of these hormones new to her body. So lets help the flow! The uterus and the ovaries are just understanding how to develop eggs, release them, build a lining in the uterus, shed a lining in the uterus, and contract as a muscle (the uterus). We can nurture the body through this process to minimize painful periods, smooth out the highs and lows of emotions and minimize skin breakouts.
Even symptoms that are outside of ‘normal’ in a newly menstruating woman such as prolonged periods, extremely heavy periods, very inconsistent and prolonged lengths of time in between periods, severe cramping, severe mood swings, can be supported. As much chaos that this period in your life ensues, it can be supported to make it as smooth as possible!
The bottom line though, girlhood to womanhood is NOT linear. It curves and loops and jumps and bounces. Emotions do, bodies do, and the mind does. Our society, over the years has grown accustomed to wanting ‘linear’. Linear is easy to understand. We can fit it into a scientific box. I understand this as I feel I personally feel safest here.
However, it dawned on me, why TF would we EVER want to place our journey to womanhood on a straight line? Chaos allows for energy to shift and move and grow – THIS is what I want for my daughter. THIS is what I want for patients – I want their spark, their light to shine brightly and I believe by supporting the body through this transition will allow girls to grow into women and totally rock the SH$T out of this world.
So, to parents supporting teens – my children are yet to be teens so this is not advice coming from personal experience. Its based on my medicine and what I want for womankind in the long run. Hold your seat, parent friends, ‘cause it may be a wild ride. I am here to smooth the highs and lows out, without squashing their light. I am here to support you and your daughters.
Big love on this Happy Day to you!
