Period.

Much to my dismay, I didn't get my period until I was 15. I was a "Late Bloomer."When you are an adolescent girl that seems like an eternity.   EVERYONE else has theirs, why not me?  What's wrong with me?

From there the relationship with my hormone cycles only became more complex.  How to keep it concealed when I was having it? Do I get PMS? (Thanks culture for making me paranoid of having cycles of emotions.) What to do about birth control? Some work better than others, but what if those some seem to have negative impact on my body, libido, and emotions?  What's this crazy intense pain I am getting now? I have endometriosis?  I have severely reduced chance of getting pregnant if I want? But I am only 25, I have to decide now? I have to have surgery again?  Why am I bleeding all of the time? If it's so hard for me to get pregnant, how did it happen while using birth control?  

I don't think I am alone in this journey through my years of fertility as a woman, but from what I can see right now, I  don't believe it ends when your period ends.  On April 30th, 2016 I  started what would become my last period ever in this body.  On May 3rd I had a hysterectomy.  They ended up having to also take my left ovary as it was encapsulated in endometriosis. 

I consider myself a decently educated person, and certainly educated about female sexuality, as I am a community sexual health educator for Planned Parenthood and teach my own class for women; Sacred, Spirited, and Sexy.   I will tell you that I thought that the journey through hysterectomy and healing would be a breeze because I knew what to expect and I do my personal work on things. It hasn't been,  and I definitely felt blindsided.  

I am learning so much about myself, my body, and my spiritual journey.  I hope that you will join me as I unpack these experiences through my next few blog posts.