Pandemic Periods

What were you taught in regards to period education at school? What was the material and how did it make you feel? In this episode we explore menstrual education and curriculum, discussing our personal stories, opinions, and inquiries we have surrounding this subject. 

In celebration of National Native American Heritage month, we've invited guest speaker Alexa Vrzovski (she/her) on our show! Alexa Vrzovski is a mixed race Indigenous woman from Ahousaht Nation in British Colombia, Canada. Growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood away from her reserve in Ontario, Alexa didn’t begin finding her indigenity until connecting with the Indigenous community at McMaster where she became passionate about traditional practices and politics. Arriving from a place of privilege, Alexa seeks to use her voice to empower and amplify the voice of Indigenous women. Through her work with McMasters Indigenous Health Movement as the community representative she not only raises awareness to the health disparities that are present in Indigenous communities, but deepens her own relationship with her identity, all while working with and meeting incredible people!

Welcome to Season 2 of the PERIOD McMaster Podcast! In this episode we'll discuss all about our menstrual cycle, common misconceptions, and even funky names of how periods were talked about - Aunt Flow, Menstrosity?! We're keeping it 100% real like we do in all of our episodes. Stay tuned for further episodes - tata for now!

"I would rather be clean than full." In this episode, the PERIOD team discusses period poverty, US prisons and period products, as well as government policies that hinder the accessibility and affordability of menstrual items. We react to a video called, 'How Do Homeless Women Cope With Their Periods? | NSFWomen' and discover the many hardships that homeless women face on the streets. From transforming their tank tops, socks, and plastic bags to tampons, we find out how at risk these individuals can be. Is this a health problem? What can we do to stop this from happening? Why do people have to choose between eating a meal and paying for period products? We also discuss the extreme prices of these products within US prisons and ponder about the basic human rights that all menstruators are entitled to. 

In today's episode Celia, Claire, Sarah, Micaela, Catherine, Japleen, and Mave discuss their periods during the pandemic. From mental health, fatigue, anxiety, academic stress, and toxic positivity, we find ourselves struggling to make peace with our periods in a time where society demands we be the best. What are some period care tips? The whole mix - from meditation, exercise, period sex, or even becoming okay with not being okay. How about sustainable period products? While reusable menstrual products are helpful and environmentally friendly, there are also some questionable factors about them that make them inaccessible.