Periods Are Not Gross. Period.

A woman [in the crowd] had [suffered from] a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much [suffering] at the hands of many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but instead had become worse. She had heard [reports] about Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His outer robe. For she thought, “If I just touch His clothing, I will get well.” Immediately her flow of blood was dried up; and she felt in her body [and knew without any doubt] that she was healed of her suffering. Immediately Jesus, recognizing in Himself that power had gone out from Him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched My clothes?” His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in around You [from all sides], and You ask, ‘Who touched Me?’” Still He kept looking around to see the woman who had done it. And the woman, though she was afraid and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. Then He said to her, “Daughter, your faith [your personal trust and confidence in Me] has restored you to health; go in peace and be [permanently] healed from your suffering.”

-Mark 5:25-34 AMP

You know what I don’t see in this passage? Jesus saying “Ew” as this woman spoke about the serious period issues she’d been having for 12 years. He listened to her without making a face, without speaking over her, or saying her female issues were “TMI.” Jesus is a man who loves women with tenderness, understanding, and compassion - always. To Jesus, the menstrual cycle is natural - and why wouldn’t it be? Just think, He had a hand in creating it. For those of us who love Jesus and seek to be more like Him, shouldn’t we follow His lead in this as well?

Periods are not gross - they are miraculous!

Through this all too often painful and draining monthly occurrence, all of humanity is born. But, instead of being celebrated, or even respected, those who have a menstrual cycle are shamed into secrecy. To avoid the squimish faces and sarcastic fake gagging, we smile through the cramps and tuck our tampons into our sleeves on our way to the bathroom.

I believe society should do a better job of supporting women in dealing with our periods in general - like, providing menstrual leave once a month so we don’t have to work while we’re in pain. Or, making pads and tampons available for free in public restrooms. At the very least, though, we should give those suffering through their periods the ability to talk about it without fear.

I know, I know, we’re still a long ways off from this on a larger scale, but can you imagine the difference it would make if women felt more supported in the church? Menstrual conditions like endometriosis and PCOS are extremely common and absolutely excruciating. They can often cause cysts or fibroids that debilitate a woman, sometimes for weeks at a time, and have to be surgically removed.

When a woman’s reproductive system goes awry, it can lead to infertility, higher risks for cancer, and multiple periods a month. (Yes, multiple. I’ve had up to 3.) As someone who personally has PCOS (poly-cystic ovarian syndrome - look it up, it’s not fun), I cannot tell you how many grueling and invasive procedures I’ve gone through over the years… by myself. My husband attended an appointment with me recently and held my hand through the procedure. He kissed my forehead and rubbed my stomach as my doctor inserted sharp tools into me. Afterwards, he got me lunch and cuddled with me on the couch for the afternoon while I healed from the appointment. The procedure I endured that day, like all of the others, happened in an office exam room with little to no pain-relief (the most I have ever been offered are Motrin or ibuprofen). That one hour appointment took 4 days of recovery afterwards, with me returning to work after only 2 days of rest. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. Seeing the concern in my husband’s eyes got me thinking - women are so strong, but we shouldn’t have to be. We deserve to have our pain taken seriously, and if we need it, to be “babied”. Because let’s be honest - if men had to endure the monthly bleeding and gynecological exams that we do, they’d be lauded as warriors. Why aren’t we?

Being a woman is beautiful.

Being a woman is powerful.

Being a woman makes us no less worthy of respect.

“A woman [in the crowd] had [suffered from] a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much [suffering] at the hands of many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but instead had become worse.”

Who knows what this woman in scripture was dealing with, or what the cause was behind it. She mentioned the excessive bleeding for 12 years, which likely led to low iron levels (which causes fatigue and compromises the immune system), but she probably had a host of other unfortunate symptoms as well. What if the society of her day (which abhorred periods so much, women on their cycles were forced into isolation) had been more accepting of this natural God-created process? She may have felt more comfortable to share her other symptoms, and then the magnitude of her healing would have been even more apparent to us. I believe Jesus healed her of more than just bleeding (because as a woman, we know it’s never just bleeding). Jesus took 12 long years of cramps away, and perhaps 12 years of weight fluctuation, infertility, nausea, hair loss or even unexplained hair growth, unfair shame… and only He and she knows what else.

I believe that for generations, the church and the world as a whole, has robbed itself of hearing our forcibly hidden testimonies by shaming women into silence about issues that are specific to us. How many women have needed healing, but did not ask for prayer because “periods are gross”? How many women have cried alone and suffered in ways not even their friends know? How many women have received miraculous healing from God like this woman from scripture, but kept it to themselves for the same reason? There could have been thousands of stories just like hers that have gone unheard and uncelebrated. Why?

Some of the most requested necessities among homeless women are pads and tampons. With this being said - how many pad and tampon drives have you seen? The people of God should care about what happens to women because God cares about what happens to women.

“…go in peace and be [permanently] healed from your suffering.” - Mark 5:34