About

Hi!  I’m Suzan.

I began my menstrual journey at age 15 with a belted pad & knowledge that a week each month my body would betray me.

I was lost where periods were concerned & embarrassed to ask for help/advice because all my friends started at 12. My periods were so heavy that I wore plastic panties and still leaked often.  I remember leaking on my clothing & what I sat on at school, on the bus & at home.

No one talked about periods. I thought my experience was unique – that I was odd. Embarrassment kept me silent. Periods made me sad. I hated my periods, dreading when it would start & the messes I would make, & the embarrassment I would feel.

Tampons were my salvation & I used them religiously — I would often use 2 or 3 tampons together. I got TSS at age 21 but kept using tampons – I was more afraid of leaks than of dying from TSS. I slipped into the pattern of making it through each month by hanging onto the fact that for one week I would like who I was.

That pattern began to unravel as a friend shared with me the wonders of my cycle & especially the joys of menstruation and revealed the truth that I am “me” every day of my cycle. And that “me” is awesome no matter if it’s Cycle Day (CD) 1 with cramps and flow, CD 14 with ovulation, or PMSing CD 26. Each day of my cycle offers something uniquely mine.

My life changed forever when I began to embrace my cycle. Instead of working against my period, I began to work with her & she began to reward me in ways I had never imagined.  I began to enjoy my cycle, even the parts I had previously hated.  I looked for the strengths that menstruation brought and sought ways to work with my body during that time. Menstruation became the highlight of my cycle.

Currently my work as a menstrual activist and educator includes many roles: mentor, friend, writer, speaker, teacher, and perpetual student.  I also serve as the Director of Connectivity for You ARE Loved (a non-profit that raises awareness about TSS) and as the Manager of North American Operations for Lunette (makers of an amazing reusable menstrual cup).

I would love to hear from you! Lets connect:

 

 

Period Wise is devoted to openness about menstruation and to assisting women of all ages in becoming more period wise.

 

4 thoughts on “About

  1. Carolyn

    Congratulations on the website, Suzan! I’m glad you have found yet another way to keep in touch with girls and women. The world genuinely benefits from your wisdom and openness about periods.

    Reply
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