Recently, one of my friends had an ectopic pregnancy. She underwent surgery to remove the unborn foetus, and had to lay in bed for a few days to recover. Fortunately, my friend has 2 children, and was able to overcome her depression and sense of loss quickly.
My friend is in her mid 30s and is highly accomplished in her field of work. She had been under tremendous stress at work over the past few months. So when her periods got delayed, she attributed it to stress and did not even realise she was pregnant.
When she spoke with me, she was wondering why she had an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy even though her previous 2 pregnancies had been very smooth. She actually confided in me that she did not even know exactly what “ectopic” pregnancy meant. I explained the female organs, their functions and the menstrual and ovulation cycles to her.
That got me thinking. How well do women really know their own cycles – on a general level, do they understand what happens in the female cycles, and on a specific level, are they in touch with their own bodies?
I did a quick survey of some female friends, and it appeared they did not really know what happened within their bodies. Unless there was a problem, they did not actually bother to find out. This was very surprising to me.
We females spend time and money in looking good, we read fashion magazines, we gawk at pictures of actresses and models with perfect figures and perfect skin, yet we do not know much about our own bodies.
My view is that only when we understand the miraculous gift that our body is, can we work with it to achieve perfect health. After all, this is the only body we have – shouldn’t we give it some respect?
I am certainly not suggesting that every woman should take a biology course (anatomy & physiology), but understanding our cycles can go a long way towards maintaining great health using natural means.
There are millions of websites out there that explain the female body. I particularly like the books by Dr. Christiane Northrup, a physician who supports and recommends natural means of achieving perfect health.
Her all-time classic is “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom”. My second favourite is “The Wisdom of Menopause”. Check out these books at Amazon.com. They will serve you well.
Celebrate Your Body…..
Vimala
