Female Cycles

On average, one-quarter of a woman s life between early teens and early fifties is spent menstruating. Her later adult life is shaped by the onset, presence and passing of that time loosely described as menopause. And post-menopause, her female cycles continue too. Most of us want to behave, during these times, as though nothing were happening to our bodies. But we are affected, not only by physical changes but also by a set of taboos, myths and conditioned responses, often only dimly realised. Paula Weideger makes common sense out of a mass of medical and social research and places the mystification of menstruation and menopause within an ancient historical and cross-cultural tradition. Female Cycles is a book of practical information which also makes fascinating reading. It assumes that we are interested in knowing how our bodies work; that we are interested in knowing to what extent biology does - or needs to - determine our behaviour. It invites us to reclaim menstruation and menopause and to value the rewards and minimise the discomfort of every stage of our female cycles.