I love knocking down the taboo of this subject! That really is an interesting observation about how much extra stress is put on our bodies with the extra monthly cycles. I have found myself longing lately for menopause (though I'm not even 40 yet) after over 25 years of relentless bleeding. My cycle has always been quite heavy, but Western culture definitely does not promote slowing down at any point, let alone once a month. When I was younger I tried birth control to help ease the symptoms, but any kind I tried always ended up with side effects that were even worse in the end. Perhaps I need to continue to learn to be kinder to myself during those heavy times and not keep pushing as hard as usual. Thank you for the food for thought here!