Do men have periods?!
PRINT PAGE
Do men have periods?!
When I first came across the concept that men too go through cycles I confess I didn’t really get it. Introduction to Our Cycles – Period and Full Moon Diary App designed by Natalie Benhayon, who was at the time 24 years, a lady entrepreneur, a presenter, and a lover of all things related to human health and well-being, shed a lot more light on the relationship between women and their cycles, but I was still left pondering - men having cycles … hmm … as in men and period cycle, really!?
"Everything in nature has a cycle and so do you" ~ Natalie Benhayon
Natalie explains that history has long recorded the effects of the moon cycle on men.
-
Anecdotal evidence from staff at accident and emergency rooms confirms increased activity around the time of the full moon cycle.
-
There are even legends, that suggest that some men turn into wolves at this time of month and bite the nearest person! Now, that is a severe case of PMT! Joking aside, says Natalie, obviously men don’t get periods, but like everything in nature they certainly do have a cycle.
So why is it that men don’t know, or don’t speak about their cycle?
Natalie elaborates that it’s difficult for men at times to stop and be aware that they have a month-to-month cycle that their body and well-being follows. Women cannot ignore the physical facts of their menstrual cycle and girls are generally taught about menstruation. However, the fact that men have cycles based on the moon is not generally accepted or taught in society.
I wondered how men would receive the Our Cycles – Period and Full Moon Diary App. I was told that the initial trial of this App with men was a little tricky but as men became more willing to try it and track their cycles the reception and effectiveness has proven its money's worth.
Some male Our Cycle App users have reported that they had not connected their mood and well-being changes to the cycle around the full moon until they started tracking it all down in the App!
At 25 JB says: “With this awareness I am able to be honest about what is going on and no longer have to ‘wolf out during the full moon’. I am starting to take more tender care of myself during this time and it makes a real difference. This has been a revelation. I have also found that the more I do take care of myself during the Full Moon Cycle, the greater vitality I have for the rest of the month as well. This app is awesome.”
What of this deep tenderness in men?
- All men have natural tenderness says Natalie, however, traditionally men have not been widely encouraged to treat themselves with the tenderness and deep-regard that they deserve.
Why as a society do we encourage self-care for women but not for men?
- Indeed, responds Benhayon, and it is high time to change our ways of thinking. The App offers men an opportunity to reclaim being tender and caring and explore the very real strength and true power of self-awareness and self-responsibility.
We like to believe that it is biceps and triceps, but instead it is self-care, tenderness and self-awareness that give men an undeniable strength and these are just some of the qualities that make the new-school gentleman exactly that, Natalie adds. This App is for that man and for all the rest, ready to live the awesome, gentle-men they naturally are.
Rather than consciously or unconsciously reacting to the pressures of life without pause, the full moon cycle provides a great opportunity for men to self-reflect, observe and let go of any built-up stresses that may have accrued during the month.
The Our Cycles – Period and Full Moon Diary App is a fruit of Natalie’s own labour and her immense passion, purpose and dedication to support women and men with their cycles – be it period, menopausal or full moon.
As a woman, I can testify that the App is a phenomenal, super simple tool in assisting and offering a tremendous support in developing a much deeper relationship with ourselves than one might consider possible.
“The App offers a possibility that life doesn’t have to be a random series of unrelated events, but a constant experience of the choices that we have made.” ~ Natalie Benhayon
Through the use of the App I have also come to know that Natalie Benhayon is one of those (perhaps rare) people who can make extraordinary things so very ordinary!
