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The Red Lotus Blog
Here you'll find a curated collection of all things menstruality. We link to the latest evidence-based menstrual health studies and high-quality news items. And we add in our own voices with personal MCA reflections and posts on our own cyclical and creative endeavours. Enjoy!
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Caitlin Peirse
Mar 4, 20241 min read
COVID-19 vaccine and cycle length changes
Research led by Alison Edelman and published in the Obstetrics & Gynecology Journal found that data from 19,497 Natural Cycles tracking...
Natalie Clarke
Mar 4, 20241 min read
Menstrual health literacy in NZ
Massey University & Auckland Technology University are researching. menstrual health literacy in New Zealand with a 25 question survey...
Caitlin Peirse
Feb 15, 20241 min read
Is coffee making your cramps worse?
Author Amy Glover explores a research review from the North American Menopause Society (NAMS, 2022) that suggests caffeine and other...
Caitlin Peirse
Feb 14, 20241 min read
What is Post Menstrual Syndrome?
We have all heard of PMS pre-menstrual syndrome but a newly coined term Post Menstrual Syndrome describes similar symptoms felt at the...
Caitlin Peirse
Feb 14, 20241 min read
Researchers find link between PCOS and midlife cognitive decline
A recent longitudinal study over 30 years shows a link between PCOS and cognitive decline in those over the age of 40. This article...
Caitlin Peirse
Feb 13, 20241 min read
Potential reasons for unpredictably light periods
Author Andi Breitowich comments on the sometimes unpredictable nature of periods, as well as potential reasons for experiencing a...
Caitlin Peirse
Feb 13, 20241 min read
15 ways to help relieve period cramps
This informative article by Larell Scardelli looks at 15 evidence-based health behaviors and activities that may help relieve period...
Caitlin Peirse
Jan 30, 20241 min read
Menses and mood disorders
Words by Jennifer Sizeland discussing the relationship between the menstrual cycle and mood disorders - and how PMDD (pre-menstrual...
Caitlin Peirse
Jan 29, 20241 min read
Estrogen and ADHD symptoms
Carly Broadway looks at potential links between ADHD symptoms and hormone sensitivity theory (particularly estrogen)....
Natalie Clarke
Jan 16, 20241 min read
Hyperthyroidism effect on menstruation
Words by Heather Smith suggest an overactive thyroid gland can affect the regularity and heaviness of menses, as well as fertility and...
Natalie Clarke
Jan 15, 20241 min read
Does birth control affect libido?
What role does birth control pills have on a person's sex drive? Natalia Ningthoujam discusses experiences of increased and decreased...
Natalie Clarke
Jan 11, 20241 min read
MCA overview of 4 phases and hormones
This article contains a great overview of the four phases across a menstrual cycle and four key hormones that are present throughout....
Caitlin Peirse
Jan 11, 20241 min read
Acupuncture sweet spot for cramp relief
Acupuncture practitioners suggest that a pressure point on your right hand between the thumb and index is linked with large-intestine...
Natalie Clarke
Jan 11, 20241 min read
Are period clots normal?
This article shares the lowdown of blood clots and what every menstruator asks themselves at one point or another... "Is this normal"?....
Natalie Clarke
Jan 9, 20241 min read
The whys and whats of menstrual back pain
Most people who menstruate have experienced some degree of menstrual related pain in their lives. This article by Ashley Olivine...
Natalie Clarke
Jan 9, 20241 min read
Endometriosis and the bowels
Endometrial tissue in the bowels can be hard to distinguish between other conditions, but Karen Heslop identifies that worsening symptoms...
Natalie Clarke
Jan 9, 20241 min read
Vitamin K and menstrual flow
Natalia Ningthoujam explores the role of vitamin K in menstrual flow - and how vitamin K rich foods (including fish, herbs, and...
Natalie Clarke
Jan 2, 20241 min read
Tax on period pants ended
Great news to start off 2024 for the UK: VAT on period pants has been lifted. The move from classing them as 'garments' to 'period...
Natalie Clarke
Dec 28, 20231 min read
Cyclical suicidal thoughts
There can be some really challenging points in a woman's life when cycle awareness is absent. Suicidal ideation was my experience in my...
Natalie Clarke
Dec 28, 20231 min read
Water drinking habits and the cycle
I found this article interesting as the experience of my own cycle tracking has been that I need waaaaay more water during my luteal...
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