I’m Canceling My Period.

Clicking unsubscribe. Removing it from the queue, deleting it from the playlist.

Photo by Josefin on Unsplash

Like my unused subscription to House Beautiful that’s cluttering up my corners, my daily e-newsletter from Vegan Chicken, and my DirecTV, I am canceling my period.

I no longer use it, need it, or want it. And let’s face it, it’s always been a source of pain, expense, and monthly humiliation anyway.

So, it’s outta here.

I’ve never really wanted children. There is a strong history of mental illness in my family, and I’m still largely suffering the effects of the trauma it caused to me personally. That’s probably the main reason whyI’ve decided not to procreate, but certainly not the only one.

In addition to family planning, I started taking the pill in my twenties to regulate my period. That period has always had a mind of its own, a rebellious streak, acted like a real wild child — any number of other phrases with a double entendre for this situation. I’ve never been able to predict when it would arrive, counting as many as 34 days and as few as 15 between cycles. And she’s so heavy…I don’t want her so bad it’s driving me mad, driving me mad.

Did you know that when you’re on the pill, you don’t actually have a real period? I was on the pill for years and only recently found out that the monthly…