Welcome to #BeyondMyPeriod!
#BeyondMyPeriod is a collaboration between August, the sustainable period care brand that actually works, and Alloy, the brand helping you to find solutions and relief to menopause.
For World Menopause Month (October for the uninitiated), we’re joining forces to share your period and menopause stories.
Up first is Stacy London. We’ll let her take it from here!
Introduce yourself! Who are you & what do you do?
Stacy London (she/her) born in 1969.
I’m the CEO at State of Menopause. We offer nonhormonal products and education solutions which mitigate acute menopausal issues.
What is your first period story? If you can remember!
I was 11 years old, went to pee, and found my underwear covered in blood.
I remember being slightly scared but unlike menopause, this was something I spoke with my Mom about freely.
What is a memorable moment you've had as a menstruator?
Oh, the cramping was a real thing. I needed a prescription for the pain.
That and, 3 days before my period, without fail, I would cry over nothing. The night before, I would eat 3 chocolate bars.
How does menopause exist in your life?
On a personal level, I am postmenopausal now, but still experience many vasomotor symptoms from perimenopause.
More broadly, it is my mission to make sure this community gets the education and support it deserves.
Tell us your story with menopause.
I didn't know menopause was coming. I attributed all my symptoms to having pretty serious spine surgery, which I thought accounted for the anxiety and night sweats and mood swings.
Then, when my father got sick, I thought my issues were a physical form of grief: heart palpitations because he had heart disease. He was nauseous and all of a sudden I had food allergies. He would get a skin rash, so would I.
I had no idea until much later on that these things were common during perimenopause.
What advice would you give to younger menstruators out there?
Shame has no place in this conversation. Anyone who menstruates will go through menopause. We need to contextualize menopause in its relationship to menstruation.
The cessation of menstruation should not be the end of our education when it comes to hormonal health. We need to normalize the entire throughline. It is essential that we understand how our bodies work in order to feel safe in them and not at war with them.
Why do Alloy and August resonate with you?
Feel free to add anything else here as a wrap up <3
I love this awareness campaign. Bravo to all of you!
And bravo to you, Stacy, for sharing and doing your own work to destigmatize menopause!
We’ll be back next week with another #BeyondMyPeriod story. Stay tuned!
If you haven’t already, connect with us on Instagram and TikTok and subscribe to our emails for more stuff like this!
To learn more about Alloy and their solutions to menopause, head over to their site.
And if you're looking for period products (that actually work) to get you through your final years of having a period...try August's sustainable period care!
