But it's not just the the medical system - our beloved Church has not done much to make you feel included, either. After all, you don't need family planning right now, and so the pervading message is, "We'll talk to you when you're engaged."
It's as if the Church is saying you don't need to ask these questions since you don't need it for fertility.
But what if your cycles are part of your Feminine Genius
whether or not you have kids?
It doesn't seem like a lot to ask - you just want to know if what you're experiencing is normal and not feel shame for asking questions about your body.
But you haven't felt welcomed to ask them, and so you just...haven't. Or you've resorted to Google to try to piece together your own medical and theological degree.
Well, that ends now. Welcome to Pearl & Thistle, the place where you can - and are encouraged to - ask those questions. Now. As a single woman, and beloved daughter of God worthy of knowing your Father's design for you, regardless of martial status.
It's part of why I love body literacy.
Knowing how our bodies work is an inherent right of every child of God, regardless of age or stage in life. Body literacy (knowing the "language of our bodies" as designed by God) encompasses so much more than just fertility:
Answering "is this normal?"
Tracking energy levels and mood swings
Fixing actual problems, not symptoms
Plus, if you ever do want to conceive, you can simply add fertility protocols to your current charting routine - and hopefully have already addressed many of the health issues that contribute to infertility.
In fact, it's actually prudent of Catholic single women to know their bodies and cycles through charting.
"This is the true purpose of anatomy: to lead the audience by the wonderful artwork of the human body to the dignity of the soul and by the admirable structure of both to the knowledge and love of God."
- Bl. Nicholas Steno
Explore Resources for Single Women
CYCLE CHARTING FOR SINGLE WOMEN
Want to learn how to chart your cycles, but don't need to know all the family planning stuff? Cycle Charting for Single Women teaches you how to chart your cycle for health and self-knowledge - and to reflect on how our cycles reflect our dignity as Catholic women, regardless of marital status.
LEARN AS A SMALL GROUP!
Quick, ladies! Grab your copy of Cycle Charting for Single Women and use it with this FREE leader kit! Learning how to chart our menstrual cycles can be very empowering for our health and self-knowledge, but women often crave COMMUNITY to unpack the questions, challenges, and joys that can come from this practice. With this kit, it's easy to host your own shared learning and discussion experience for the other Catholic women in your life.
LEARN A FULL METHOD
If you want more of a hands-on, customized learning approach, you can also learning a full fertility awareness method. Pearl & Thistle currently offers options for both Boston Cross Check and FEMM.
a note to those in consecrated life
Charting your cycle could actually be an integral part of your holiness as a community. Yep! Because charting can be pivotal for helping your unique community, made up of unique women - and thus unique cycles - to work together in complementary fashion, allowing you to have the greatest capacity of loving God and others.
As a Lay Dominican, I have a particular love for those in consecrated life and maximizing religious communities' energy so that you can more effectively serve God in the unique way He's called your order.
If you are interested, I would love to talk with you about discounted pricing on my programs to help your entire community to learn cycle charting in a way that respects your vocation and increases your holy efficiency.
Hi, I'm Christina, the Catholic menstrual cycle lady.
