Being a woman means carrying many things—responsibility, beauty, resilience, pain, love, and growth. From the first period to the last hot flash, the female experience is layered, powerful, and often invisible to those who don’t live it. Every month, women go through cycles that affect their physical health, mental wellbeing, and emotional balance. And every stage of womanhood—from menstruation to menopause—requires strength, patience, care, and often, a deep well of understanding from others.
Every day, someone in my life shares with me the struggles they face as a woman. I have created a safe space to share issues to help people understand they are not alone. I think it’s important to understand the issues many are facing and not discussing.
The Monthly Rhythm
For many girls, their journey begins with menstruation. What is often whispered about or joked about is, in reality, a lifelong biological responsibility. On average, a woman will have around 450 periods in her lifetime. That’s over 3,500 days, or almost 10 years of her life spent menstruating.
Let’s talk costs. According to the National Organization for Women, the average woman spends $13.25 per month on menstrual products—that’s over $6,000 in a lifetime. Add pain medications, heating pads, new underwear, and lost productivity at work or school, and that number increases significantly.
Yet, periods are still stigmatized. People cringe at the sight of a tampon or joke about “that time of the month,” not realizing the reality: cramping that feels like a vice grip on your uterus, mood swings triggered by hormone shifts, migraines, back pain, and exhaustion—just to name a few symptoms.
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The Weight of Birth Control
Whether to prevent pregnancy or manage hormone-related conditions like endometriosis or PCOS, many women take birth control. And it’s not just a pill. It’s a daily commitment, often for decades. And it’s not without side effects: weight gain, depression, decreased libido, nausea, or blood clots.
In the U.S., birth control costs can range from $20 to $50 per month without insurance—again, thousands of dollars over time. But the mental toll can be just as high. Many women must navigate uncomfortable conversations with partners, doctors, or even employers, just to exercise control over their own reproductive health.
Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, and the Silent Grief of Loss
Pregnancy can be beautiful and transformative, but it is also taxing. The body changes dramatically. Stretch marks and weight gain are just the surface. Women may experience hyperemesis (extreme nausea), gestational diabetes, swelling, fatigue, and mental health challenges.
Breastfeeding, though often romanticized, can be painful, isolating, and demanding. New moms are expected to bounce back quickly, go back to work, take care of other children, and function on three hours of sleep.
And then there are the stories people don’t always hear: the 1 in 4 pregnancies that end in miscarriage. The couple is quietly battling infertility. The hopeful women are going through rounds of IVF, hormones, injections, and heartbreak. These experiences leave emotional scars, and yet so many women carry on without recognition or compassion from the world around them. I went through this, and I understand the toll it takes on us.
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Menopause and the Next Chapter
Menopause is often misunderstood. It’s not a one-time event—it’s a years-long process marked by fluctuating hormones, insomnia, hot flashes, mood changes, and more. For many, it feels like puberty in reverse: their identity, body, and emotions shift in unfamiliar and unsettling ways.
I met a woman recently in the community garden and she was soaked with sweat; she wanted to “handle this phase of life herself”. I urged her to see her doctor, help is out there. After I shared my journey, she said she would call her MD.
While some cultures honor aging women as wise and powerful, others ignore or dismiss them. Women going through menopause often feel invisible, yet they are still caregiving, working, and showing up for others.
The Emotional Toll—and the Power
Hormonal shifts are real, not imaginary. They affect cognition, energy, mood, and more. It is not weakness to cry easily or need rest—it’s biology in motion. Yet women are often called “too emotional,” “hysterical,” or told to “calm down,” when they are in fact holding everything together while their bodies cycle through phases out of their control.
One woman this week said, “I don’t feel myself, I know it’s coming, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”
Despite it all, women show up. They lead families, workplaces, and communities. They mentor, nurture, and innovate. The emotional and physical load they carry is immense—but so is their capacity for love, strength, and resilience.
Let’s Be Kinder
We need to do better—for ourselves, for each other. Whether it’s giving a colleague space during a hard day, supporting a friend navigating IVF, or just acknowledging the quiet courage it takes to show up every month, every season—kindness matters.
We need to teach our daughters that their cycles are not dirty or shameful. Consider offering supplies in your bathrooms because sometimes we don’t know when it’s going to arrive, sometimes it’s heavier than expected and sometimes we just run out. We need to support mothers postpartum.
We need to listen when a woman says she’s tired and not ask her to push harder. And we need to stop seeing these biological experiences as something to “get through,” and instead honor them as part of what makes women powerful.
To every woman reading this: Your story matters. Your body, with all its changes, is worthy of love and respect. You are doing more than enough. And you are not alone.
Michelle Puzzo, Executive Director
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