It's been a few years since our last blog post... Let's hear from Rosie, our Owner/Director.

We have had some major changes in the last few years. We are stoked to finally see menstrual cups becoming mainstream, as seen in supermarkets, chemists etc. A major part of our mission has been successful! The taboo around periods now seems significantly less than it was seven years ago.

Sustainable Menstruation Australia took a little bit of a backseat while I was working as a Freediving Instructor and managing a dive shop. I left this role in 2019 to become a mother (my son is two already, how did that time go so fast?) and SMA continued to tick along in the background, whilst adding a new and exciting product to our range.

Tempdrop is the world's first wearable basal body temperature tracker and makes sympto-thermal fertility tracking a breeze. We are very excited to currently be the sole Australian wholesaler for this product. Tempdrop is such a fantastic company to be working with. They are based in Israel and are ethical, progressive and take a non-judgmental approach to their work. They also have incredible customer support and a whole community of Tempdrop users to tap into. 

My journey into motherhood has been the most incredible, fulfilling time of my life so far. Giving birth was hugely empowering and I have now decided to devote this next phase of my life to assisting other people have empowering birth experiences too! I have completed my training with the Australian Doula College and I am now a certified birth and post natal Doula.  Check out my website  Rosie Doula. ​

And so the mission here at Sustainable Menstruation Australia continues, grows and expands. Our plan has always been to bring a sustainable mindset to every aspect of the menstrual journey. From Menarche, to menopause and everything in between. The birthing journey is such a fundamental part of that process. The way we birth and parent effects not only our own journey, but the next generation and the entire community. Reclaiming our body, our autonomy in birth is integral to moving towards a sustainable culture, society and future for our planet.

I want to thank all of our customers for your support over the last 7 years since SMA began, and we look forward to the next seven years ahead!

It's been a busy  few months at Sustainable Menstruation Australia. We are proud to announce that we've now prevented over 200 000 tampons and pads heading to landfill over the next ten years. We are one fifth of the way towards our goal of preventing one million disposable products going to landfill. Thanks to our wonderful customers for helping us move towards a greener planet. 

It's also been a busy few months in the menstrual movement worldwide. Global menstrual awareness is growing, and the media is starting to take note. Cosmopolitan magazine has named 2015 the "year the period went public". Michelle Obama recently spoke up about the global need for a culture where women are respected, rape is talked about, and school can be attended by all, even girls who have begun to menstruate. Word is getting out there, and the menstrual revolution has begun.

One of the best ways to bring about a shift in the way we view our cycles is to step out of our comfort zone, and start having menstrual conversations with those around us. It's not easy being a trail blazer, but thankfully there are many of us working toward the same goal, and every day it gets easier. Even my highly conservative university recently wrote a piece about changing the world, one period at a time. The Australian women's adventure magazine, Travel Play Live is featuring my articles on menstruation, beginning with Not So Secret Women's Business. The topic is going "mainstream", one step at a time. ​

Menstruation is one of the oldest, and yet also newest areas of research. Anecdotal research has been conducted by women throughout the world since the beginning of our species. Knowledge of the “women’s mystery” was passed on through stories in caves, forests, waterholes, in sacred places, and on open plains. Grandmothers, mothers, sisters, daughters, aunties, nieces and friends exchanged knowledge, questions, tips and secrets. Some information was shared in hushed tones around the campfire, and some was shouted to the moon as these ancestors of ours bled over the earth, over plants and later, over crops. With the modern age came some wonderful advances in our ability to share information, such as writing, books, print media, and later, television, movies and the internet. The way we glean knowledge now in the developed world is very different to what it once was. However with the loss of ritual, storytelling and the associated sisterhood, we have seen the rise of fear, shame and even hatred of our bodies, and how they work.    

Riding a bicycle across a country talking about menstruation is a great way to see exactly what fears, myths and stigmas abound. Many women in the USA, and also here in Australia are not familiar with their anatomy, and are horrified at the thought of investigating it with a mirror and hand, let alone a speculum. Relationships with our bodies have become very often theoretical and disconnected –ironically, they have become disembodied. Translating an image on a screen – usually a cartoon so it is not classed as pornography – into real-life is difficult, especially when there is no one there to help. Menstrual cups are creating a way for this conversation to happen, for people to start opening up to each other, asking questions, sharing stories and tips, and investigating this important part of our bodies, and our lives. Riding with Sustainable Cycles, and giving workshops across the USA has revealed so much, but mostly the need for open dialogue about menstruation. The Society for Menstrual Cycle Research Conference led to more questions than answers, despite the wealth of information and wisdom available. I have never before felt there is so much work to do, nor have I felt so wanted and needed in an area of research, education, academia and activism. The best form of menstrual activism, that anyone and everyone can do, is to have a respectful, open, honest conversation about menstruation with someone you know. 

Sustainable Menstruation Australia is a safe place for menstrual conversations. Our aim is to be a catalyst to assist people gain a better understanding of their body, of their cycle, and open up the floor for knowledge sharing using the best of both worlds – of face to face storytelling, myth busting and tip sharing, of information sharing through articles, social media and blogging, and of the latest technological advancements to assist us reconnect with our bodies and view them as the unique, quirky, wonderful things they are. We will be launching our own workshops in coming months, sharing information about menstruation, how we can improve our relationships with our bodies, our cycles and use this knowledge in our day to day lives. The experience and knowledge gained in the USA is going to be fed straight into these workshops, check out our site in the coming months to find out more.  The next adventure is on the horizon. We have some big announcements to make in the next blog, so stay tuned. Happy “cycling”. 

Menstrual Hygiene Day holds great significance for me this year. Partly due to the work I've been doing lately, the long days of riding and speaking about menstruation, and partly due to the influx of menstrual awareness in the global media over the past few months. For example, check out this article in The Guardian today about Menstrual Hygiene Day. There are events being held across the world, and conversations to be had not just today, but every day about menstruation.

Menstrual hygiene cuts to the core of many other areas of social and environmental justice globally. Poor menstrual hygiene prevents women accessing education, jobs, and enjoying their lives.  One of the biggest reasons this issue seems so hard to solve, is the shame, taboo and stigma that has been doled out on women the world over for menstruating. However we are moving into an age of openness. The conversations are happening, this issue is moving into the spotlight, and people everywhere are realising that it is OK, and in fact essential, to talk openly about menstruation, and it is every menstruator's right to have access to safe, hygienic sanitary options. People are also realising that many of the options we have been sold for so long are not safe, and that there are alternatives available. That's what Sustainable Cycles is all about.

The past month has been eventful from a cycling perspective. Our departure from New Orleans was delayed by a day due to extreme weather (tornado and storm) warnings. We rode through some pretty heavy rain, and over some incredibly long bridges. We continued to meet amazing people, including a family who regularly host bicycle tourists, a man who is running for District Supervisor and put us up and fed us, as well as an ultra marathon runner in her fifties who was very supportive. We stopped in at the Delta Bike Project in Mobile, where the locals are doing some amazing work getting bikes restored for disadvantaged community members; and gave our bikes a much needed clean up. That afternoon as we crossed more bridges, we saw alligators in the wetlands around Spanish Fort, and I finally felt my body really getting used to the riding. Our following day was our biggest yet, with 138km on the clock. 

We stayed with some wonderful field biologists, and I had an interview with The Guardian while I was in Greenville, Alabama. We were blown away by the history as we rode through Montogmery, seeing the bus stop where Rosa Parks began a revolution, and stood on the steps where Martin Luther King delivered his seminal speech to 20 000 people. In auburn we gave an online workshop for the California Student Sustainability Coalition, and one of the big questions that came up was how we start the conversation around menstruation. We have been working on so many methods, and often it depends on the situation; however the honest, open, upfront approach seems to take the lead. Menstruation is such a normal part of life, is makes sense to simply speak about it normally. It’s exciting to be making this happen through Sustainable Cycles and through Sustainable Menstruation Australia.

I have now begun touring with Sustainable Cycles. The last month has been huge, first with the lead up to the tour (including two successful fundraising campaigns on IndieGoGo and Pozible), booking flights, training, organising things to run smoothly with Sustainable Menstruation Australia while I'm away, and gathering sponsorship and support (thank you ModiBodi, Juju and Bicycle Express) and then flying to the USA. I arrived in Austin, Texas and then spent a week recovering from jet lag, finding an awesome bicycle (thanks, Cycleast), getting final pieces of gear together, working out food and seeing a bit of Austin too. I met with the Austin-Adelaide Sister City committee, and they were delighted to hear an Adelaide woman was to start this journey in Austin. They gave me some fascinating insight into the history of the sister connection between our cities, and were very supportive for my ride.

We set out across Texas, and I was witness to some pretty stunning scenery. The wildflowers were in full bloom, and squirrels made wonderful highway companions. We also got caught in some heavy rain on the way to New Orleans, which proved a challenge as there were also large portions of roadworks. I experienced using a menstrual cup on the side of the road in pouring rain, and to my great delight found it as easy as ever. The rain persisted throughout our week in New Orleans, and we experienced a tornado warning alert. Fortunately our day of giving workshops was rain-free and we were able to ride around dry. We gave two workshops at Tulane University, at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine campus, and at the undergraduate campus. Both workshops were well attended, and some very interesting stories and discussions were shared. As with many Australian women, it appears many American women also do not know how to find their cervix, and many myths around menstruation still abound. Much work needs to be done! Sustainable Cycles has so far been an educational, fascinating and rewarding experience. We leave tomorrow for Atlanta. In the meantime, check out my post published today in the Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) science blog.  

The last month has been a really inspiring, busy and exciting one for Sustainable Menstruation Australia. Some great networking has been done with some incredibly inspiring women around the world – the creators of My Moontime, A Celebration Day for Girls, ModiBodi, Rad Pads and Cycling to Grandma’s House, among others. These women have been full of wonderful ideas and ways we can collaborate. Check out my interview that was just published on the My Moontime blog (www.mymoontime.com/thenewblog/using-your-cycle)! The first Sustainable Menstruation Australia market stall was a great success, where some fascinating conversations were had and information shared. This month has also been a time for organisation and fundraising! I will be cycling across America soon with Sustainable Cycles, and our IndieGoGo campaign raised over $10 000USD for the group. At time of writing, I have reached 37% of my target on my Pozible Campaign, to raise the additional money required to send an international team member over for the ride. You can still donate here. Training is progressing well, including an 83 km ride in 4 hours, and the first leg of flights have been booked! We are also only three cup sales away from preventing 100 000 tampons and pads going to landfill and saving our customers $50 000 over the next ten years.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. That light is in the form laughter, liberation and learning. Our bodies can be celebrated, not feared. We can use products that don’t pollute our planet or make a large dent in our budget. We can love our bodies, relax into them and honour our cycles. We can use this knowledge to become more powerful and in control of our lives. There is a revolution afoot, and Australia is getting on board. It’s learning to love our bodies again. Our cycles. Our selves. Our children. Our planet. Let’s celebrate.

One of the things I have noticed since starting this business is the support and generosity of other women who are doing their own businesses, blogs, not for profits, websites etc. By simply reaching out, I have made some incredible contacts, such as the team at Femme International, and It Could Be Better. The women from Sustainable Cycles have even asked me to come along on their cross country awareness raising ride in the US… and I’m doing it! Women in this industry are keen to see each other succeed, and get the conversations happening no matter where and how they happen. I have the same philosophy. In my opinion, the more women using menstrual cups the better, no matter who or where they buy them from. And the more conversations people are having about menstruation, the less taboo there is, the better women feel about their bodies, and the healthier our society becomes. I love the new business model where we are supportive of each other. We work together to achieve a common goal – a sustainable way of dealing with our monthly cycle, and a safe world where we can talk about our bodies without fear, shame or retribution. This is apparent with Facebook groups popping up like Occupy Menstruation, Our Red Tent, Love Your Cycle and Blossoming Woman.  One woman, Vanessa Bowen, recently contacted me and wrote a really awesome post on her blog, simply because she wants to spread the word.

Hey everyone!

This is the first blog post, and I don't have a lot of experience in writing blogs, so I hope you all enjoy this one! I think the blog will become more important as things start to heat up as the year progresses. 

Establishing Sustainable Menstruation Australia has been a real whirlwind, involving a lot of learning and fun. I conceived the idea when I was travelling in Israel in July/August 2014. I had been using my cup for a while, and every cycle I fell in love with it more. I thought, why don't more women use these? And then I thought, more women should use these! And then... I'm going to make it happen. 

 when I got home, I conducted a survey getting women's ideas on menstruation, and received over 400 responses. It appeared the time was right to get the word out about menstrual cups in Australia.


I applied for the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme and ten weeks later I had completed my certificate IV in small business management. I decided to do everything myself, to just get it happening. So I make this website, I do all the orders, publicity, everything myself at the moment. I'm not sure where this journey is taking me, but I have some big plans for the future, including education programmes for women, getting menstrual cups to women in disadvantaged situations, and becoming a presence at markets, expos and festivals. It's going to be quite the adventure! 

Speaking of adventure... I've also signed up to join the Sustainable Cycles event this year, riding my bike from Austin to Boston in the USA, talking about periods with a team of other women. We are all presenting at the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research Conference in June. Wish us luck! You can donate to our campaign here.
I'm going to be doing a lot of training in the next few months! 

Thanks to everyone who has supported me on this mission so far. Keep sharing, spreading the word, liking me on Facebook and most of all, using menstrual cups! 

Together we can empower women, make our lives easier, reduce landfill and feel great while we do it!

Rosie.
Owner, Director, Cup User and Optimist! 
Sustainable Menstruation Australia.