“Am I Going to be Natural or am I Not?”: Canadian Women’s Perceptions and Experiences of Menstrual Suppression

This paper reports on findings from a qualitative interview-based study of women’s experiences and perceptions of menstrual
suppression using a diverse sample of 12 women from Vancouver, Canada. The study used open-ended, in-depth interviews to ask
women questions related to the following overarching research question: How do Canadian women perceive and experience menstrual
suppression? Of the 12 women, six had experience with menstrual suppression, while six had never suppressed their periods.
The six women who suppressed their periods cited convenience, pain management, and feeling more positively about their bodies
as their reasons for suppression. The six women who had not suppressed their cycles cited fears about compromising their health,
worries about altering the “natural” menstrual cycle, and an uneasiness with pharmaceutical products in general as rationales
for rejecting menstrual suppression. Ultimately, the findings reveal that there are many considerations and factors involved
in women’s decisions about menstrual frequency. While many of the women appreciated the appeal of menstrual suppression, the
long-term risks and health uncertainties deterred many of them from reducing their menstrual frequency. The findings are discussed
in relation to medical literature which encourages women to suppress their menses, as well as sociological theorizing about
menstrual culture within a Foucauldian framework of discipline and control.