Is Climate Change affecting your periods?

Our morning coffee, food, beer, and even mental health-related issues are in some way or another being affected by the crisis of climate change. It’s not uncommon to hear the statement, a 28-day cycle is the healthiest of your menstrual cycle. In truth, your cycle may never hit the 28-day mark. This is because even the tiniest things can profoundly affect your delicate period cycle and your hormones. So, even something like Climate Change, which seems very unrelated, can actually affect your periods.

How is Climate Change affecting your periods?

While climate change has no direct effect on your periods, it affects other things in the link that can throw your balance off the cycle.

· Changes in food habits: In case of a long-term impact like rising global temperatures, the food we consume can generate heat in your pelvic floor area causing your periods to arrive sooner.

· Increasing Stress: Long-term climate change also results in raising temperatures, which leads to greater levels of stress. And that’s never a good sign, because stress directly affects the delicate balance of hormones in your body, leading to cycles that are longer or shorter than the healthy average.

· Decreasing Environmental quality: Researchers from Boston University Medical Campus and Harvard School of Public Health analyzed data from 34,832 women and compared menstrual cycle irregularity to exposure to air pollution during their high school years. As pollutants increased, so did the chances of period irregularity.

· Access to clean water and sanitation: Climate change can also affect access to clean water and sanitation, which can increase the risk of infections and other menstrual health issues

What can we do for the Environment?

· Always carry a water bottle of your own instead of having to purchase a disposable plastic water bottle.

· Switch to eco-friendly or homemade cleaning products to protect our delicate groundwater system.

· A switch to reusable period products such as reusable cloth pads, period panties, and menstrual cups is a win-win situation for the planet and your health.

· Try composting at home. It will cut off huge amounts of methane emissions from landfills.

· Support initiatives to provide clean water and sanitation can help mitigate the indirect effects of climate change on menstrual health

Although these changes seem tiny and insignificant, when acted together can have a huge impact on the planet. It is also important to prioritize menstrual health education and access to resources for individuals. We here at Loocafé, consider sustainability in every aspect to the core. Every Loocafé has Sanitary Napkin Vending machines and Disposal Bins. We aim at reaching the closed loop circle in terms of our practices and waste collection forming a circular economy.