The Menstrual Cycle Decoded: What Really Happens Each Month

Periods get all the spotlight (and all the side-eyes), but the menstrual cycle is about way more than just those five “ugh” days. Your body is on a 28-ish day rhythm — hormonal peaks, dips, mood shifts, energy waves — the works. Think of it like a Netflix series with four very different episodes: each one has its own vibe, and main characters (hello, estrogen and progesterone). If you’ve ever wondered why you feel like Beyoncé one week and binge-watching old reruns under a blanket the next, you’re not alone. Understanding the 4 phases of the menstrual cycle is like having the cheat code to your own body.  Who’s watching - becomes - WHO ARE YOU ? Menstrual You - Follicular You -  Ovulation you -  Luteal You -  Phase 1 – Menstrual Phase (Days 1–5): The Red Carpet Event This is when bleeding begins, aka “the main event.” Your uterus sheds its lining because pregnancy didn’t happen, and the result is what we know as a period. What’s happening in your body: Hormones like estrogen and progesterone are at rock bottom. You might feel crampy, low-energy, maybe even moody. It’s not you, it’s literally chemistry. Papaya Tip: Don’t keep pads on for more than 6–8 hours just even if the flow is lighter. Bacteria don’t care if it’s day 2 or day 10. When my period finally starts and this time the cramps are bad. Phase 2 – Follicular Phase (Days 1–13): The Plot Twist Technically, this phase overlaps with your period in the beginning but extends after it. Once bleeding slows down, your energy starts climbing. Estrogen rises, follicles in your ovaries mature, and you basically start feeling more alive. What’s happening in your body: You might notice clearer skin, better mood, and sharper focus. Hello, productivity queen. Papaya tip: This is also a good time to track your cycle and note your patterns — spotting, cramps, energy dips. Understanding your “data” helps you prep better for the next round. (And yes, this counts as body-hacking.) Phase 3 – Ovulation Phase (Day 14-ish): Peak Season This is the star of the show. Around the middle of your cycle, one ovary releases an egg. Estrogen is at its highest, and many women feel their most confident, sociable, and energized. What’s happening in your body: Cervical mucus changes (yep, the stuff nobody talks about), becoming stretchy and clear — a sign that your body is fertile. And because estrogen is high, some women feel more sweaty down there (yep, another thing no one told us). Papaya tip: If you suddenly feel like you could run a marathon or pitch to your boss without breaking a sweat — that’s ovulation magic. Ride the wave. Ovulation has you feeling like the MVP Phase 4 – Luteal Phase (Days 15–28): The Pre-Period Plotline This is the infamous PMS stage. Progesterone rises to prepare your uterus in case of pregnancy. If pregnancy doesn’t happen, both estrogen and progesterone drop, triggering the cycle to restart. What’s happening in your body: Mood swings, bloating, cravings, tender breasts — you know the drill. Research shows that up to 75% of menstruators experience some form of PMS. Some women also spot a day or two before periods begin. Papaya tip: PMS doesn’t mean you’re “too emotional” (a phrase we’d like to ban forever). It’s hormonal changes at work. Be kind to yourself — Netflix + popcorn count as self-care. When people try to tell me I should be used to the period drama by now.  Busting a Few Menstrual Myths (Because Someone Has To) Myth 1: You lose too much blood during periods. Studies show the average person loses about 30–80 ml of blood during a period (so no, you’re not “losing half your body’s supply,” despite what movies make you believe). Myth 2: Sanitary pads are all the same. Nope. Many contain plastic, toxins, or fragrances that can cause rashes. Switching to pads made without hormone disrupting chemicals is a must! Myth 3: PMS is “all in your head.” Science says otherwise, hormonal fluctuations impact neurotransmitters like serotonin. So yes, your cravings and mood dips are very real. Final Thoughts — Your Cycle, Your Rules Here’s the thing: your menstrual cycle isn’t just about bleeding days. It’s a monthly script where your hormones, mood, and body play starring roles. Learning about the 4 phases of the menstrual cycle helps you plan, prep, and pick the right sanitary pads without second-guessing yourself. At Papaya, we believe period care should work with your body, not against it. That's why we made pads without hormone disrupting chemicals (yes please), that not only keep you dry, rash-free, but are also compostable (because plastic in 2025? Hard pass). So the next time you’re curled up with a hot water bag or strutting out the door on ovulation day, remember: your cycle isn’t a burden, it’s your body’s rhythm.  Me when reading how much my cycle dictates my life

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Our bodies and our well-being

The #1 complaint we heard while researching existing pads is that “pads cause rashes”. It’s accepted as a necessary and unavoidable evil – much like many other hardships associated with menstruation. But this is the 21st century, and we can do better. Rashes are caused by chemicals that are released by plastic fibers, and rashes (and odors) are caused by bacteria that incubate in the core of the pad. The bio-sourced plastic-free core layer that’s at the heart of Papaya pads not only coagulates blood, but is also anti-microbial. And, coagulated blood is a poor medium to grow bacteria in. The result: A pad that is friendly to your skin, even when it is retaining blood.

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What is the menstrual cycle?

The menstrual cycle is a process that occurs in the female reproductive system. It is typically around 28 days long, though it can be longer or shorter depending on the individual. The menstrual cycle involves hormonal, physical, and emotional changes, and can affect the life of anyone with a uterus. *Note: all phase lengths are approximate and vary from person to person* Phase 1: Menstruation In the first five days of the cycle, the period occurs. The uterus sheds its inner lining, leading to bleeding, cramps, and other symptoms of PMS. This is the most uncomfortable stage of the cycle for most women, but pain can typically be alleviated by medication, heat, and gentle exercise. Phase 2: Follicular Phase After menstruation, the follicular phase begins. The hypothalamus, a part of the brain, releases a hormone called FSH, which causes the ovaries to produce follicles, which contain eggs. The follicles also release estrogen, another hormone. During this phase, people typically experience an increase in energy and an improved mood. Physical activity and nourishing food is optimal during this phase to enhance well-being. Phase 3: Ovulation Around day 14 of the cycle, a mature egg is released from the ovary and goes through the fallopian tube, ready for fertilization. Estrogen levels are high during this phase, so sexual desire is often high as well. Tracking ovulation with predictor kits or monitoring basal body temperature can help people conceive or avoid pregnancy, as pregnancy risk is highest during ovulation. Phase 4: Luteal Phase and Pre-Menstruation After ovulation, the follicle becomes a structure called the corpus luteum, which produces progesterone, another hormone. Progesterone prepares the uterine lining for implantation of a fertilized egg. If fertilization does not occur, menstruation begins and the cycle restarts. Mood swings, bloating, and cravings are common during this phase, so self-care is critical. Maintaining a balanced diet, staying hydrated, resting, and gentle exercise can alleviate the symptoms of PMS. Adapting self-care practices like exercise and diet to the menstrual cycle can improve a woman’s well-being astronomically. Prioritizing care of the body throughout each phase creates a balanced lifestyle. Each woman must remember to listen to her body, as each cycle is unique. Works Cited: “Menstrual Cycle.” Better Health Channel, 26 Apr. 2001, www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/menstrual-cycle.

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Our atmosphere and global warming

It is no secret that most human activity introduces greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Transportation, agriculture, manufacturing…   The contribution of pads may not be a large part of this, but as it stands today – EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS!   We’re reducing the climate load of our pads in all stages of their life-cycle, from manufacturing to post-disposal decay.   Post-disposal decay:   Composting evaluation station comprised of an A/B tumbling composter, a flat “landfill simulator” tray, and a traditional home composting bin.   We made sure that our pads are not only plastic-free, but are able to compost if they reach a composting facility. We are aware that most pads will end up in simple landfills (where they usually get buried too quickly, preventing proper aerobic composting from take place) but if we do our part, we know that at least those pads will end up composted, which means they have a much reduced impact on the atmosphere.   We are working on even making them home-compostable! This is a more difficult challenge – anyone who’s composted at home knows that some compostable materials (think Avocado peels) take longer to compost, and we also know that home composting bins are relatively small… Stay tuned on this!   We are working on collaborations with composting companies – stay tuned on that too.   Manufacturing:   Did we mention that our core material is bio-sourced? Most plastics are by products of the petroleum industry, and have a large climatic footprint. Ours doesn’t.

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Our local watershed

The local watershed is where we have the largest physical impact on the environment. Menstrual pads by their very nature are disposable products, and every menstruator uses approximately 20 of them per month. That’s a big fraction of the dry waste that they produce. How can we do better? Papaya pad, placed in a rapid decomposition (not composting!) machine. We declared war on plastics embedded in our product. Most pads use a super-absorbent polymer (SAP) as their core layer, because frankly, nothin absorbs better – as evidenced by countless TV commercials showing how much blue liquid they can soak in. (Seriously, who bleeds blue water?!) The problem with plastics is that once they hit a landfill and start disintegrating (a process that can take several years) they decompose into “micro-plastics” which is a generic term for fragments of plastic so small we can’t even see – but are chemically active, form compounds with toxins that are abundant at landfills, and then end up either in the watershed or in the local food chain. They also often leach out toxins that originate from the plastic itself, such as Phthalates. At Papaya, we took a different approach. Instead of using a super-absorber, we use a combination of a cotton fiber absorber and a natural bio-sourced coagulant (our secret sauce!) that transforms liquid blood into a coagulated paste – using our bodies own natural mechanism! The result of this innovation is a core layer that sucks in blood and retains it even if it is later squeezed! Natural, safe, and environmentally friendly! (Consequently, btw, our pads are only good for blood. If you’re menstruating semi-clear blue liquid, we may not be able to help you. 🙂 ) What remains of a Papaya pad (right) and a plastic-containing commercial pad (left) after two cycles in the decomposition machine. With the core layer taken care of, we also eliminated plastics from the front and back sheets (made of all-natural fibers) and made sure even our packaging and release sheet are plastics-free. The best way to make sure you don’t pollute the environment with plastic compounds? Don’t have plastics in your product to begin with! So every month, know that you’ve eliminated about half a kilogram of plastic-based trash. Did we stop there? Of course not! Every manufacturing process, including our own, creates waste. (Think of the leftovers when you’re cutting shapes out of a whole sheet of paper) – and the waste can be comparable in weight to the entire product! More on this later, but our waste goes directly to a composting facility, so in fact your monthly savings are closer to a full kg of plastic based trash!

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Composting 101: Tips and Tricks

Composting is a simple yet impactful practice that can significantly turn around your garden while helping you work towards a more sustainable living. Composting is much easier than it seems and can help you create nutrient rich soil amendments just from your waste at home! Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, here are some tips and tricks to help your garden thrive.   Choose the Right Location: Pick a spot out of reach from foraging animals and near a well-drained area with enough exposure to the air to aerate out your waste. Now since compost is literally waste, the odors emitted aren’t quite pleasant. Place your pile somewhere farther away from your prettiest flowers and in a less conspicuous spot. If possible, shade and easy access to water is beneficial to your mound and would help it break down just a little faster. Know what you can and can’t Compost: Fruits and vegetable scraps can be tossed into your pile alongside materials such as eggshells and newspapers! However, you must avoid meat and dairy because they attract pests, and slow down the composting process. Synthetic chemicals and pet waste should also not find their home in your compost mound. Balance Greens and Browns: Greens are nitrogen-rich materials such as scraps from your kitchen and browns are carbon rich materials such as dry leaves and newspapers. Aim for around a 50/50 split between these two types of items. Chop and Shred: Breaking down your waste before you put in the compost mound helps them decompose at a much faster rate and creates a more uniform mixture. Pay Close Attention to your Compost: You must keep your pile moist, not terribly soggy or dry. Occasionally turn over your pile and mix your materials to distribute moisture and ensure a more even decomposition. Patience is a Virtue: Composting takes time, much like other things and is a slow and possibly frustrating process. Depending on external factors such as temperature, your compost might take anywhere from weeks to months to be fully ready. You will know your mixture is ready once the bottom has a dark and rich brown color. Use! You can mix your compost into soil in your garden to improve structure and water retention. Thanks to all the different food waste put into your pile, compost is naturally extremely nutrient rich.   Overall, Composting is an easy at home process that requires no outside materials (you own everything you need!). By following these 7 tips and tricks, you will be well on your way to creating a successful compost mound in no time!

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Our human environment

And speaking of the expectation that women suffer quietly through the menstruation cycles… How many of you are still being told they cannot enter the kitchen during “those times of the month”? Are these “The Days Who Must not be Named”? Is menstruation so evil that even mentioning it might cause unholiness to happen? Some of us can laugh at such attitudes, but many others are not so fortunate. Menstrual shaming and taboos cause many young women to miss school days and fall behind. It serves as women’s first marker on the road to making them a second-class citizens, and we have made it our corporate mission to banish these taboos.

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Sports and Periods (Part 1)

Debunking the myths about period and sport Many of us have experienced this strange feeling: one day you’re playing football in the school courtyard with your male friends in a perfectly normal way, and the next one people start frowning at you: adults saying that maybe you should spend less time with boys, boys saying that they don’t want to play with girls anymore… yes friends, puberty it is. So, with mixed feelings of incomprehension and frustration, head down, you look at yourself and realise that, even though you’re still the same, people are now seeing you differently. From now on, you’re a girl or a “young woman” as they say, and you belong to this world. Forget about football and all the other boyish stuff you used to enjoy: it’s not for you anymore. This might sound caricatural, but at this age (around 12 years old) my sister was convened by the school director because she was “spending too much time with her (male) best friend”; and I was called a “whore” because I was playing football with boys - which was interpreted as flirtatious back in these days. And I am sure so many of you can relate to these stories. The gender gap in sports is still a reality “Traditionally, the sport has been dominated by men, both in terms of participation and governance. Women were excluded from the first modern Olympic Games, held in Athens in 1896, and were only allowed to gradually start joining four years later. Even though women's presence and involvement in the Olympic Movement have progressively evolved, girls and women across the world still get fewer opportunities and less investment, training and corporate attention when they play sport.” This statement, extracted from a report from the European Parliament on gender equality in sports, highlights the fact that - despite significant progress - a considerable gender gap remains in sports worldwide, visible in participation, governance, media representation or in the persistent gender pay gap. Zoom in on India A recent BBC research revealed a significant gender gap in sports in India: only 29% of women participate in sports, against 42% of men. Interestingly, the data suggest that participation in sports drops significantly as one move from childhood to adulthood. Indeed, many adolescent girls experience restrictions to going out and playing sports as they enter puberty, mainly due to increasing safety concerns and social stigma. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, by age 14, many girls are dropping out of sports at two times the rate of boys! “Gender equality in sport:Getting closer every day”. EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service (2019) “Attitudes towards women’s sports, sportswomen and women in India” BBC (2020) This is a problem because sport plays a key role in physical and mental health. It is also an important empowerment factor and can help girls take control of their bodies. Regarding attitudes towards women in sports, strong prejudices remain: A third of the Indians surveyed believed that sportswomen are not as good as sportsmen. 37% of respondents said female athletes are not feminine enough. 38% said sports featuring women are not as entertaining as sports featuring men. For respondents who believed that some sports are not suitable for women, the top reasons were: It’s not safe for women to play Women are not strong enough to play the sport Women are not able to play sports during all times of the month (i.e. you can't play sports during your period) The gender pay gap in sport Research shows that the gender pay gap in sports is more important than in any other sector! Indeed: “Even though the gender pay gap in sport has been narrowing over the years, it still very much exists. A total of 83 % of sports now award men and women equal prize money, with cricket, golf and football displaying the greatest pay gaps.” In the 2022 Forbes list of the world's highest-paid athletes, there were only 2 women out of 50 athletes: Naomi Osaka And Serena Williams. This is critical because, the lack of proper remuneration for female athletes is a key barrier to narrowing the gender gap in the sport since it obliges many professional female athletes to have a second job on the side, giving them less time to train and develop their skills, leading to fewer opportunities to grow their athlete career. Imagine if Messi needed to teach Spanish or babysit kids after training. He would probably not be 7 times Ballon d'Or today. An example of a professional female football player is Natasha Thomas, 26, who has scored 114 goals for Ipswich, and she also works "30-40 hours a week" as a personal trainer. "It is hard because I am a contracted player but unfortunately it doesn't pay out as much for me not to have a second job," she said. “Even in cricket-loving India, the top female cricketers command a fraction of the endorsement fees that top male cricketers do. At the very least, the finding from this study that as many as 85% of respondents believe men and women sportspersons should have equal prize money is surely one reason for Indian sports organisers to close the sports gender pay gap where it exists.” Check out the Part 2.... Bibliography: Bruinvels, G., et al. Sport, Exercise and the Menstrual Cycle: Where Is the Research? 2016. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1502923/ “Attitudes towards women’s sports, sportswomen and women in India” BBC (2020) https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/attitudes-towards-womens-sports-sportswomen-and-women-in-india.pdf “Gender equality in sport: Getting closer every day”. EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service (2019) https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2019/635560/EPRS_BRI(2019)635560_EN.pdf “Exercising During Your Period: Benefits and Things to Avoid” Flo, https://flo.health/menstrual-cycle/lifestyle/fitness-and-exercise/exercising-during-period “2022 highest paid athletes”, Forbes https://www.forbes.com/athletes/ “Women's football: 'I'm a pro footballer but I have a second job'”, BBC article https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-62386612

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Period Parties!

Period Parties! How the World Celebrates Menstruation Across the world, there are many examples of cultures celebrating a girl's first period. Despite these rituals and traditions and the fact that menstruation is a natural bodily function, this has become a taboo topic of discussion. Our mission at Papaya is to uplift and empower women about their menstrual cycles. Looking into how different cultures/traditions around the world honour and celebrate menstruation, especially the first period, would be an excellent way to get this blog started. The word menarche derives from Ancient Greek and it means “beginning.” It is a word used to describe the first menstrual cycle. Around the world, a girl’s first period is recognised as her entry into adulthood, and this is a thing to be celebrated. There are many different ways that cultures celebrate or honour the arrival of the first period. In South India for example, the “half sari” party (or Ritu Kala Samskara) is thrown for the girl by her female relatives and friends. As the name suggests, the girl wears a half sari to indicate that she’s now beginning her rite of passage into womanhood. Other places in Latin America, East Asia, Africa, and so on also have ways of recognising this time in a girl’s life. Many of these rituals involve spiritually significant bathing and isolation, praying, gift-giving, and even preparation of special dishes. In Japan, for example, a dish called Sekihan (red rice) is often cooked for the whole family when a girl first menstruates. The Hupa tribe in California have coming-of-age rituals for girls when they get their first period, which lasts a few days. They include a Flower dance, running, and being taught prayers and songs by older women. Many other native tribes all around the world have similar rituals. Aside from older cultural traditions that often carry deep spiritual/religious meanings, there are a lot of families that try to celebrate their daughter’s periods to make them feel excited and comforted by this new chapter in their lives rather than afraid or ashamed. People are baking cakes, throwing parties…etc to congratulate their daughters on their period. The company HelloFlo had an ad campaign go viral on YouTube back in 2014 called “First Moon Party”. It followed a young girl who lied about getting her first period and so her mom threw her an over-the-top party with a vagina-shaped cake and other bodily-related paraphernalia to get her daughter to admit that she lied about getting her first period. In addition to being funny, it was heartwarming to see periods talked about in such a light-hearted way. Far from being a short-term fun trend, a lot of people worldwide are trying to combat the taboo of discussing periods by throwing parties or doing small honorary activities to celebrate the menarche. This is extremely powerful because the first period can set the tone for how a person views their periods for the rest of their teenage or even adult lives. If the period is received warmly and honoured in any special way, it can help girls to shift their perception of periods. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritu_Kala_Samskaram https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/thefowerdancers/Content?oid=10229320 https://www.youtube.com/resultssearch_query=hellofo+frst+moon+party

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