I will never forget the day of my first period.
What made it unforgettable was who was there with me — the matriarchs of my family.
This image will forever live vividly in my mind. My first bleed—I was so young, probably in 4th or 5th grade. I laid on my aunt’s couch, crying, confused and holding my belly. Mi abuelita came through the kitchen with a hot tortilla, fresh off the press, and laid it on my womb space. It helped for a moment, but the pain lasted all afternoon.
The pain came and went in fluctuations. I can still remember the sadness on my mom’s, tias’, and abuelitas’ faces. They knew this would be my entire life: painful cycles, each one complained of discomfort- My mom had a hysterectomy. None of was taught how to nurture a healthy connection to their womb space. All they knew was that with each month came pain.
I was one of the youngest in my friend group to get a period. Every cycle I’d sneak into the bathroom with the largest Always pad so I wouldn’t have to change them often or risk leaking. That’s how heavy my bleeding was. I felt shame and had to live in secrecy. My periods grew heavier and more painful as the years went on.
Fast forward to my early 30s: my mood swings were out of control. I had huge ups and downs and was so disconnected to my cycle that came each month. Cervical mucus disgusted me— I disliked seeing it in my underwear.
All I knew was that I hated my period, hated three days of cramps, and was afraid of what my mood swings were doing to my current relationships.
One day while scrolling Instagram, I stumbled across a post about menstrual cycles- I clicked through and found the profile of the woman who would become my teacher. Her page overflowed with information about hormones, nutrition, and the phases of the cycle. I booked a discovery call to discuss what I was feeling. After some Google searches, I suspected estrogen dominance and even wondered if I had PMDD. She explained her methods and program, but it was too expensive at the time. I declined and promised myself I’d try to help myself.
I thought I lived a healthy life- I ate well, exercised, and loved being in nature. But I also worked a high-stress restaurant job in Chicago—five days a week, 50+ hours, 10-hour shifts, no windows. I drank almost every other day. Chicago barely gets sunshine. It was brutal. I had no idea how much it affected my hormones.
Weeks passed, when I saw a new post from my teacher—she was taking on students to train as Holistic Hormone & Cycle Coaches! I was immediately drawn in. I wanted to do this! I wanted to help myself, learn about my body, and support my friends and family. Every womb-holder I spoke to had some sort of disconnection or menstrual discomfort. I knew I could turn this into my career. I had taught children before, I could certainly help anyone suffering from cramps, mood swings, and heavy periods.
So I invested in her program & I found myself in a classroom with people from all over the world while I was in Denver, Colorado. Behind me rose the Front Range, the sun shining 200+ days a year, gloomy days rare. I was no longer working a stressful job. No longer drinking daily. No longer living under constant pressure. I manifested this life back when I was still experiencing erratic mood swings in Chicago. I made the hard decision to move away from friends and family because I knew there was a better way to live—and I found it.
Now, in my early 30s, I am in constant control of my cycle. I’ve taken charge of my daily routines and built consistency into my nutrition, movement, and light exposure. My relationships feel steadier and more mature because I have learned that I am cyclical and I am not the same person every day.
Did the little girl in the picture ever imagine there existed painless periods? I don’t think so, I give younger me so much love and grace because she endured so much. I now know there was a pathway to release the shame and discomfort I once felt about my menstrual cycle. Today it feels beautiful, powerful, and natural.
I hope my story inspires others to discover the same.
Hey there, I’m Lizbeth!
As a little girl I remember thinking to myself that when I grew up I wanted to “help deliver babies”.
Now I support families through their sacred postpartum period & help women build connections with their womb space as well as help increase their body literacy.
Our cycle and fertility challenges are influenced by chronic stress and environmental factors — and the patriarchal, modern societies we live in do not allow us to honor our cyclical bodies.
Book a call with me so you don’t have to figure this out yourself. When we start healing ourselves we heal our communities.
Qualifications:
DONA trained Postpartum Doula
Cycle Seeds, IPHM- Certified Holistic Hormone & Menstrual Cycle Coach
Student of Ancestral Healer, Pānquetzani, Indigescuela
The Illinois Institute of Art— Chicago Associates in Culinary Arts
