Re:

I can remember growing up hating to hear that word "unclean" but with what I know now, and how the shedding blood cleans us out, and isn't the germ barrier that the mucous is, then the word "unclean" took on new meaning; I understood.

With what I know NOW, I can still view the cycle as both a "curse" AND a "blessing".

A "curse" in that it was simply a pain-in-the-butt to deal with, lol, and a "blessing" because it cleans us out.

However, I haven't even bled since 1998. I was only 41 when menstruation ceased and desisted for me.

Shame, really.