Engaging with menstruating bodies

Rooted in personal experience, my postdoctoral project explores the understudied and often misunderstood terrain of menstrual (un)health. Despite being a defining physiological process for many, far too little is known—both publicly and medically—about the complexities of living with a menstrual cycle. Many menstruating individuals encounter hormonal fluctuations, irregularities, stigma, medical gaslighting, and a pervasive culture of silence.

In this project, I aim to critically examine menstrual (un)health as a cross-cultural, commodified, and frequently medicalized phenomenon. I am particularly interested in contrasting holistic health approaches with dominant biomedical frameworks, and in engaging critically with the ways menstruation is monetized and objectified in contemporary society.

I also seek to contribute to broader public conversations around hormonal contraceptives, the gendered dimensions of medical care, and the infradian rhythm inherent in female biology—especially in relation to the circadian rhythm that shapes many social norms and institutional expectations.

This project is still evolving, and I look forward to deepening both its ethnographic grounding and theoretical scope.