My period is wrapping things up for the month, wiping the counters off and putting a few final things in its bag before it heads out.

And today as I sat on the toilet I had a thought. Menstrual blood is actually quite diverse — not just lady to lady, but in color, texture, consistency, thickness, and so on.

I’ve never kept a detailed account of my period blood. It's always been whether I’m on my period or not, and I can usually tell you what my flow is like on what day.

So today in honor of the upcoming session of my Chart Your Cycle course [August 22nd] I’ve created a little PDF for you. Something you can print off and write down the changes in your period day to day.

And I challenge you to get as detailed as possible. You don’t have to share it with anyone, but I feel like we can never get “graphic” about our periods. Yes, sometimes we make a little joke here or there, but we can never describe the nitty gritty of it. And today [well, starting with your next period] I want you to do just that.

Is it just spotting? Is it brown? Opaque Purple? Is it thick and goopy? Clotty? Watery? Is it sort of crumbly in your underwear? Are you leaky? Going through your cup/tampons/pads fast? Can you feel it when you sneeze? Are you afraid to move? Did you wake up in a pool of your own blood?

That’s right, I want you to write it all down.

You might be thinking, oh my god, ew, no!

But that's just the reason you should do this little exercise! It's like a "Dear Diary" for your period. You'll not only be able to connect to your period in a whole new way, but I bet it will be downright freeing to boot!

And then it's your choice what to do with your worksheet after. Tuck it away in your journal, recycle it, burn it, or hell, frame the thing. It's your choice!

Have fun with it, and don't forget to go sign up for that Chart Your Cycle course I'm always talking about.

FEMMEHEAD'S PERIOD WORKSHEET

Here's how the PDF is broken up:

+ you've got a spot for the month at the top

+ then it's split into:

The Lead Up. [Do you spot before your period starts? Does your cervical fluid change in consistency the few days before?]

Days 1-5. [Split it up into morning, afternoon, and night. How does it change over the day? What is the consistency, texture, flow level, color and so on. The more details the better.]

The Aftermath. [Do you finish off with more spotting? Is it pink? Brown? Do you have a period that lasts more than five days? Go ahead and get it all down. How does it compare to last month?

+ feel free to doodle, color in the days, and decorate it however you like.

Happy Bleeding!