Table Of ContentPraise for Heavy Flow
Reading Heavy Flow is akin to a long chat with a non-judgmental super cool big
sister who knows her stuff. Grounded in a fierce feminist commitment to body
literacy as an act of resistance, Laird guides the reader toward better health and
body positivity without the saccharine. Readable, inclusive, real, and often funny,
Heavy Flow is a myth-busting manual and menstrual cycle roadmap that insists
menstruators be seen and heard.
— Chris Bobel, author of The Managed Body: Developing Girls and Menstrual
Health in the Global South and New Blood: Third Wave Feminism and the
Politics of Menstruation
Heavy Flow breaks down absolutely everything you need to know about menstruation.
Expertly written and easy to understand, this book takes the shame out of menstru-
ation and empowers women to feel great about their bodies.
— Ariel Ng Bourbonnais, author and co-editor of Through, Not Around and
co-founder of The 16 Percent
As fierce as it is fascinating, Heavy Flow outlines the path of the pro-period move-
ment, bringing that red wave right up to your own front door and the reader’s
personal period experience. What could this cultural moment mean for you and
your reproductive health? Laird answers this question with confidence and compas-
sion, skillfully translating the hashtags into clear, honest, and much needed health
information. This is one of those books that’s going to be hard to keep to yourself —
you’ll be loaning it out and losing it to your best friend, your sister, your daughter.
— Holly Grigg-Spall, author of Sweetening the Pill: Or How We Got Hooked on
Hormonal Birth Control
Heavy Flow is an important addition to the global conversation about periods.
Periods are coming out in the open more than ever before, and as more women
discover the connection between healthy menstrual cycles and overall health, they
need a place to turn for guidance. Amanda has put together an encouraging and
easily accessible resource for women as they strive for better periods. Amanda’s pas-
sion for demystifying the menstrual cycle and eradicating menstrual taboos shines
through on every page!
— Lisa Hendrickson-Jack, fertility awareness educator and author of The Fifth
Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles and Optimize Your Fertility
9781459743137_INT_R3.indb 1 2019-01-23 1:40 PM
Amanda demystifies menstruation for us in a way that is eye-opening and fascinat-
ing. I felt excited reading her book knowing that many women will have access to
this information and will be able to take charge of their own hormonal health and
bleed with awareness! I sure wish I had this information when I was popping the
birth control pill for over a decade.
— Joy McCarthy, CNP, best-selling author of Joyous Health and Joyous Detox
Somehow Amanda Laird makes the “curse” of menstruation almost feel like a bless-
ing. She’s written an incredibly thoughtful and informative guide to not only under-
standing your body better, but also learning how to have deeper compassion for it,
too. Required reading for every person that has (or ever will) experience the “flow.”
— Jessica Murnane, author of One Part Plant and founder of Know Your Endo
Heavy Flow delivers the goods: Amanda Laird gives the menstrual lowdown about
why we don’t have to keep periods on the downlow. I love how she consistently chal-
lenges corporate messages of shame and shares her own personal, professional, and
practical ideas while effortlessly introducing stuff from the wider menstrual research
community. It’s all done with a fun and enthusiastic push toward body literacy and
empowerment; readers will feel like they’re part of the podcast or hanging out with
a friend. It’s very period positive and it’s a welcome addition to the growing global
period library. I’m so glad it’s here!
— Chella Quint, comedian, artist, menstruation education researcher, and
#periodpositive founder
Heavy Flow is the book I wish I had when I was a teenager and am glad to have
now. Amanda Laird answers questions you didn’t even know you had about the
menstrual cycle with topics ranging from political relevance, to practical physiology,
to nutritional support for people who menstruate.
— Kathleen Shannon, creative entrepreneur, author, and speaker
Heavy Flow is essential reading for all menstruators. Laird challenges readers to think
about their period in broader feminist terms, including that women’s pain is too
often dismissed, and how essential menstrual products are out of reach for many. I
look forward to having a copy on the shelf of our wellness centre.
— Caroline Starr, co-director of The Healing Collective, author and co-editor of
Through, Not Around, and co-founder of The 16 Percent
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HEAV Y
FLOW
9781459743137_INT_R3.indb 3 2019-01-23 1:40 PM
HEAV Y
FLOW
Breaking the Curse
of Menstruation
A M A N D A L A I R D
9781459743137_INT_R3.indb 5 2019-01-23 1:40 PM
Copyright © Amanda Laird, 2019
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or trans-
mitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except
for brief passages for purpose of review) without the prior permission of Dundurn Press. Permission to
photocopy should be requested from Access Copyright.
Cover design: Laura Boyle
Printer: Webcom, a division of Marquis Printing Inc.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Laird, Amanda, author
Heavy flow : breaking the curse of menstruation / Amanda
Laird.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-4597-4313-7 (softcover).--ISBN 978-1-4597-4314-4
(PDF).--ISBN 978-1-4597-4315-1 (EPUB)
1. Menstruation--Social aspects. 2. Women--Health and
hygiene--Social aspects. I. Title.
GN484.38.L35 2019 612.6’62 C2018-906290-8
C2018-906291-6
1 2 3 4 5 23 22 21 20 19
an Ontario government agency
un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $153 million to
bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country, and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing pro-
gram. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Ontario, through the Ontario Book
Publishing Tax Credit and Ontario Creates, and the Government of Canada.
Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien. L’an dernier, le Conseil a investi 153 mil-
lions de dollars pour mettre de l’art dans la vie des Canadiennes et des Canadiens de tout le pays.
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9781459743137_INT_R3.indb 6 2019-01-23 1:40 PM
Dedicated to everyone on their period
— yesterday, today, and tomorrow —
especially Maisie Clementine.
Only once we are educated about our cycles and the
cultural associations can we recognize it for what it
really is: not a shameful secret but a fact of life that
need not be concealed.
— Elizabeth Kissling, Capitalizing on the Curse:
The Business of Menstruation
9781459743137_INT_R3.indb 7 2019-01-23 1:40 PM
