Womb Central
The Origin
Each of us came into this world after being housed in a world of beauty unmatched by no face, no painting, no song lyric, no word. As a fetus, no responsibility befell us as we swam in the nectar-like qualities of our mothers’ bodies. The sound of her voice may have echoed down towards us, music making ripples in the pool of youth we bathed in until it was time for us to grace the world with our presence. We once lived in our mothers’ wombs.
What do you know about your uterus?
As a premedical student, I must say that I knew barely anything about this sacred area before my own independent research that I have conducted for the past few months. Though I plan to become a Pediatrician and not a doctor that specializes in women’s health, I have an insatiable thirst for knowledge.
Why is the uterus so ignored?
In my reading of the beautiful book Chicken Soup for the African-American Woman’s Soul , I discovered a fact that had nudged at me for years: many women were once taught, and my still be taught, that one who has a menstrual cycle is dirty, or engaging in sexual acts, which, to some people, may be one in the same thing. In certain religions, it is considered a curse.
During one’s menstrual cycle, one’s endometrial lining, which is comfortably and beautifully housed in one’s uterus, is shed. Though I find it highly illogical that a woman’s menstrual cycle is considered a curse, a hex, or anything less than magical seeing that when all is well in a woman’s system and one’s womb is not being prepared to house another human being, one’s menstrual cycle arrives, I see the connection between ignorance about a woman’s cycle and the vessel from which it pours.
Keep in mind, I said I saw the connection, not that I accepted it as logical or even a belief that is yet worth entertaining.
There is more to the history of ignoring the uterus, however, as if this isn’t heinous enough. According to Women, Race, and Class as written by Angela Y. Davis, countless Black women were robbed of their uteruses illegally by a medical system that boasted of great healthcare, compassion, and maybe even professionalism. This process, known as sterilization, was cruel, inhuman, despicable, racist, sexist, ignorant, asinine, yet I feel that more attention is placed upon animal rights today (202-221).
Women were taught that their menstrual cycles were curses and to be rid of a uterus meant to be rid of such of cycle.
“Ignorance is misery, pain, sickness—shed it as you would a coat on a hot summer day.”
I enjoy presenting controversial knowledge such as this. Please feel free to read the books I have listed in the works cited section below; each are amazing and filled to the brim with delicious knowledge.
Works Cited
Canfield, Jack, et al. Chicken Soup for the African-American Woman’s Soul. New York: HCI Chicken Soup, 2006.
Davis, Angela Y. Women, Race, and Class. New York: Vantage Books, 1981.
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