What Is Free-Bleeding & Why You Should Start

One time long ago my friend invited me on a girls’ trip to the Hamptons. One of her friends was on her period and stayed in her room the whole time, despite the beautiful sunny weather and the camaraderie. She was immobilized by the pain of her moon cycle; she suffered from heavy bleeding and intense cramps. Whenever she did emerge from her bed to come into the kitchen, she looked miserable, like she was fighting a war in her room.

I wasn’t into herbalism or anything holistic at the time, so I didn’t have any solutions for her. I just gave her my pity and wondered how menstruation could be that bad for someone, since I didn’t resonate with that experience. I wish I had known then what I know now, because I think free-bleeding could have been (one of) the real solutions for her.

Since then, I’ve started my own practice of free-bleeding. I’ve been practicing it for a year now and it has changed everything I thought I knew about my body and my menstrual health.

Here’s everything you need to know to get started with free-bleeding:

What is free-bleeding?

Free-bleeding is the act of not using any menstrual products to collect your blood while you are on your period. When someone free-bleeds, they do not use pads, tampons, or cups; instead, they will allow their body to bleed freely without obstruction from unnatural, commercially-made, and toxic products.

What are the benefits of free-bleeding?

Free-bleeding is a chance to connect more intimately with your body and menstrual cycle in order to prevent spiritual and physical dis-ease.

Physically, free-bleeding allows you to detox from toxic menstrual products that may contain harmful chemicals and unnatural substances. Your vagina and womb are very sensitive, physically and spiritually — they absorb toxins easily. For example, when you’re using a tampon, it’s not just your blood that’s being absorbed into the tampon, but whatever chemicals are in the tampon are being absorbed into your vaginal walls.

Our vaginas are not meant to hold an object in it for long periods of time — so, similarly with a menstrual cup, even though it’s made from “medical-grade” silicon, you should not be keeping it in your body because there are potential harmful effects. Even when using disposable pads, the toxic materials that are used to create the pad can be absorbed by your vagina. When you allow your body to detox from these unnatural products, your overall and period health will improve.

Women who free-bleed have reported shorter periods, less painful cycles, and greater reproductive health.

Another reason to free-bleed is that it allows you to connect back into yourself, your womanhood, and your intuition. By becoming more intimate with your menstrual blood, you are able to become more intimate with your entire being and your magic. When you treat your period like a disease or a burden and try to dismiss it by shoving a tampon into your body and forgetting about it for hours, you are disconnecting from one of the most sacred parts of yourself — one of the most sacred parts of being a woman.

Based on my personal experience of free-bleeding, my period is way less painful. After going vegan, my cramp days were shortened to just the first day, but they were still pretty painful that day. Once I started free-bleeding, my cramps have been shortened to just a couple of hours, if that, on the first day of my period. Some cycles I don’t have any cramps at all!

I also feel more active and in tune with my body while free-bleeding. In the summer, I can go right out into my garden, while wearing my dark shorts, and no one can tell that I’m on my cycle. It’s my little sacred secret. I feel sexy and alive to be in such deep relationship with my blood, which is a direct line of communication to the Source, Mother Earth, and the Cosmic Creator.

The Great Cosmic Mother

I’d like to share this passage from The Great Cosmic Mother: Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth by Monica Sjoo and Barbara Mor, p. 112:

“Women’s menstrual blood always was, always is of the essence of the creative power for the Great Mother. Blood is the physical counterpart of the mystical life force spiraling throughout the cosmos, nourishing the universe, sustaining its breathing in and out, its manifestations and dissolutions. Ancient women withdrew during their menstrual periods to meditate, fast, pray, and communicate with her. Women living together in cooperative groups do begin to coordinate the time of their periods; ancient women bled and meditated together, under the bleeding and meditating moon.”

How do I free-bleed?

There are many different ways to free-bleed, and you should pick the method that works best for your activity level, comfort, and intention.

Heavy days

Some women try to remain in the house as much as possible during the heaviest days of their moon cycle so that they can comfortably wear loose dresses and skirts that allow them to bleed freely without obstruction. If going this route, you can place a designated towel under you when you sit or lie down to make sure that you don’t get any blood on your furniture or bed.

You can also wear dark boy shorts (or men’s boxer briefs, which I prefer because they’re thicker, soft, and stay in place) or pants such as leggings in your house to collect some of the blood, though on your heaviest days you may still need to lay a towel down to avoid staining your furniture. You may need to change your bottoms a few times throughout the day on your heaviest days.

If you plan to leave the house, wear washable organic cotton pads to avoid having to use any other toxic products. Although this isn’t technically free-bleeding, it is a safer and more natural way of bleeding outside of the house.

Light days

Your lighter days are much easier. You won’t need to lay down any towels in the house or worry about making any mess. You can continue to wear skirts and dresses, which will be much easier, or shorts and pants.

When leaving the house, you can wear dark-colored or thick clothing without any other additional products to catch your blood, since your bleeding will be much lighter.

Sleep

For nighttime, you can continue to wear boy shorts, boxer briefs, underwear, or nothing at all and simply lay a towel under you.