Meet Our #COTW Monica Yates – ‘I Would Go Through Maternity Pads in 20 Minutes’

It’s cold AF on a Thursday night where I am in Minneapolis, Minn., but I’ve got a ray of Australian sunshine beaming from my laptop screen. Monica Yates is at a beach in Sydney (it’s Friday afternoon her time) and she’s flush with enthusiasm and the kind of confidence that only comes once you’ve realized you’re finally doing the one thing you’re meant to do. And this #WCW is doing it well.

Although Yates was a bit of a late bloomer she – like many of us – had little to no instruction on what to do before her first period.

“It’s a lot like in the states,” Yates said. “We don’t talk about it very much in Australia. We have a ‘suck it up’ mentality here.”

According to Yates, sex education in Austalia is scarce and hasn’t changed much in the years since her mother was in school. And despite her and her mother’s closeness, the menstrual cycle wasn’t exactly at the top of their list of conversation topics. So when Yates began bleeding heavily during her cycle, she had no idea what was happening, she just knew that it wasn’t right.

“I would go through maternity pads in 20 minutes,” she said. “I would get into trouble at school for going to the bathroom so many times.”

She bled through her mattress at night and sometimes she’d leave blood stains on the couch. Eventually, Yates went on the pill and her period disappeared for the next two years. When it came it back, however, it made up for lost time. Her doctor decided a higher dose of birth control would do. (Because what doctor doesn’t think that?) The stronger dose threw her hormones into a rage, her body was so out of control that she was considered pre-menopausal.

During this time, Yates had completely changed her diet and was eating foods that she thought were “healthy.” As an active ski instructor, she relied on honey, rice crackers, and gluten-free foods to satiate her appetite. And when she had alcohol, she’d order a vodka cranberry. Her thought process was that because cranberries are fruit, the juice couldn’t be that bad for her…

Eventually, the pain returned, the kind that we #EndoBabes are far too familiar with – she was experiencing a sharp stabbing pain in her ovaries and general pain and discomfort during sex.

The mere idea that she could have Endometriosis was enough to send her reeling, and so she decided to take control of her body and what was going into it.

Sarah Wilson’s best-selling book “I Quit Sugar” was a game changer for Yates. As she read, she recognized that while her diet was technically better than a lot of other people’s way of eating, it still wasn’t great.

The cranberry juice was basically sugar water, and she needed more nutrients than what she was getting through rice cakes and the few other foods she allowed herself to have.

Yates began following Wilson’s instructions and changed her food habits. She also went back to school, so she could help others on their health journey. After she made the decision to change her lifestyle, Yates earned a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition from Torrens University in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and an International Coach Federation Certification to become a life coach.

Once she was off sugar, Yates’ body began to heal itself.

“Now my period comes and goes; it’s never a problem and most people don’t realize I’m on it during that time of the month,” Yates said.

That positive experience led her to help others better manage their cycle.

“The women in my family have a joke – ‘next time I’m coming back as a man,’ – but it doesn’t have to be that way,” she said.

Now, Yates works tirelessly to raise menstrual health awareness. She speaks to classes of young girls in Sydney about their cycles and hosts Private Period Parties. The main questions that come up in her sessions are about pain, and Yates takes great care to stress that while pain is common, it doesn’t have to become anyone’s new normal.

In Yates’  “Power Up Your Period” pamphlet, she encourages women to focus on their “superpowers” and how best to use them.

“I love ovulation because you feel so sexy and alive,” she said. “I get so much work done. I also love the first day of my period because it gives me a good excuse to stay in bed, drink hot cacao elixirs, and read,” she added. “Plus, whenever I’m on my period, my coaching sessions are super intuitive and deep, which my clients and I love.”

During those talks, her clients and her friends still preface their questions with TMI warnings, but it’s that exact hesitation and fear that Yates hopes to tackle head-on.

“When we have passion and grace towards ourselves, we can tap into the power of being a woman and love ourselves and our cycles,” Yates said. “We fucking create people, how amazing are we?”

To follow Monica Yates or to find more information on her programs, visit her website, or follow her on Instagram @monicayateshealth.