Empowerment is about education. 

Backed by research, backed by science.

Empowerment is about education

This is why we need to educate our young women…

  • In a 2018 poll it showed that nearly half of women have experienced period shaming at some point.
  • A 2018 poll of 1,500 women and 500 men from USA has found that 58 percent of women have felt a sense of embarrassment simply because they were on their period.
  • Forty-two percent of women have experienced period-shaming, with one in five being made to have these feelings because of comments made by a male friend.
  • Twelve percent of women have been shamed by a family member and one in ten by a classmate.

The ‘Empowerment Cycle’ is an innovative, online, published resource designed to empower all girls and women. It is a resource that explains the different phases experienced throughout a female’s menstrual cycle, with details on the positive strengths associated with each phases. The ‘Empowerment Cycle’ is designed to build understanding and boost self-esteem, allowing females to connect with their own mind and body’s inner workings, and that of their friends and family. Each phase of the menstrual cycle is named after a Greek goddess whose sensibilities mirror that of each phase. Why Greek, well they understood beauty, passion and the power of story and mythology. This program will become a tool to help females shake the shackles associated with having their period, giving individuals and families a new language to communicate cycles. This is an invaluable tool for all girls, and parents, but especially young girls going through the challenging time of puberty.

As well as being a tool specific to menstruation, it also teaches females the strength of character they have from week to week, and how to harness this to get the most out of themselves. By reading and engaging in the program, women have a greater sense of understanding, allowing and welcoming the characteristics and changes they are feeling at each time of the month. This recirculates feelings of strength, capability and self-worth. Much of the content from the program (book) are backed by research in the public domain, the program has referenced studies that have been conducted.  The ‘Empowerment Cycle’ is continuing to become an evidence-based program and looking for research students to conduct a full independent study of the program’s effectiveness. If you are a student of psychology or menstrual health and are looking for a project that you can really get your teeth into, please contact Sharon on 0439 999 757.

Evidence Based

Emgoddess was created through intuitive beliefs over time, however it is important all content in the program can be backed with true research. Below is a list of references used throughout the ‘Empowerment Cycle’ program, research conducted from all over the world, supporting the information to show the impact of the menstrual cycle on different aspects of our lives.

Just some of our resources…

  • Data World Bank Wednesday 9 November 2016 http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL.FE.ZS?end=2015&start=1960
  • A Million Years in a Day. Greg Jenner
  • Relationships between paranoid thinking, self-esteem and the menstrual cycle. Rosalind Brock, Gerogina Rowse, Pauline Slade. Arch Womens Ment Health (2016).
  • Do Women Feel Worse to Look Their Best? Testing the Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Fertility Status Across the Menstrual Cycle. Sarah E. Hill, Kristina M. Durante Sagepub.com
  • NCBI US National Library of Medicine November 2016L: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26260035
  • Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin http://psp.sagepub.com/content/35/12/1592.short Do Women Feel Worse to Look Their Best? Testing the Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Fertility Status Across the Menstrual Cycle.
  • Reproductive Shame: Self-Objectification and Young Women’s Attitudes Toward Their Reproductive Functioning. Ingrid Johnston-Robledo, Kristin Sheffield, Jacqueline Voigt and Jennifer Wilcox-Constantine. Women & Health Journal September 2008
  • Physical Characteristics of the Menstrual Cycle and Premenstrual Depressive Symptoms. Jeff Liesner Psychological Science 2009 20:763
  • Golombeck et a. 1987; Rierdan and Koff, 1985; Rierdan et al., 1989
  • Cycle of Shame: Menstrual Shame, Body Shame, and Sexual Decision-Making. Deborah Schooler, L. Monique Ward, Ann Merriwether, Allison S. Caruthers. Journal of Sex Research Volume 42, Number 4, November 2005
  • The role of the self-concept in the relationship of menstrual symptom attitudes and negative mood. Sibylle Peterse, Tilman Eckloff. Vol.3, No.6, 326-332 (2011). Dol:10.423/health.2011.36056.
  • Social identity, health and well-being: An emerging agenda for applied psychology. Haslam S. A., Jetten, J, Postmes, T., and Haslam, C. Applied Psychology: An International Review (2009).
  • Relationships between paranoid thinking, self-esteem and the menstrual cycle. Rosalind Brock, Gerogina Rowse, Pauline Slade. Arch Womens Ment Health (2016)
  • A weight-loss program adapted to the menstrual cycle increases weight loss in healthy, overweight, premenopausal women: a 6-mo randomised controlled trial. Nina RW Geiker, Christian Ritz, Sue D Pedersen, Thomas M Larsen, James O Hill and Arne Astrup. American Society for Nutrition (2016)
  • Higher estrogen levels linked to increased alcohol sensitivity in brain’s reward center. Science Daily. Amy Lasek.November 7 2017.
  • Bertha J. Vandegrift, Chang You, Rosalba Satta, Mark S. Brodie, Amy W. Lasek. Estradoil increases the sensitivity of ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons to dopamine and ethanol. PLOS ONE, 2017.
  • https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/zmyzye/why-your-dreams-get-wild-right-before-your-period
  • Women’s Voices Become More High-pitched During Ovulation. University of California – Los Angeles. ScienceDaily. 29 October 2008
  • Do Women Feel Worse to Look Their Best? Testing the Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Fertility Status Across the Menstrual Cycle. Sarah E. Hill, Kristina M. Durante. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
  • Relationships between paranoid thinking, self-esteem and the menstrual cycle. Rosalind Brock, Georgina Rowse, Pauline Slade. Arch Womens Ment Health (2016)
  • Higher estrogen levels linked to increased alcohol sensitivity in brain’s reward center. Science Daily. Amy Lasek.November 7 2017.
  • Bertha J. Vandegrift, Chang You, Rosalba Satta, Mark S. Brodie, Amy W. Lasek. Estradoil increases the sensitivity of ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons to dopamine and ethanol. PLOS ONE, 2017.
  • Relationships between paranoid thinking, self-esteem and the menstrual cycle. Rosalind Brock, Georgina Rowse, Pauline Slade. Arch Womens Ment Health (2016)
  • Vocal Cues of Ovulation in Human Females. Bryant et al. Biology Letters, 2008
  • Female Sexual Arousal and the Menstrual Cycle. Paula Englander-Golden, Horng-Shing Chang, Mary R. Whitmore and Richard A. Dienstbier. Journal of Human Stress March 1980.
  • Makeup and menstrual cycle: near ovulation, women use more cosmetics. Nicolas Guegen, The Psychological Record Publisher 2012 Source volume:62 Source Issue: 3
  • Women more likely to wear red or pink at peak fertility. Psychological Science. Alec T. Beall, Jessica L. Tracy, University of British Columbia.
  • Relationships between paranoid thinking, self-esteem and the menstrual cycle. Rosalind Brock, Georgina Rowse, Pauline Slade. Arch Womens Ment Health (2016)
  • Mood and the Menstrual Cycle. Sarah E. Romans et al. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2013; 82:53-60
  • https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/zmyzye/why-your-dreams-get-wild-right-before-your-period
  • A weight-loss program adapted to the menstrual cycle increases weigh loss in health, overweight, premenopausal women: a 6:mo randomized controlled trial. Nina RW Geiker, Christian Ritz, Sue D Pedersen, Thomas M Larsen, James O Hill and Arne Astrup. American Society for Nutrition (2016)
  • Premenstrual syndrome and alcohol consumption: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Maria del Mar Fernandez, Jurgita Saulyte, Hazel M Inskip, Bahi Takkouche. BMJ Open 16 April 2018.
  • Female Sexual Arousal and the Menstrual Cycle. Paula Englander-Golden, Horng-Shing Chang, Mary R. Whitmore and Richard A. Dienstbier. Journal of Human Stress March 1980.
  • Relationships between paranoid thinking, self-esteem and the menstrual cycle. Rosalind Brock, Georgina Rowse, Pauline Slade. Arch Womens Mental Health (2016).
  • https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/zmyzye/why-your-dreams-get-wild-right-before-your-period