‘Menstrual health is mental health,’ Toronto event aims to change how women understand their bodies

International Women’s Day celebrates every part of being a woman, even highlighting parts such as the menstrual cycle, something that impacts most women every day. That’s why the Menstrual Health is Mental Health workshop was created.

This annual workshop began in 2024, and was created by co-founders Betsy Campos and Miranda Popen, who collaborated with her program The Period Lab. They both said their hope is to help women learn how their menstrual health affects their body, and guide them into how they can have a symptom-free cycle.

“We are in a world of being brushed off and not being taken seriously,” Popen told Now Toronto. “I wanted to bring in all the people into one room that are not typically in the same room, who should all be talking together about you. So we’re here making sure that we are changing the conversation, and if anything, hoping to close the gender gap by talking about menstrual health”

The workshop was held at the Avant Garde Gallery in Toronto’s Davisville Village on Sunday. Around 60 people attended, with plans to participate in multiple activations such as breath work, dancing, and stretching, which helped their physical and mental health. 

Campos said it was important she and Popen created the Menstrual Health is Mental Health workshop together because women’s health often gets overlooked.

“We are hosting our International Women’s Day event, a wellness event catering to women’s health, getting you the answers that you need, and diving deep on a different level,” she said. “It was so empowering to get a group of specialists, doctors, people that just focus on women’s health in different angles, together in one room to talk about things that we typically don’t get answers to.”

Campos herself said she’s had her own fair share of experience when it came to being discussed for health related issues.

“I’ve been challenged many times by medical professionals,” she explained. “I feel like I’ve always had to beg for answers where we should just have this information disposed of and shared with us. It’s about diving deeper, encouraging women to understand that they can also do that as well.”

Participants at the event also learned more about their cycles and how they should be nourishing themselves based on what stage of the month they’re at.

Popen, who is also a nutritionist, said there are many things people and women typically don’t know about the menstrual cycle, and how it affects all of their health.

“The most surprising fact most women don’t know is that ovulation determines how menstruation goes,” she added. “We all know that [premenstrual syndrome (PMS)] has been normalized, and we’ve come into this acceptance that mood swings and PMS is part of your personality, when in reality, your body is giving you so many hints and is trying to talk to you.”

Popen added it was important to view the week of one’s period as a report card of the past phase in the menstrual cycle.

“Progesterone is your natural chill pill. It’s your cycle regulator, your symptom soother, and how we support progesterone quite literally determines how your mental health

is as your end result,” she explained. “The goal today is to close the gap and make sure that we are connecting all the dots to better understand that you have way more control over your health than you’ve ever been led on to believe.”

It’s a cause Popen is passionate about, as she explained that it’s never too late to learn about menstrual health.

“Imagine that your niece or your future daughter gets her first period and she’s able to walk into the gynecologist and her doctor is actually going to talk to her about her period and her symptoms and what to tell mom and dad about,” Popen said with tears in her eyes. “This is going to change our future generations on our own menstrual health, and when that happens, we as women, we’re unstoppable.”

The impact

Both Popen and Campos explained how the workshop aims to educate every attendee, regardless of their age or stage in life.

Shahaddah Jack, an attendee and Toronto’s poet laureate, said it was her second time attending the event. She said despite having a supportive and educational experience growing up when it came to her cycle, Jack was still surprised by the information she learned at the 2025 event.

“One thing that I never learned in school, and that my mom just quite frankly, didn’t have the resources, was looking at, what are the different levels of your face, follicular, luteal, ovulatory, and truly understanding, how does that connect to your nutrition? How is that connected to your breath,” she explained. “Last year, I learned quite a bit about how it’s connected to my dental health, how it’s connected to what vitamins I’m taking, the foods that I’m eating, and I would say in the past year, it’s definitely adjusted and changed my cycle.”

Jack added she learned period cramps should not be too painful, saying since adjusting her nutritional lifestyle, she’s been able to have a healthier relationship with her cycle.

Monica (Nonna) Bancheri attended the event for the first time on Sunday. 

“I think it’s extremely important as women to understand on a deeper level about what is happening on the inside of our uterus and all of our phases, so we can better advocate for ourselves when it comes to health care,” she said.

She added that she found the space to be an inclusive one, and that anyone looking to learn should check out next year.

“As a queer woman, it’s extremely important for me to advocate for my health and my body, and a place like this allows me to learn the knowledge that I need to better advocate for myself,” she explained. “It’s an inclusive and opening and welcoming space for anyone within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and I highly encourage anyone, no matter how they identify, to come and learn.”