A History of Menstruation 

"Menstruation blood is the only blood that is not born from violence and yet it is the one that disgusts you the most" -Maia Schwartz

the girl that threw her period rags at a guy she didnt like is iconic

I’m a man and I think being disgusted with periods in nonsensical. I think pooping is way grosser and yet everyone does it and nobody gives anyone else a hard time about the fact that they poop.

I always think about how female characters in adventure stories never deal with periods. I've done long camping/backpacking journeys and it felt like HALF of my planning was about how to handle my period. I'd be lying awake at night stressed about it. I'm tired of authors pretending that their female character would never spare it a single thought.

"It was believed that women should rest completely during menstruation." I think we should bring back this practice.

Nobody talking about how Native American tribes considered menstruation to be the source of literal girl power?

As a person with really terrible periods, I fully understand why so many cultures believed that menstruation was a form of punishment or a curse. But dang is that rude

I heard about a male employer in India who allowed his female employees to take however many days they needed off due to period cramping without fear of being penalized or losing their positions. Now that's a progressive boss. We should all be so lucky to have an employer like him. Even most female employers wouldn't consider doing that.

“…he taught that the menstrual cycle is god-given and required for the creation of human life” FINALLY, YES

Throw your pads at men to scare them away. Noted.

I called my mom at work to tell her I’d gotten my period at age 12. She told me to hold on and stood up in her cubicle at work to announce, “my daughter is a woman today.” I was mortified. When my daughter started at age 12, I gave her a period party w/ my female adult friends. We gave her gifts of new underwear, pajamas, sheets, pads, a heating pad, and lots of advice. We ate cake and made talking about our periods normal from day one for her. 🎉❤

My Aunt was shocked to see us discuss periods in front of my son! He just laughed at her, pointing out that his twin is a girl and was bound to get her period, so why keep it a secret? "It happens to half the population, so get a grip!"

Dam, I feel really lucky to have been born during a time when pads and tampons actually exist.

I had my first period when I was 12. My mother was out of town and my father was at work. I tried one of my sister's pads and I was miserable. My brother who was almost 14 then got on his bike and went to the drugstore and bought me a box of tampons. I'm almost 62 years old and I've never forgot that day.

My grandmother grew up in the early 1900s and was never taught about her period. When she started it she thought she was dying. How horrible! Because of experiencing that, she was very open with her daughters about their cycle and therefore my mom was open about it with me as well. How sad and scary to not know why you are suddenly bleeding!

It took 10 years of painful periods before I was diagnosed with Endometriosis. Doctors kept patting me on the head saying “it’s just your period” until I was suddenly rushed into hospital needing emergency surgery to save my ovaries. My husband has no sisters but he actively listens to me and wants to understand what women go through.

It went from "Your periods are godly and can ward off tornados" to "You're the devil cuz u have periods"

“Men feared that unless women’s period were carefully monitored and synchronized the world will decent in chaos” Well that’s one way to put it

Im 56 years old. When i got my first period, i showed my mother my stained underwear. She said uncomfortably...'well, when did this come about?' She gave me pads, the book 'Are you there God, its me Margaret', and i was instructed to never talk about it and tear up the kotex boxes into tiny pieces so they couldn't be distinguished in the trash. Basically eradicating any indication of the beauty of my femininity and potential.

"Menstruation is the only blood that is not born from violence, yet it's the one that disgusts you the most" -Maia Schwartz

Can we just have a shoutout to the Native Americans who were the only culture that didn’t think of menstruation as a negative thing. They saw it as a source of STRENGTH and thought it could DESTROY THEIR ENEMIES. 👏

Interesting how men never get sick of turning women’s lives into hell.

I love the cultures that celebrate menstruation. It’s so nice to see that

i grew up in a very conservative home. at about age 10-11, my mom sat down with me, opened a book and taught me about periods, sex and having babies. Not all faith based homes are stuck in the dark ages. Also, I remember the joy I had when stick on maxi pads came out

When I was in HS one of my classmates took her pad out of her bag in a full class. I hurried and asked her “why are you doing that?” And then she said nonchalantly “it’s just a period” and walked out to the bathroom with the bright colored wrapper in her hand. From that day on I realized that nothing was wrong with having a period, and there was no shame in others knowing you were on/had a cycle. Took me a while to confidently take my pads/tampons out my bag without a care , but I am very thankful for her...if you’re reading this Darielle you liberated me.

My 22 yo son rings me from the grocer, he’s buying pads for his girlfriend and wants to know what else he can get for her to make her more comfortable as she’s having a really bad period. He will never be able to comprehend how much of a proud Mumma moment that was.

What I learned as a man about menstruation - besides the theoretical medical/biological aspects - that first, it massively depends on the individual how bad it is (there are women, envied by their peers, who just have a red smear in their pads every four weeks and this is it, and then there are women who have pain or bleed half to death), and if your wife, girlfriend,… tells you that she feels bad or gets cranky or whatever … just support her. Be there for her. Fulfill your male biological function and support and protect. And be it from not wanting to get out of the chair, to get up and fetch a snack from the kitchen. Do that, and she might even accept you buying technical gadgets you don't need, at least some times 😉

I'm going to turn 70 this year. I remember those nasty belts, by the time I was having my moon time kotex had been invented but not Tampax. My mother told me how lucky we girls were. She had to use real rags. Another point. During the late 60s and into the 70s I protested the war in Vietnam. I remember being in jail with 40 or 50 women for 2 months. In the second month we all had sinked up. I don't know why, but growing up my sisters and I would also be on our moon time together.

A while ago I was complaining about my period and my father was like "You are a woman, so deal with it. It cant be that bad." And I really said "You have no right to say anything about that since you never experienced it." That was a huge step for me xD

I mean... I wouldn’t mind having 10 days off a month to hangout with my friends and meditate, sounds like a good deal tbh

I still think there are a lot of information that we women still miss about menstruation. Nowadays we get to know about products to use in our periods. But the more I read about our menstrual cycle, the more I’m impressed on how much information I’ve missed my whole life about my body and something that I’ve experienced every month. Also it’s a realization on the lack of education that we receive in school.

When I started my first period at 11, my mother would tell people (while standing next to me) that I was now a woman. I was so mortified, because it felt very private. On top of that, my father made starting my period feel so dirty when he asked me, "So you're on the rag now?" It's over 30 years and I still remember the humiliation.

My boyfriend buys me tampons and pads any time I need them. He’s a keeper. Most men now a days don’t view periods as taboo. The ones who do are still boys and haven’t grown up yet.

“ No uterus, no opinion ” - Rachel Green

I remember when I started my period, my mom told me all about her belt and how now there's so many more resources for us. Crazy to think that MY MOM got her first period before adhesive pads were invented!

Sikhs have very little representation in mainstream media and even in my everyday life, so you bringing up Guru Nanak Dev Ji made me really happy! :) Thanks for the amazing representation and diversity in all of your videos!

"Sorry Babe, hot pockets are in the freezer. I'm going to my blood tent to watch TV and eat ice cream. See you in 10 days." ✌

It's sad how girls in my class look at me in disgust when I talk about periods and the female body. Like it's completely normal and we are all girls.

While growing up I’ve been a big part of raising my brothers. I have always freely talked about periods with them and have even had them buy tampons for me. One has a gf now and he’s super understanding and comfortable about her periods. I was a very proud sister when I realized that he’s a gentleman and is mature about it ☺️

I'm really jealous of people who live without thinking periods are a taboo. I literally am not allowed to even say the word period/menstruation out loud when my brother/father/any other people besides my mom is around which sucks because if I accidentally go to the toilet/shower without bringing a pad with me, I have to awkwardly waddle to my room to get one, instead of asking my dad/brother to get one which is a disgusting feeling :(

Let's bring back menstrual huts and just chill a week each month

I hate when schools treat the human body / feminine process as ‘gross’. Its NATURE

And then some guys believe very firmly that women weren't oppressed. Women weren't just oppressed, they were left to die and some still are to this day. They're expected to never complain when they're bleeding and in pain. They're put away in a hole until this natural process that gives you the ability to create life is done or until you die of suffocation. That's disgusting on so many levels Today we have it much better, but some men still like to make us feel ashamed for enduring what life gives us. Women have to go through menstrual pain every month, they have to just accept the hormones and pains and discomfort it comes with and are left to feel like it's bad to let anyone know you're on your period. The fact is I've never felt comfortable showing anything related to period in front of anyone, my very close girl friends maybe, anyone else no. I hide my menstrual necessities from my father and brother, my Mom died so now I'm the only girl in the house. I never asked my father to buy tampons or anything for me because I feel embarrassed and I know he's okay with it but it's still feels like it's expected of me to not give anyone the idea that I'm on my period.

I was very lucky. I got my first period age 12 and I already knew what it was and why it happens. My mum is a biology teacher so she's always been very open about these things with me and my sister. Since day 1 she always taught me to keep a purse with pads, painkillers and a spare pair of panties in my bag at all time, even if it's not "the time" because especially when you're younger periods can be irregular. When my classmates also started having theirs, many of them didn't know what it was and got scared. I took it upon myself to explain what it was and we even affixed a small calendar at the back of our classroom where we would track our periods marking the days in different coloured pens. They had no idea they should track them/how it works. And this was early 2000s, so not that long ago! At the time I felt "cool" that i could teach my friends something like this, but in later years I realized this was a sign that their parents didn't do their job in teaching them like they should have 😢.

Men in ancient times: "Ewww period blood is so disgusting, stay away from me!" *** goes to war and bathes in the blood of their enemies *** 😂jk

The girl that threw her bloody rags at the creepy man is an absolute girlboss💅🏼😌👑

Best mom moment thus far was throwing a period party for my daughter. Inviting all the women in our family and close friends who brought gifts and shared stories about what works for them. My daughter asked questions with every gift. Even I learned a lot of what others experienced, not to mention all the young girls hanging on every word. Definitely a bonding moment had for all. It blew me away how liberating it felt to ignore all taboo thoughts or stigmas regarding periods. A gift in itself really. I read the red tent in high school and knew I wanted more for my daughter than society’s expectations of keeping it hushed. Hindsight, I would have called it a Coming of Age party. Hehe.

As someone diagnosed with Stage 3 Endometriosis, THANK YOU for mentioning it in this video and for bringing awareness to the fact that it tragically takes so long for many women to be properly diagnosed!

A couple of years ago, my daughter did her science fair project comparing the absorption rates of feminine hygiene products. In a public school in an urban area of the northeast. I got a call from the principal. The science teacher had reported my daughter's proposal as if she had decided to do a project on making meth at home. I was on the phone for some time assuring her that a) I knew about the idea 2) was ok with it 3) saw no need to change it 4) would ensure it was done "in good taste" She was afraid that some parents (this was in a middle school so basically the majority of girls were already or about to menstruate) would find the project offensive. This was in 2019 not 1419 or 1919!

My grandmother was a teacher of 10-14 year olds in the 1950's to 1980's. She made sure to tell each of her female students about a special rule she had, if they needed to go to the toilet for period related reasons, they could put their hand up with two fingers up and all their other fingers down. If they made that signal they were allowed to immediately leave with their bag, no questions asked. If anyone made a fuss about it they'd get a stern glare. She was one heck of a woman, miss you Granny!

I was raised in a Sri lankan family, for us when we have our first period we need to seclude ourselves from the outside world. Meaning I can't go to school or interact with any men, this includes any brothers or my father (my mum didn't make me do this but she tricked my relatives into believing I locked myself away so that they wouldn't make a fuss) then after the periods done, we need to shower in water filled with flowers and wear a white gown to show that we are pure now and re-enter the house and we get given gold jewlery and things we inherit as the lady of the house. We only do this for when you first get it though as a tradition of sort. Talking about periods openly is looked down upon but because I moved countries, I get to talk more about it and have more knowledge of it, so I'm grateful for that.

I hate the feeling and the pain.. and the mood swings.. and feeling sick.. I hate it all.. I’m ashamed I can’t walk or stand properly when I have my period because of the immense pressure. I also feel strange pains when not on my period but in the same areas.

“Throw your bloody tampon at a boy that won’t leave you alone.” Got it 👍🏼

The idea that women shouldn't waste their time on the opposite sex and focus their energy into themselves actually sounds pretty nice, and a decent practice.

This woman who presented this vid (did she also do all the research, writing of the script and so on) is one of the heroes of our time. It is so astonishing that the word, 'menstruation' was uttered for the first time in the 80s. Thank you Courtney Cox for having the total guts to be the one to do that. Another hero. I hope you were paid a fortune for that.

I got my first period when I was 9. My mom hadn't had the talk with me or my older sister because my sister hadn't even gotten her first period yet. I had no idea what was happening and I hid it for the first few months out of fear and disgust. Then, when my sister got hers, Mom explained everything to us and it all made sense. I wish I could tell 9 year old me that it was all going to be okay and it isn't gross or shameful.

This is not about periods, but a time when I was breastfeeding my baby. She was hungry and screaming, we were away from home and my other two kids were really hungry too. So we went into a fish and chip take away in Stafford (UK). We ordered fish and chips and I sat in a corner and started to feed my baby as discretely as I could. Another woman took one look and screamed " disgusting!" She turned to the man behind the counter and said "aren't you going to do anything about it?" He feigned confusion and said "about what?!" The woman was too embarrassed to say what I was doing so she just dramatically pointed at me and said "her, what she's doing!". The fish and chip man said " she's just waiting with her kids" The woman said "yes but..." And being so embarrassed wrote something down on a strip of paper and handed it to him. He stared at the slip of paper, stared hard at her and said " I can't read, sorry, but if you don't like it here, you can go". Which she did. This man was a hero and I was so grateful. It also taught me the sad lesson that it is often women who pointlessly hate on women.

When I was 16 I had extreme lower back pain that felt like an electric shock going up to my neck and went to urgent care. The male doctor I saw said that it was a “girls issue” and that it should go away in a couple days. I had been having my period since I was 11 so I knew that it was wrong but he’s a doctor right!? Well MONTHS went by with me being in constant pain and after seeing 3 different doctors I finally got an X-ray and they found that my third and fourth vertebrae were FRACTURED and my spinal chord was being compress!! They had no idea how I was still functioning. It’s amazing the stigma about periods and how little people think of women during their time of the month. I wonder how many woman’s lives have been ruined/ lost due to this.

I love how much research you put into these videos and how inclusive they are.

Fantastic video but the last bit brought real tears to my eyes. Thanks for supporting Days For Girls

Isn’t it crazy how men thought they knew everything about periods.. and shoved their beliefs down everyone’s throats

"I do not want to date you!" : throws used tampon and pad at a man because he does not take a "no" as an answer.

Towards the end of this video, I strangely burst into tears...with the realization of how old I am, I guess... I'm 51 and still remember the buzz about not having to use those belts! I remember reading that ad titled "will I still be a virgin" in a magazine! And I was shocked to hear that I was 15-years-old when the word "period", referring to menstruation was first used on TV! (And I remember Courtney Cox!) Well my goodness...maybe it wasn't just the realization of my age that got me weeping, but the bringing back of my adolescent years and the changing tides of emotions during the early years of menstruation. Wow, great video!

Days for Girls is a great charity! Thank you for supporting them.

I love how women are to blame for “original sin” yet men are the ones who have an Adam’s apple. How ironic.

This is why I love my dad so much, he is 100% comfortable with periods and asks me about it occasionally and he goes to the store to buy pads for me and he doesn't care and he agrees with me that men should shut up if they haven't experienced it

Women really are a force of nature. The sheer power one must have to just keep going when they are bleeding is just something else. They built different. They built stronger. Kudos to y'all!🙂

Thank you so much for making this video! It really gives us a lot of context as to why we're brought up to be ashamed of a normal and healthy function.

Guys will idolize and praise women's bodies until periods come up. Then we are no longer sexy, but gross. It's not all men that do this, like my brothers don't, but a lot of others do.

During my next period I’m going to get naked and walk around some farmers fields. ‘GET OFF MY LAND!’ ‘You’re welcome, Sir!’

im a man but i think the way menstruating women are treated and looked at is the real disgusting thing. women should be taken care of at this time. to me women who give life and go through pain should be honored !! women should be allowed to rest and be loved ❤️🙏 not shunned !! i dont really care if other men dont agree with me , i know im speaking the truth. i would really like to see women honored more in society

This was the best most educational and comprehensive video I’ve ever seen on menstruation. Thank you a million times for this. ❤️🙏🏻

Omg.... I'm so ashamed on behalf of my sex. It's so confusing that men have been so ignorent through time. Instead of trying to understand what it is, they alienized it. tampoon and so on should be free and handed out - not sold. Fellow men, take care of your wife/girlfriend/friend during menses. Some bleed a lot and get pretty ill and some hardly feel it. I guess some femails still feel ashamed, and they shouldn't. It's not unclean. It's not shamefull. It's natural...praise it and live normal.

It's sad that even to this day, young girls in some cultures are forced to miss school or hanging out with friends just because they're having their periods. There's still a long path to walk

Thank you for this amazing video! I work with menstrual and womb health and find all of this fascinating. Also loving that organization you´re supporting!

Thank you for supporting Days for Girls ❤️

The history of women's health is truly appalling...

In our school, in class 5 and 6, all the girls and boys were taken to the school auditorium and were shown a video about periods. Girls were given a kit which had pads and some papers elaborating menstruation. And boys were told to help the teachers made those kits as an appreciation for what all the girls were growing through. They were also told to write a letter to their moms/sisters to tell them how much they love them. I still remember those and I'm really glad we were taught that way.

In my time in the service, I gotta say, my best APFT scores were when the test was on my period. There was just something about feeling achy, tired, fed up, pissed off, hormonal, and forced to work regardless that made me stronger!

It’s a shame what women for centuries have endured. I am 65 years old & still remember having to wear a belt & pads. So messy & uncomfortable at 11 years old. I remember coming home from school feeling so tired & would go straight to lie down. Every job I’ve worked with women,over a short time, our periods would begin to coincide. That has always been a mystery to me. Very good history video!

I remember when I was at a cadets weekend training and competition, and it was early morning and I was in the bathroom stall with many girls outside getting ready for the day. I realized I didn’t bring a pad with me to the stall and I just shouted “ANYONE GOT A PAD ???” And literally all girls started digging around and a bunch of pads were thrown over and under the stall at me. It was such a bonding moment to me idk why. They were all super sweet and so happy to help me out 😩😩

As soon as religion and/or men got involved... it all went to hell.

Love this video! Thank you for covering so many cultures and time periods.

thank you for making this! I’ve always been so curious

Ah yes, the monthly stab of my uterus to cut off my association with Henry

I remember when my fiancé was in the bathroom with me and I asked him to leave so I could remove my menstrual cup. He looked at me and said, “why, it’s just blood.” Almost made me cry ❤️

Yes let's take the stigma away from the period. What an exceptional and well researched video that more people need to see.

Happy Women's day, all you beautiful women, I hope your skin clears during this time, you have no cramps and you are respected and left alone if desired. You are amazing and loved. Stay safe

And in Navajo culture when a girl gets her period she becomes Asdzáá Naadleehi (changing woman) and her first period is celebrated. She has to wake up early in the morning, gets dressed in traditional clothing and jewelery, run towards the sun then run back, then she's laid infront of the house and is stretched out by her family members to ensure bone growth, and is taught traditional stories by the elders. She is normally treated with respect during this time because she's turning into a woman and is the embodiment of Asdzáá Naadleehi. Asdzáá Naadleehi is an extremely important figure in Navajo culture. She is the one who created humans, the ones who helped raise and guide the first humans, is basically mother earth so she is responsible for the change in seasons. So because a girl becomes changing woman during this time, she is highly respected and everyone ensures that she will grow up to be a strong healthy intelligent woman. This goes on for a week and is called a Kíndááldá.

It's funny how the first sin women committed was by eating something forbidden and the first sin committed by man was to murder another human being. How are women seen as the bad guys?

This was an awesome video. Extremely informative and flowed well (pun intended). 👏 I found learning about the different beliefs and practices relating to periods very interesting. I love that you are donating money from this video to such an important cause.❤️💗

My mum remembered the belts! She told me about them when teaching me about me menstrual hygiene options as a preteen and said they were really uncomfortable and she was glad they were no longer the norm.

So I'm NOT the only woman that's had an overwhelming urge to throw my used sanitary products at people that irritate me! I KNEW I WASN'T ALONE!

Every teenage girl hates their period until they skip a month😬

Wow, I really loved this video. And I really needed to hear all the positive history surrounding periods :,) I hate that I’ve always felt uncomfortable about my period, but I’m trying hard to change that

This video was just recommended to me by RU-vid. I'm now watching this & finishing my cycle for this month. What are the odds? I now feel extremely proud to be a woman!

Never again will I feel embarrassed to talk about menstruation. If a man feels uncomfortable about it, that's just too fckn bad for them

I was raised in a Christian family and I was told that periods were a punishment for Eve corrupting humanity. So that was fun. You can imagine my intense confusion upon learning as a teenager that some people have parties when they get their first period.

Thank you for making this video! 👍😁💕