Some old but still important notes on menstruation
“Menstrual poverty” has gained worldwide attention in recent years. Google search “ period poverty ” and countless articles and organizations appear that have explored the issue of how the menstrual cycle affects quality of life. Google Trends shows peak interest in October 2019, which is the first National Period Day in the United States. Also in Europe, partly due to Plan International and De Bovengrondse, studies of experiences of menstruation and its influences have been produced. Some findings: approximately 9% of the 1000 participants of the survey by Plan International in the Netherlands indicated that they cannot always pay for their period (De Bovengrondse 2019: 26). These were mainly homeless people and citizens on social assistance benefits (ibid.: 5). The studies provide insights into the extent to which participants struggle with social stigmas and taboos that make it difficult to communicate symptoms and needs around the menstrual cycle (ibid.). How the menstrual cycle i...