Period Blood: How Is Menstruation Still A Taboo?
Worldwide, the taboo around periods is such a big deal that even the UN has called for action against it.
It’s absurd to think that in some parts of the world women are still at risk of life-threatening illness and being attacked, all because they have periods. But even in the most developed of societies, it would be foolish to think that the taboos around menstruation are over.
Stigma, slang terms and Shark Week
Did you know that there are over 5000 slang terms for the word period?
Let’s be clear: this is not the equivalent of the Eskimos having loads of different words to lovingly describe the varying textures of snow. This is 5000 ways to avoid talking about periods.
Here are some of the UK’s favourite terms:
Aunt Flow is visiting
On the rag/ragging
Code Red!
Beware the crimson wave
Bloody Mary
Pn the Blob
Having the painters in
Our personal favourite: Shark Week
Finland rather delightfully refers to periods as ‘Hullum lechman tauti’ (Mad cow disease), whilst the French prefer the generous term ‘Les Anglais ont debarqué’ (the English have landed).
Period pants: an emoji too far?
When it was decided to create a period emoji to help women talk about menstruation, a picture of white underpants with a period stain was submitted and won — but Unicode rejected it.
It seems it was just too uncomfortable to approve. They deemed a single drop of blood emoji more palatable, despite the fact that it could also mean blood donation, bleeding or injury – i.e. it's not a clear, identifiable representation of menstruation.
So let's talk about the thing that seems to upset so many people: period blood.
Period blood colour and types
Period blood can come in all sorts of colours and types — and what it looks like can tell you a lot about your health and hormones. So what does each colour mean?
Bright red period blood
Bright red period blood that usually lasts around 3-7 days, has a jelly-like consistency and is medium in thickness is a good sign. This is a healthy period. You might have some variation, like the first and last day being a slightly different colour, but if this pretty much sums you up, this is good.
Brown period blood
Brown, thin streaky blood of variable length and variable frequency — this is old blood that probably should have come out in the last cycle but it stayed in your womb. If your periods are of variable frequency this can be a sign that you are not ovulating every cycle.
If your periods are fairly regular but look like old blood, this could be a sign that you are not producing enough progesterone after ovulation, and you may need more progesterone to help shed the lining of the womb.
If you suspect you may have low progesterone, get assessed today.
Dark, purplish period
What about dark, purplish, clotty blood, often lasting longer than a week? If these periods are heavy and painful they can be really problematic. This type of period can be a sign that you’ve got too much oestrogen going around, and these periods may potentially be associated with other conditions that are driven by too much oestrogen relative to progesterone, such as endometriosis.
If you are suffering from heavy or painful periods and are looking for the right treatment, see how our team can help you by having an online consultation.
Pink period blood
Finally, what about the period blood that is light pink and thinner than a worn-off lip gloss?
Very short light periods may be a sign that your body is under stress. Over-exercising, under-eating, getting burnt out or digestive issues that lead to nutrient deficiencies can all cause periods to become very very light or even stop altogether. You want to reverse these issues before the periods stop altogether.
The colour, nature and frequency of your period blood can tell you a lot. Thank you period blood, you deserve a whole range of emojis.
