2017 in Periods

With 2018 in full flow, we thought we’d look back at what we learned about periods and how things have changed in 2017. From ground-breaking scientific discoveries to stigma-busting art, here is a review of a few things the period world got up to last year.  What are your period goals, and what change would you like to see in the coming year?

In March, researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago developed the first ‘menstrual cycle in a dish’, simulating the body as it menstruates. It comprises of different compartments containing 3-D models of ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix, vagina, and liver. After years of only testing new drugs on men and having untested effects on the female body, this new device aims to make it easier to test drugs in a system that mimics the female body. Because of hormonal differences between men and women, medicine can affect them differently. The hope is that eventually, many different synthetic systems could be linked up to create more realistic simulations, reducing the need to experiment directly on people or animals.

In May, ActionAid released the findings of a YouGov survey they commissioned about menstruation and found out that ¼ of women in the UK aged 16-39 don’t understand their menstrual cycle. The poll asked 2,140 men and women in the UK aged 16 and over about their attitudes towards periods, and uncovered some interesting findings. For instance, one in three (37%) women in the UK said they would not feel comfortable discussing periods with male friends, yet only 17% of men would find discussing periods with female friends uncomfortable. This shows us that there’s still a lot of work to do around breaking period stigma and the unwillingness to talk. These taboos especially affect the lives of women and people who menstruate in poverty, stopping them from accessing the information and sanitary products they need. So get talking!

In July, the artist Cass Clemmer broke taboos by making art with their menstrual blood. Cass, who is trans, is working to beat stigma, especially for trans men and non-binary people, and show the world that you don’t have to be a cis woman to experience a period. They use their Instagram account as a form of trans activism, and share the hashtag #bleedingwhiletrans. Trans people face many access and safety issues during menstruation, such as bathroom use, access to products, and lack of disposable bins in men’s bathrooms.

Also in July, a new study published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience showed that menstruation doesn’t change how your brain works. With a large sample size that followed participants over more than one menstrual cycle, they found evidence that levels of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone in one's system have no impact on the working memory, cognitive bias or ability to pay attention to two things at once. The team behind the study emphasise that there’s a lot more work to do to provide a fuller picture of how the menstrual cycle affects the brain, and for now, the study is a good step towards changing perceptions about menstruation. Finally, proof that women in power won’t go nuclear-button-trigger-happy on their periods! 

In October, Bodyform released the first advert to show red period blood, a symbolic move forward in showing periods as they really are. This is a great example of the power of the media to change attitudes and improve education. Here’s our blog about it.

In November, the Fitrwoman period-tracking app for sports enthusiasts and athletes was released. It was developed to try and help keep women in sport, minimise the impact their period has on training and inform people about their periods. It gives information on the best exercises or regimes to do at certain times in the cycle, as well as which foods help when - iron and carbohydrates during menstruation, for example, healthy fats towards the end of the cycle. One of the app’s developers, Grainne Conefrey, said "You don't want to go into that quarterfinal thinking 'oh crap, I'm on my period'. I definitely want to change that mindset."

Looking forward to 2018 – a new exhibition called ‘Period Piece’ explores periods through poetry, film, art, holograms and a specially commissioned piece of music. It aims to explore the natural rhythms of women’s bodies and how they are controlled and manipulated by others and by growing technology. The music was created from the daily temperature charts of four women, translated into musical notes, harmonies and cadences, which created songs based on the ‘interior rhythms of the women’s bodies’.

Despite all these advances in science and peoples' understanding of menstruation, there's still a lot of work to do to break period stigma and end period poverty. Let 2018 be the year of #nomoretaboo.