HERsterical! Escaping Myths Surrounding Menstruation – Ep. 49

The curse. Aunt Flow. Code Red! Whatever you call it, women have been experiencing periods since women came to be; yet, historically, this “monthly visitor” has made people – mainly men, if we’re being honest – downright hysterical. (Case in point, the philosopher Plato compared the uterus to a “living creature” that wandered through a woman’s body wreaking havoc. Yikes!) The myths about menstruation are – indeed – wild, and even in modern times, products commonly used to help women cope with their periods have a long way to go. The co-hosts explore the topic in-depth (even throwing in a menstruation-related case of true crime) in this HERsterical edition of The Escape Pod!

BE ADVISED: If you have a severe aversion to blood and other bodily fluids, you might want to skip this one, and if you're suffering from PMS, you’ll likely find this episode especially annoying.

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

• Topic #1 5:32 Intro to topic: period products and menstruation myths

• Topic #2 18:25 Research – or lack thereof – on what is in period products

• Topic #3 26:19 Why is the topic still so taboo? A history lesson on “hysteria”

• Topic #5 43:05 PMS vs. PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder)

• Topic #6 1:00:55 OneHeart “Woohoo of the Week” (Hear more in our latest guest testimonials at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Prrst9TMvVY)

Resources & Links

• 12.15.2019. Christine Ro. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191213-pmdd-a-little-understood-and-often-misdiagnosed-condition

• https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/uploads/publications/111219-sj-periodequity.pdf

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JATkdZ3hnlc

• 07.11.2024. Sandee LaMotte. https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/11/health/tampons-lead-arsenic-plastics-wellness/index.html

• 02.09.2023. Jeffrey Kluger. https://time.com/6254060/pfas-period-chemicals-underwear-tampons/

• https://legal-forum.uchicago.edu/print-archive/menstrual-product-deprivation-prison-sex-neutral-litigation-strategy

• 07.18.2024. Benjamin Plackett. https://cen.acs.org/safety/consumer-safety/researchers-found-arsenic-lead-tampons/102/web/2024/07

• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/the-controversy-of-female-hysteria

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_hysteria

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