MetaFilter posts tagged with menstruation

Undue Burden

zarq — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 10:31:43 -0800

Jennie Linn McCormack "isn’t the only woman in recent years to be prosecuted for ending her own pregnancy. But her case could change the trajectory of abortion law in the United States": The Rise of DIY Abortions. Single page version of the New Republic article (triggers print queue) Background A week after her at-home abortion, Jennie Linn McCormack was arrested. "McCormack ran afoul of a 1972 Idaho law that makes it a felony for a woman to perform her own abortion" (in a manner not sanctioned by the state.) "Not only does the law pre-date Roe v. Wade, it pre-dates RU-486." Her case was dismissed. The court ruled there was no way to enforce a law which forbids women from inducing their own pregnancies. McCormack then appealed the decision, claiming the law itself was unconstitutional. This past September, the US Court of Appeals Ninth District agreed. The decision is here (pdf). An interesting read. From the New Republic article, above: "Written by Democratic appointee Judge Harry Pregerson, the ruling describes in detail the difficulty poor women experience in obtaining an abortion in Idaho. These restrictions, he argued, essentially outlawed the procedure for them, potentially violating the “undue burden” test sometimes invoked by the Supreme Court. He maintained that, since it was so hard for McCormack to obtain a legal abortion, it was unjust to charge her for having an illegal one."
McCormack's lawyer then filed a motion "that, if successful, would halt prosecutions of all women and doctors in Idaho for illegal abortion, and overturn the pain-capable law." The case has been heard. A decision is pending. Editorial from one of the experts called by McCormack's lawyer in New York Times Opinionator: Can Neuroscience Challenge Roe V. Wade?

The Tampons Are Back

insectosaurus — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 17:18:05 -0800

Not only are OB tampons back in stores but OB would like to apologize to everyone for their temporary absence. Personally. Link to video, does not autoplay. The OB Ultra is also coming back, and is listed - though not yet available - on Amazon and Drugstore.com. Previously on Metafilter: The Great OB Shortage

Disrupting The Period

Foci for Analysis — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:48:40 -0800

When Arunachalam Muruganantham hit a wall in his research on creating a sanitary napkin for poor women, he decided to do what most men typically wouldn’t dream of. He wore one himself--for a whole week. [...] It resulted in endless derision and almost destroyed his family. But no one is laughing at him anymore, as the sanitary napkin-making machine he went on to create is transforming the lives of rural women across India.

An Indian Inventor Disrupts The Period Industry. Arunachalam Muruganantham's company is Jayaashree Industries. Video featuring the sanitary napkin (warning: Kenny G music).

Camp Cranky is all about periods.

hurdy gurdy girl — Tue, 24 May 2011 13:44:45 -0800

Camp Cranky is a virtual sleepaway camp intended by its creators, actors Liane Balaban and Vanessa Matsui, to be a safe space for young girls to hear personal stories about first periods, learn about the biology of menstruation, read poems about periods (musician Leslie Feist and actress Emma Thompson each contribute), and learn about various menstrual products. Readers can also donate to Huru International, which sends menstrual supplies to girls in need in Kenya. Camp Cranky is the first phase in what will eventually be Crankytown [the name comes from a Feist poem], a site where women of all ages can discuss menstruation and menopause. The project is a part of the National Film Board and Studio XX's First Person Digital Program. CBC Radio interview with creators Liane Balaban and Vanessa Matsui and creative director Jenna Wright [starts about halfway] print interview at She Does The City website

The Case of the Missing o.b. Tampons

reenum — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 09:54:12 -0800

Over Christmas, Johnson & Johnson decided to stop carrying their popular brand of o.b. tampons. This elicited an immediate and frenzied response from women who used the product. Told that their tampon of choice was permanently discontinued, ladies took to eBay and other outlets to get the last few boxes. In a turnaround, however, J&J is now claiming they were experiencing a "temporary supply interruption". To everyone's relief, the product will soon be back in stores.

.

Fizz — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 06:49:48 -0800

The Menstruation Machine: an invention created by artist Hiromi Ozaki. "As a female designer I had one big problem I wanted to solve. "It’s 2010, so why are humans still menstruating?" "Fitted with a blood dispensing mechanism and lower-abdomen-stimulating electrodes, the Menstruation Machine is a device which simulates the pain and bleeding of an average 5 day menstruation process of a human (As a female designer I have done my best to simulate my own, at least)." Also: Menstruation Machine - Takashi's Take is a music video about a boy ‘Takashi’, who builds the menstruation machine in an attempt to dress up as a female, biologically as well as aesthetically, to fulfill his desire to understand what it might feel like to be a truely 'girly' girl. He determinedly wears the machine to hang out with his kawaii friend in Tokyo, but…"

FloJuggler

GuyZero — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:30:10 -0800

FloJuggler: Track periods of one or more girls. Seriously. The site's FAQ if you're wondering why you'd want to use such a service.

“Tampon is not a dirty word, and neither is vagina."

zarq — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:31:53 -0800

After decades of selling tampons and "sanitary products" with ads containing nebulous, euphemistic images and language, Kotex launched a new product line, 'U by Kotex' and a 'Declaration of Real Talk Campaign' to encourage girls and women to speak about menstruation without embarrassment. Ironically, their ad was rejected by the major US television networks for mentioning the word 'vagina'. Here's the 'safe for the viewing public' version. / YT channel. For every person who signs up at their website, Kotex will make a $1 donation to Girls For A Change.

MUM's the word: The Museum of Menstruation and Women's Health

maudlin — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:54:49 -0800

"May God close your horable museum." Because I can't believe this has never been the subject of a full post here before, although it keeps popping up in comments: The Museum of Menstruation and Women's Health. The inimitable Harry Finley has assembled a dizzying and oddly comprehensive site. It may be a bit much to take in one go (dilute, dilute, OK?), but you might dip in at: menstrual slapping; patent medicines; facts of life booklets; the Little Doozee; pre-twentieth century menstrual products and practices; Lysol douching, yay and nay; or the tour of the museum inside Harry's house (now closed). Also: cats, because Harry likes cats.

PMSbuddy

ColdChef — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:08:51 -0800

PMSbuddy.com is a free service created with a single goal in mind: to keep you aware of when your wife, girlfriend, mother[!], sister, daughter, or any other women in your life are closing in on "that time of the month" - when things can get intense for what may seem to be no reason at all.

28 Days Later...more stem cells!

Asparagirl — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:32:43 -0800

Scientists have discovered that "endometrial regenerative cells" (ERC's) -- in other words, human menstrual blood -- contains stem cells. ERC-derived stem cells seem to have a number of superior traits to both bone marrow derived and umbilical cord derived stem cells, the previous gold standards: they can give rise to a variety of different cell lines without differentiation, they multiply more quickly than other stem cells, they are able to replicate more times without adversely mutating, and they apparently do not need to be closely genetically matched to the recipient. Now some women have even begun banking their menstrual blood to preserve their stem cells through a company called "C'Elle: Your Monthly Miracle" -- check out their FAQ and online video. This follows last May's announcement that menstrual blood derived cells can pretty much cure Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in mice, a disease for which there is no current therapeutic treatment available.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was on vacation.

?! — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 12:33:44 -0800

She was attracting the lesbian vampires, but she's back in the saddle again. Still, she can't churn the butter today because Communists have invaded the summer house Aunt Flo is visiting. And Flo can't go swimming because of the crimson tide .

Near Ovulation, Your Cheatin' Heart Will Tell on You

anyokerin — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 02:56:21 -0800

Near Ovulation, Your Cheatin' Heart Will Tell on You "New research from UCLA and the University of New Mexico suggests that members of "the gentler sex" may have evolved to cheat on their mates during the most fertile part of their cycle — but only when those mates are less sexually attractive than other men."

we menstruate too often

heatherann — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 05:23:32 -0800

What the co-inventor of the Pill didn't know about menstruation can endanger women's health: "The passion and urgency that animated the birth-control debates of the sixties are now a memory. John Rock still matters, though, for the simple reason that in the course of reconciling his church and his work he made an error. It was not a deliberate error. It became manifest only after his death, and through scientific advances he could not have anticipated. But because that mistake shaped the way he thought about the Pill--about what it was, and how it worked, and most of all what it meant--and because John Rock was one of those responsible for the way the Pill came into the world, his error has colored the way people have thought about contraception ever since."

"When I See the Blood..."

brownpau — Tue, 02 Mar 2004 09:16:01 -0800

"Urban Armor," or "kickass alternative menstrual gear." Project of a "fight the power" type activist-feminist movement against industrial distortions of menstrual culture. (No surprise, I suppose, that I saw links to this on flyers at an art college.) Previous MeFi discussion on "menstrual culture" here. And when the monthly flow has ceased, other forms of kickass alternative gear are available.

The Art & Science of Tampons

madamjujujive — Sun, 30 Mar 2003 06:50:28 -0800

The Tampon Thread - ok, boyz, think you know enough about tampons? Bet you didn't know about this utterly humiliating application! There's both an art and a science involved in tampons. You really can't say you know tampons until you've gotten hands on with them, perhaps even worn a few out in public. Come on guys, take the plunge and you too can experience that fresh feeling! (Oh wait, and these tampons - you say they vibrate?)

Menstrual Art:

Ufez Jones — Fri, 08 Nov 2002 09:18:17 -0800

Menstrual Art: Vanessa Tiegs uses her livejournal and her own, uh "natural" paint supply to make some pretty cool paintings. (via fullofnothing) My intention in making paintings using my menstrual blood is to create beauty from something that most people would rather avoid. I consider my paintings as personal and political images presenting a positive and celebratory attitude toward menstruation.

Rolling your own tampons.

maudlin — Sun, 26 May 2002 21:41:13 -0800

Rolling your own tampons. Necessity. Mother. Invention. Thanks, Teresa.

Aunt Flo has left the building!

kristin — Fri, 03 Aug 2001 11:24:36 -0800

Aunt Flo has left the building! "A new drug being developed would eliminate menstruation altogether, while still allowing women to get pregnant. Another drug would eliminate both periods and pregnancy." Stock in companies that sell white jeans set to skyrocket, while sales of red and white patterned bedsheets plummet! On a more serious note, how much easier will this make it to plan adventurous vacations, honeymoons, and doctor's appointments? How much easier would life be if you never, ever had to think about having a period again?