Despite the fact that half of the world’s population has it at a fairly long stage of their lives, the menstruation It continues to be an underestimated and taboo topic. For years, menstruating people were made to feel dirty and therefore had to keep the topic low-key. But also with integrity. If they complain, they are exaggerating. If they talk about it, some shameless. The intimate hygiene products are transferred almost as contraband, secretly, and the menstrual blood it must be hidden with more shame than that of any wound. So it’s actually not that strange to know that the first study on period products conducted with blood instead of water or saline solution was published just a few days ago.
In fact, the authors of said research claim that, because of this nonsensical convention, the menstrual problems of many people they have underestimated. Normally, we do not know how much we bleed during the period. We do not measure it in milliliters, but in pads, tampons or times the cup should be emptied. This, taking into account what is known about absorption, can help to make approximate calculations. But unfortunately, the studies that have been carried out are few and poorly done, so the information that was available was quite wrong.
Now, thanks to this new study on menstrual products, we can have a closer idea. However, it will be necessary for future research to continue along the same lines. If not, it will have been useless.
It’s menstrual blood, not acid.
For many years, we have seen that advertisements for menstrual hygiene products they used a bluish liquid to simulate the period. In the same way that the women who shave in ads for razors, waxes or blades have their legs without a single hair.
In advertisements for men’s razors, we do see how they remove their beards, exposing the skin of their faces. It doesn’t matter if it’s on the face or on the legs, it’s still hair. But, for some reason, the hair or the menstrual blood of women are seen as signs of dirt. of impurities. And they are not well seen in advertising.
So far, taking into account the importance that stereotypes sometimes have in marketing, it can be understood (but not shared). What is difficult is that, even now that some advertisements are already daring at least with the Red colorthe scientists themselves continue without using blood in their studies.
Menstruation occurs when, since the ovum released that month is not fertilized, the layer of the uterus begins to flake off, thickening each cycle to welcome the embryo. This desquamation produces bleeding that is released through the vagina. Therefore, the rule is mainly that: blood. Pieces of endometrium may also appear, especially in the first days. But it is not the most abundant.
Blood plasma is made up of approximately 92% water. However, only 55% of blood is plasma. This is approximately 50% water in total. Therefore, given its high cell content, its goo it is very different from that of water or saline solutions that can be used to simulate menstruation. They are not easily interchangeable fluids.
The taboo of menstruation, also in science
The authors of this new research, which has been published in BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Healthpoint out that by doing a keyword search of the PubMed database of scientific studies, they found 400 studies on menstrual blood published in the last decades, compared to 10,000 studies on erectile dysfunction in the same period of time. It seems that male sexual problems are not taboo in science, but menstrual blood still is. And that is much more than a social problem.
In most cases, the industry is not required to test the absorbency of menstrual hygiene products. They only need to do this for tampons, as if used for too long they can cause toxic shock syndromea disorder caused by a bacterial toxin that can be fatal.
For the rest of the products, there are companies that do it, but, in general, they are not obliged. And, since they are not even forced, they do not worry about doing it in the best possible way.
In 1982in the congress of The Tampon Task Force, it was decided by agreement to carry out this type of test using a saline solution instead of blood. Thus, little by little, data has been collected that can help to calculate when there is too much bleeding during the period. But these data were clearly underestimated, so people who bleed excessively may never get adequate treatment for it.
Therefore, the menstrual blood taboo is much more than a social issue. It is a problem that must be brought down, for freedom, equality and health.