It might seem a lot, but it's only about 20 to 90ml (about 1 to 5 tablespoons). It's not a sudden gush – you'll just see a reddish-brown stain on your pants or on your sheets when you wake up in the morning. What if period blood leaks through my clothes? Except that in some ways there is. A chapter that we ended up pulling from the book, but I wrote as a feature for American Scientist last year, was about pollution and disposable products for menstruation. The way we tend to think is, ‘How can we manage periods to make them invisible so we can go exist in the world?’ We tend to prioritize, ‘What are the most effective products that sop up my period blood and keep it from being visible to other people?’ In doing so, we are producing more and more disposable products that are harmful to the planet. We now know that COVID during pregnancy could cause microcephaly in babies. We now have two cases at the University of Miami showing that there is a link. We also know that getting COVID while you’re pregnant increases your risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, preeclampsia and intra-uterine growth restriction. We’re exposing pregnant people every day to a disease that causes harm to the parent and causes harm to the fetus. We’ve known about this since 2020 and nobody gives a shit. We’ve known for three years what we’re doing to pregnant people and we don’t care. I gather from your book that menstruation is something you wanted to know more about for a long time. That resonated with me because it’s a topic that I never heard anything about in an educational setting. Could you tell me how you got interested in it?

Bleeding Thunder is filled with honest and moving stories, poetry and art from genderqueer menstruators, artists and writers. The Zine explores the nuanced and often misunderstood relationship between periods and the trans and non-binary communities. So you’ve chosen this book because you like the approach, rather than because it has a menstruation angle per se? Now we’re at the last book you recommended, which is Dangerous Pregnancies: Mothers, Disabilities, and Abortion in Modern America by Leslie Reagan. Tell me about this book. I hope that this book will act as the cape, crown, and manifesto you may need to find your voice as a Period Warrior and superhero, because this movement is universal, and we need all menstruators and non-menstruators ready to fight the stigma.” Period Power, 2018 Even if you've been menstruating for a long time, you need books about periods to help you through the whole process, both physically and emotionally. We'll take care of you.There are ways of covering up stains until you're able to change your clothes, such as tying a sweatshirt around your waist. Keep a spare pair of pants and tights at school or in your bag. Should I use pads, tampons, menstrual cups or period underwear? I don’t think I properly learned about my period until I was 28 and trying for a baby. Before that time my period was just an interruption and bloody annoying. Boys also need to learn about periods. Talk to them in the same way as girls about the practicalities, mood changes that can come with periods, and the biological reason behind periods. It will keep them informed, as well as help them to understand about periods.

Have you ever heard the term ‘Menstrual Cycle Awareness’? This was actually coined by authors Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer, a concept they explore in depth in Wild Power. They also founded period education organization Red School and have published many other books between them.

Talking about periods

First, there's no shame. Afraid of nothing. Let's learn more about menstrual equality and spread the word to other people. There are about half of people who get their period, and it's the most basic bodily function, so it shouldn't be kept a secret any more. A primer on the menstrual movement and everything you need to know about periods is one of these books. It also talks about the political activism of the world, how you can make your period work for you, and essays and a memoir about not-so-great periods. Let's get to it now. Important Books About Periods Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement by Nadya Okamoto, illustrated by Rebecca Elfast