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June 22, 2003 12:23 PM posted by april : track it (6)

Some time ago, this site counted among it's members a couple of people who kept menstrual diaries. I thought of those people last week as I finally got around to reading my new, expanded second edition of Cunt, with its goofy menstrual advice.

I'm always curious about others' perspectives on menstruation & menopause, since these continue to run the gamut from curse to miracle of nature. It makes for interesting discussion.

So, a few questions to get us started (as always with my topics, feel free to wander off in another direction):
1. How (if at all) do you think about your own or other's menstrual cycles? Is it horrid? A minor inconvenience? Something to celebrate?
2. Medically, are we over- or under-sensitive to the changes of monthly cycles and to menopause?
3. What about politically? Is it reasonable to allow a woman to plead insanity due to PMDD or hormonal imbalances?
4. And for those of you who currently menstruate - do your political leanings play a role in your ideas about period (for instance, do you use non-corporate, non-disposable pads, or allocate that time for specific types of action)?

« Grrly News 6/21 | whb homepage | Laila Ali »

your comments : post a new comment

My response to this topic is here. I really enjoyed this topic, as I feel menstruation is something women should celebrate and explore. And for those of you interesting in non-disposable pads, check out Lunapads!

Posted by: Anna on June 22, 2003 02:35 PM |

My response is here. This was a fun, light (for me) topic. I can't wait to see if any males post to this one...

Posted by: megan on June 22, 2003 02:43 PM |

Mine response is up!

Posted by: Roni on June 22, 2003 04:48 PM |

My response is up.

Posted by: Kerri on June 22, 2003 08:28 PM |

Mine's up here

Posted by: Vic... on June 23, 2003 08:20 AM |

Interesting topic and I don't think you will find many responses from men! Not that they don't have a response but most men consider this to be an embarassing topic and one they know very little about.

I've posted my response here

Posted by: Bernie on June 23, 2003 11:15 AM |

My response is posted.

Posted by: revolution9 on June 23, 2003 05:08 PM |

Another excuse to whine about periods! Yay.

Posted by: the absent student on June 24, 2003 07:43 AM |

Mine is up.

Posted by: Ruggles on June 24, 2003 09:21 AM |

Up.

Posted by: Prue on June 25, 2003 08:58 AM |

My responses are up - thanks for pointing the way, Ruggles!

Posted by: QuiteNutty on June 26, 2003 04:47 PM |

I guess I'm confused about how this site works, do you have to put up your response on your own page and link to it? Real quick I'd like to leave a link to the latest skeptical inquirer. Normally that magazine is pretty spot-on however I was extremely irritated at the verbiage in the "PMDD myth busting" article.

"Neither Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) nor Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is a medical or mental disorder or illness. Premenstrual changes are a normal part of life. Belief in PMS/PMDD is a result of conditioning, not biological processes, and best treated as such. "

Posted by: kim on June 30, 2003 01:41 AM |

Kim, there's no wrong way to eat a Reeses. If you want to put your entire comment right in this comment box, then that is fine...though I think it is preferred (if the response is very long) that you post your answer on your blog/journal and then provide a link to it here. Whatever you feel comfortable with. Sometimes a few sentence summary here is helpful.

Posted by: Kerri on June 30, 2003 11:40 AM |

My response can be found on the main page of my blog or at the following permalink: here

Posted by: Kate on July 4, 2003 07:24 PM |

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