Periodical

‘That time of the month’ or ‘a visit from Aunt Flo’ – there are plenty of expressions that dance around what they are actually about: menstruation. Although menstruation affects about 50 per cent of the world's population, tasteless humour and sexist attitudes have persisted for decades. Activists are campaigning for tampons and pads to be reclassified as medical necessities, but science has long lacked an objective approach. That’s why doctors, athletes and celebrities like Gloria Steinem and Naomi Watts are calling for feminist research – free of paternalistic taboos. And now, scientists are discovering unexpected potential in menstrual blood.