New this week: New Freedom, an early beltless pad (American, by Kotex; box bears a copyright of 1970) - ad for New Freedom (November 21, 1971, The Milwaukee Journal)

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Letters to Your MUM

But Howard Stern was a year ago!

As I have discovered since I opened the museum five years ago, the media do not necessarily stay in contact with you after they have done their thing. Apparently the Howard Stern TV show just broadcast its filming of this museum of May 1998. I wonder how it went?

I just saw you on the Howard Stern radio TV show - wild! Nice job!


What did women use in the olden days?

I enjoyed your site very much; I am glad that this sort of thing has been set up. I found it very informative and interesting.

However, I have a question that I feel you are qualified to answer. In my studies of history, there is one thing I am acutely curious about but cannot seem to find the answer: before underwear was widely used, what did women use for their period? I'm thinking about the era of perhaps sixteenth to nineteenth century. Perhaps my answer is on your site, but I was unable to find it. Can you enlighten me?

Right before I opened MUM, in August 1994, I wrote Assistant Professor Monica Green, of the Duke University history department, who was quoted in an article about ancient contraception in The New York Times, for sources about old European ways of dealing with menstruation.

She replied that almost nothing was known about that from the end of the Roman Empire till the nineteenth century, because women's history in general was ignored as not being important.

My guess is that women used cloth pads attached to some sort of belt, which was the custom in America up until the early 1970s. I suspect that most woman did not use anything inserted into the vagina, such as sponges or tampons; there seems to be a Christian reluctance to do that. It's quite possible that poor and rural women used nothing at all, just bleeding into their clothing; this is also possible with American pioneer women, at least some of them.

Tolerance of odor was greater in many past cultures and some women could stay home when menstruating.

Japan actually had a menstrual-leave policy for certain industries after World War II because of the shortage of pad material.

Remember that women in former times did not menstruate as much as modern women.

Women were pregnant and lactating more often, and earlier;

were more likely to be undernourished or suffer from certain diseases, which can stop menstruation;

and, on average, died younger.


Tell Your Congressperson You Support the Tampon Safety and Research Act of 1999! Here's How and Why


The BBC wants to hear from you if your cycle is a blessing, makes you creative, if you have experience with menstrual seclusion, or know about current research !

Here's your chance to say how you feel about menstruation!

Please, may I post a letter on your letter page?

I'm researching a documentary for the BBC [British Broadcasting Corporation] about menstruation - myths and facts and blessing or curse.

I have much information about the curse and prejudice but I am finding scant information about the blessing! I was thrilled to find medical information linking surgery for breast cancer and the menstrual cycle and the New Scientist report about differing medication levels required during the 28-day cycle, and the research about eating requirements differing during the cycle etc., but I want to hear from women who have evidence of the cycle as a blessing, for example, artists, writers, etc., who are at their most creative whilst menstruating.

I also want to meet women who practice menstrual seclusion, as with menstrual huts of the past [and of the present; women still use menstrual huts].

And anything and everything to do with research into menstruation.

Next week I am interviewing Mr Peter Redgrove and Penelope Shuttle who wrote the first book on menstruation that offered positive information, The Wise Wound, 1978. I am very excited about asking many questions resulting from the book. If you have any questions for them pertaining to the book or their second book, Alchemy for Women, about the dream cycle corresponding to the menstrual cycle, I would be delighted to forward them to them on your behalf. They are not on the net so any questions would have to have addresses!

Thank you so much for this glorious Web site [many thanks to you for saying that!] and I look forward to hearing from visitors to your site.

Ali Kedge.

ali@shortkedge.freeserve.co.uk or fflic.zip@business.ntl.com


Help Wanted: This Museum Needs a Public Official For Its Board of Directors

Your MUM is doing the paper work necessary to become eligible to receive support from foundations as a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. To achieve this status, it helps to have a American public official - an elected or appointed official of the government, federal, state or local - on its board of directors.

What public official out there will support a museum for the worldwide culture of women's health and menstruation?

Read about my ideas for the museum. What are yours?

Eventually I would also like to entice people experienced in the law, finances and fund raising to the board.

Any suggestions?


Do You Have Irregular Menses?

If so, you may have polycystic ovary syndrome [and here's a support association for it].

Jane Newman, Clinical Research Coordinator at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University School of Medicine, asked me to tell you that

Irregular menses identify women at high risk for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which exists in 6-10% of women of reproductive age. PCOS is a major cause of infertility and is linked to diabetes.

Learn more about current research on PCOS at Brigham and Women's Hospital, the University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State University - or contact Jane Newman.

If you have fewer than six periods a year, you may be eligible to participate in the study!

See more medical and scientific information about menstruation.


New this week: New Freedom, an early beltless pad (American, by Kotex; box bears a copyright of 1970) - ad for New Freedom (November 21, 1971, The Milwaukee Journal)

PREVIOUS NEWS | news | first page | contact the museum | art of menstruation | artists (non-menstrual) | belts | bidets | Bly, Nellie | MUM board | books (and reviews) | cats | company booklets directory | costumes | cups | cup usage | dispensers | douches, pain, sprays | essay directory | extraction | famous people | FAQ | humor | huts | links | media | miscellaneous | museum future | Norwegian menstruation exhibit | odor | pad directory | patent medicine | poetry directory | products, current | religion | menstrual products safety | science | shame | sponges | synchrony | tampon directory | early tampons | teen ads directory | tour (video) | underpants directory | videos, films directory | washable pads | LIST OF ALL TOPICS

Take a short tour of MUM! (and on Web video!) - FAQ - Future of this museum - Tampon Safety Act - Contact the actual museum - Board of Directors - Norwegian menstruation exhibit - The media and the MUM - Menstrual odor - Prof. Mack C. Padd: Fat Cat - The science and medicine of menstruation - Early tampons - Books about menstruation - Menstrual cups: history, comments - Religion and menstruation: A discussion - Safety of menstrual products (asbestos, dioxin, toxic shock syndrome, viscose rayon) - A Note from Germany/Neues aus Deutschland und Europa - Letters - Links

© 1999 Harry Finley. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute work on this Web site in any manner or medium without written permission of the author. Please report suspected violations to hfinley@mum.org