Dear Harry,
I've been a follower of your site for a couple of years now; it's great.
Thought you'd like to know that yesterday [27 July] your site got a mention in an article about sanitary towels in the British Guardian newspaper.
http://www.newsunlimited.co.uk/health/story/0,3605,68713,00.html
[Please tell me when the paper takes it off the site!]
It's right at the bottom.
Keep up the good work.
The article in The Guardian, London, 27 July, [see link above] prompted me to look up your Web site. Pity it wasn't available - or the knowledge therein - to more people way back when not only boys but whole generations of girls did not know about their bodily functions until they happened.
I was born in Dublin in 1930 and can testify to the horrors that were bred of ignorance so fundamental that couples could marry without even the basic understanding of procreation. The misery hidden away in tens of thousands of homes while they struggled with this, and the burdens that came afterwards when there was no access to nor understanding of contraception staggers the mind. [That reminds me of what inspired Margaret Sanger - also from Ireland, I believe - in the United States to start her education and contraception movement; Planned Parenthood (named by adman Albert Lasker, of Kotex fame and for whom the Albert Lasker awards in medicine are named) is her creation.] My British origins took me back to Britain and some degree of enlightenment, but even in this country the period (no pun intended) up to the sixties was not much more advanced.
Euphemism to add to your list: the city of Nottingham has a football team known as "Nottingham Forest." When they play on their own ground they are said to be "playing at home." They wear bright red shirts on the football field. Girls/women in the city speak of "Forest playing at home" when their periods occur.
What a highly informative Web site this is. [Thank you!] I got the Web site address from The Guardian (a British daily newspaper) and am very surprised at the fascinating contents of this Web site - congratulations.
I have heard of re-usable washable pads and sponges which are available from mail-order companies in the United Kingdom; however, I had never before heard of the menstrual cup. I have considered the re-usable type of pad before, as it is a 'greener option,' but not yet tried one. I was impressed by the volume of comments about the Instead product and the praise of it, but I can't understand why women would want to use one as it is not biodegradable and is disposable. The Keeper sounds intriguing and is obviously an option for those wanting to do less damage to the environment but it does look rather odd.
I think women (and men) all over the world must find your Web site and the historical information it contains so interesting and liberating! [Thank you! I hope so.]
[In the Kafir valleys,] [w]omen are to be avoided for five or six days every month, throughout their menstrual period, and whenever they are pregnant. During these unclean periods [original emphasis, as are the other italics] they are segregated in a special house, called Bashaleni, every fair sized village has one. The Bashaleni is something like a quarantine station. Anyone who enters it incurs serious contamination. Un-cooked food is left on a stone opposite to the Bashaleni, and one of the inmates comes out and collects it. If for any reason it is essential for a woman to come into the Bashaleni from outside (e.g. midwife, to attend a birth) she must take off all her clothes before crossing the main entrance of the house, and leave them outside. Once she is naked, she may set foot inside the place. On coming out again she must take a complete bath before putting on her clothes.
Hi there,
Again, kudos for all your hard work on the Museum. I visit here regularly, and often re-read many of the same articles, letters, etc, as they contain so much valuable and interesting information. [Great!]
I'm in my mid-thirties, and, to be honest, had never heard of the menstrual cup or anything close to such a concept until I visited MUM. I became fascinated, especially since (through many links available through MUM) I became more familiar with the dangers of tampons. I kept reading and re-reading the letters on your Instead vs Keeper page [also, click back through the News pages for the past year], and finally bit the bullet, ventured out to Walgreen's [drug store] and bought a box of Instead. I was hesitant and not at all confident when I attempted my first use of it yesterday (I'd tried o.b. tampons on several different occasions and failed miserably).
There I was in my bathroom, Instead in one hand, instruction pamphlet in the other, prepared to be in there for a good hour or more 'till I either got it right, or gave up. Imagine my surprise when after my very first attempt, Instead basically disappeared - I couldn't even feel it. My goodness, one try and I had done it! I must say I'm overjoyed with its performance, as well. Absolutely no leakage whatsoever, and no discomfort. I only wish they'd had this out back when I was a teen. Maybe I'm the exception to the rule, but I also found removal (which I approached with equal trepidation) to be a snap - one try, and voila! And it really wasn't that messy, to be honest.
Thanks again, I think you're doing a wonderful public service; and I most certainly would never have found/tried Instead without your help!
[I did not pay her to write this letter.]
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
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.