Tag: menstruation
-
Why do humans – and so few other animals – have periods?
Opposable thumbs, the power of speech, the capacity to think and reason: there are many reasons to relish being human. Regularly bleeding out of your vagina is not one of them. We are taught that menstruation is a normal part of the reproductive cycle, a necessary by-product of being a sexually reproducing species. Every cycle,…
-
Do we need to menstruate?
Contraception is not a new idea. As far back as Ancient Egyptian times, spermicidal concoctions were mixed by women with the intention to prevent pregnancy. Both the Bible and Koran refer to coitus interruptus, the rhythm method, by which a woman tracks her menstrual cycle to avoid having sex during ovulation. The 1800s saw the…