Is period blood dirty? We tell you everything!
Conveyed by certain religions and other traditional beliefs, received ideas often die hard! That which consists in thinking, saying or even professing that the blood of the periods is dirty is part of it, to the greatest discouragement of the women who try at all costs to demystify the menstrual cycle.
Amphitrite Period Boxers
Bleeding still taboo
Impure, defiled… These are the kinds of terms that menstruating women are still called. If these adjectives are no longer commonly used in France, they have nevertheless left a mark in the collective unconscious. Not all women are comfortable with having their period, are sometimes afraid that it will show and are not always able to talk about it very freely.
Young girls who have reached the age of puberty are particularly exposed to this malaise, being very often poorly informed and in full discovery of their sexual life. To break this taboo and encourage men and women to relax vis-à-vis menstruation, American sex therapist Demetra Nyx exposed herself on social networks, her face smeared with blood from her period.
If this militant act is courageous and effective in getting the message across, no one will blame you for not doing the same! Getting a makeover with menstrual blood to prove to everyone the ordinariness of this bodily fluid is an interesting concept, but other more accessible solutions exist - phew!
Adopting a relaxed attitude and not systematically trying to hide from your spouse is already not bad. Children are naturally very curious and ask lots of questions about the menstrual cycle. Explaining things to them simply and presenting this phenomenon to them as trivial and normal seems to be a good solution to stop perpetuating taboos. After all, the menstrual cycle is nothing but a natural physiological process.
Composition of menstrual blood
Menstrual blood does not have exactly the same composition as that flowing through our arteries. First of all, it is more viscous and does not coagulate to allow good flow. It contains less platelets, hemoglobin and iron, but more water.
Even if it varies according to the women, the age and the cycles, the menstrual flow is always composed of the blood described above and of different elements: fragments of the endometrium (the mucous membrane covering the uterine wall), cells and secretions from the vagina and cervix, as well as bacteria from the vaginal flora.
In summary, there is nothing dirty or toxic as we can unfortunately sometimes hear it said. No, menstruating women do not rot the ham by touching it!
Sex during menstruation
Menstrual blood therefore poses no problem for your partner's intimate hygiene and having sex is absolutely not inadvisable during your period. On the contrary, it would be an excellent remedy for period pains . It remains to be seen if you want to: some women are simply not in the mood…
How do you clean your period panties?
If the period blood is not dirty, you should still clean your period panties after use ;)! But it's no problem to wash it mixed with the rest of your laundry! You can put it in the washing machine at 30° after first rinsing it in cold water or wash it by hand in cold water so you can put it back on the next morning.
By Emily
