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Original poster

To wonder how this man could not know this?

102 replies

FreakinRexManningDay · 28/10/2013 18:22

My friend and her dh popped over for lunch today. I'm not sure how the conversation evolved but we ended up talking about vat on sanpro and how it was unfair as they are fairly pricey in general,in which my friend mentioned she saw the new always infinity for nearly €5 for 9 pads. Friends dh pipes up that that's good value because its 9 months worth.
I said How and he said well you have your period,use your pad and then get rid of it,done til next time.

How has this man managed to achieve a good grade in biology and work in the medical field and think that we women just pop a pad on,have our period and then that's it?

OP posts:
sashh · 29/10/2013 05:28

When did the 5% happen?

Gordon Brown's first budget as Chancellor. But he was too embarrassed to put it in his speech.

luxemburgerli · 29/10/2013 05:51

The amount of blood that is lost does not equal the total volume of liquid/stuff that is lost. That's why you can fill mooncups etc and still only lose a small amount of actual blood (I think!).

BergholtStuttleyJohnson · 29/10/2013 06:34

My DH used to think this! He thought a period lasted a couple of hours. He was in his teens (he does have a mum and sister though), can't remember if he still thought that when we met or if he just told me he used to think it. He has certainly been put right now!

fuzzpig · 29/10/2013 06:58

If only periods were light/short enough to only need one Hmm

My DH went to college with a girl who thought you only need one placenta no matter how many babies you have. Because the doctors shove it back inside once the baby is born.

SJisontheway · 29/10/2013 07:06

I remember as a teenager, being on the bus with a group of freinds. A pad fell out of someone's bag and one of the guys thought it would be funny to stick it to his forehead. When he ripped it off he winced and said "Jaysus, it must rip the gee off you when you take it off"

killpeppa · 29/10/2013 07:47

you lot sound like you very light periodsHmm
lucky so & so's.

BalloonSlayer · 29/10/2013 07:53

"The amount of blood that is lost does not equal the total volume of liquid/stuff that is lost. That's why you can fill mooncups etc and still only lose a small amount of actual blood (I think!)."

So what is the "other stuff" ?

If I cut my finger the blood is bright red.

When I empty my mooncup (sorry TMI) the blood is very dark. I really don't think that the blood in my mooncup is being diluted by something else.

DixonBainbridge · 29/10/2013 08:05

I don't think it's that unusual. Pretty sure a lot of men don't have a clue TBH, not sure why they would?

When I was a lad (80's) & they covered periods in Biology I messed around with the other lads as it was very firmly aimed at explaining things to the girls & I was 13.

I vaguely remember some bits & bobs about eggs & linings, but you know what - it's not a bit of knowledge I've ever had to use in my adult life & haven't felt the need to revise. I ask DW what colour tampax she needs when I go shopping as I know the flow varies.

He may have been in the same boat (with regards to Biology) & if his wife wasn't having periods due to the coil he won't know how long it would affect her for or any of the other details...

hackmum · 29/10/2013 08:14

That is amazing!

I remember in my late teens having a conversation in a mixed group, and one of us making the observation for some reason that most babies were born in the middle of the night. And one of the boys piped up, "That's because it's when they were conceived." It turns out he thought babies were born nine months to the minute after conception.

luxemburgerli · 29/10/2013 13:28

From this website:

"A woman’s period consists of dark-coloured blood mixed with the mucous secretion of the cervical canal and the secretion of the vagina. Menstrual blood does not normally clot as it is low in fibrinogen, does not contain prothrombin, and is rich in calcium. The blood lost during menstruation can be 5 to 80 ml. The average loss is 35 ml."

Granted, 80 ml (or even 35 ml) is a pretty big spoonful!

YouTheCat · 29/10/2013 13:35

I once had a female doctor tell me that period pains were 'in the mind' and that I couldn't get pmt if I was on the pill. Hmm

Davsmum · 29/10/2013 14:11

Its not just periods that do not get explained properly at school - I remember being taught about boys developing and getting 'wet dreams'

I thought sperm would be like tadpoles all wriggling around in fluid on the bed sheets because it was never made clear how small sperm were! The diagrams made them look they could be actual tadpole size!
I felt really sorry for boys, imagining they woke up with disgusting creatures wriggling about in their beds!

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 29/10/2013 14:34

I wish they had told me that if your periods are so painful that you can't stand up straight even after taking a stack of painkillers then a referral to a gynocologist PDQ might be a good idea. No hot waterbottle was going to touch that.

DH hasn't got a clue about sanpro as I use a mooncup.

MinesAPintOfBlood · 29/10/2013 15:36

My first bf (both 14) made that mistake and I gave him a bit of stick add I knew if he'd been paying attention in science he would have seen the average length was 5 days. But to get to middle-age and still not know...

Also my Halloween NC is good for this thread Grin

mummytowillow · 29/10/2013 15:50

I was sorting washing one day and found a panty liner in my 6 year olds knickers! Wink

She said she was copying me Smile

SpookyRestingFace · 29/10/2013 16:29

Sounds like we need to revive Halloween Grin

(This example also notable for an early appearance from Breaking Bad's grizzled fixer, Mike!)

jellycat · 29/10/2013 16:51

Never mind period pain. One year we had a new young Biology teacher at school (she was probably newly qualified) who informed us that childbirth doesn't hurt lol!!!

Birdsgottafly · 29/10/2013 17:42

I would think that any adult male, especially a heterosexual one, would want to know the basics so they have an understanding of how contraception works.

As well as contraception issues ( let's face it, most men don't use condoms every time, from the moment they start having sex), there will be the eventual need to understand how conception and birth happens.

I doubt very few women don't know how sperm protection happens.

I thought that the attitude of contraception etc being the females job, had long since gone.

EBearhug · 29/10/2013 18:04

He thought you just went to the loo and 'had' you period like a poo, then that was it.

That would be a much better design. It has always seemed rubbish to me that if your body has to get rid of some waste, you can't control it in the way you usually can with faeces and urine, even if you had to have a few "menstrual movements" over a few days.

(Plus this thread reminds me, repeat prescription request needed.)

DixonBainbridge · 29/10/2013 18:17

I would think that any adult male, especially a heterosexual one, would want to know the basics so they have an understanding of how contraception works

Probably not TBH, anyone relying on the menstrual cycle for contraception is taking a chance. All you need to know is wear/insert/inject/swallow this to prevent babies happening, and wear one of these to stop things oozing or dropping off....

YoureBeingAnAnyFuckerFan · 29/10/2013 18:30

Hmmm sounds like human biology lessons need to be far more in depth than they've been so far.

IfNotNowThenWhen · 29/10/2013 18:47

A teaspoon..
So far this month I have bled for 17 days, and counting..
Aside from anything else it's costing me a frikkin fortune!

fluffyraggies · 29/10/2013 18:55

It has always seemed rubbish to me that if your body has to get rid of some waste, you can't control it in the way you usually can with faeces and urine

I thought this - then someone explained to me that when our bodies were designed (cave woman) we would not have had many periods at all. We would have spent all our fertile years either pregnant or breast feeding. ie: not many periods.

The repeated menstruation that we have as modern women is, apparently, quite un-natural and not natures intention.

Interesting.

YoureBeingAnAnyFuckerFan · 29/10/2013 19:01

Fluffy i have heard that before too (possibly on MN) but what i dont get is, if we werent designed to have so many regular periods then how have they all in basically every single woman developed into a 28/32 (average) day cycle and why is that cycle so precise in when a woman is fertile. Hope that makes sense?

Isildur · 29/10/2013 19:02

Oh, I laughed at the guy in the OP.

Then I remembered that when I was first pregnant ( at 28) I had no idea I'd bleed for weeks after the birth. Or bleed at all in fact. The first I remember hearing of it was when I came across hospital bag lists, and they all mentioned maternity pads. Shock Blush Even then, I thought they might be for making sitting down post-birth a bit more comfortable. Grin

I am not generally thick, have a degree in chemistry and science A-Levels. No clue how it came to pass at all.

Luckily my husband is not so clueless. And he has a sense of humour.

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