To say 'flowing free' isn't a feminist issue, it's a hygiene one?

[daydrinker]

I have attached screen shots of the conversation from one of my breastfeeding Facebook groups.

The genera opinion seems to be that periods are beautiful and not uncomfortable or gross at all.

Just like any other bodily fluid, I don't think it's nice.

AIBU to say it's a hygiene issue and not a feminist one?

Gosh I’m so lucky compared to so many on here ... I never wear sanitary products overnight, just pants, because the blood is so minimal. Same on a light day. On a “heavy” day I could probably get away with just wearing pants and changing a few times a day, I wouldn’t soak onto clothes (I don’t, I do use products on the couple of heavy days)
So for me, I can’t get worked up about it. I don’t find it disgusting and I don’t find I notice much when it’s happening to me.

Confused - how could you go about normal life. How can you let blood flow if you have to go out of the house, let alone work! Most feminists would not want to be confined to the house.

cardibach
'Some of us have to use extra long and absorbent lads at night and still have to get up to change them at least once'
😂😂😂😂
I am not minimising your discomfort but your typo was funny 😉.
If people are daft enough to believe AND support free flow then the world truly has gone mad! Nobody wants that menstrual blood dripping everywhere. It's not great to have it happen as an accident as most of us know. Not because period blood should never be talked about & never seen, but because it's a pain in the backside to clean and not everybody can be grown up about it!
I wouldn't want to be arsed with a group chat like that.....

I'm normally an easy going person. People can do what they want to do ... but in this case just no!
I couldn't imagine wanting to free bleed. At all. Ever.
I don't find menstrual blood disgusting nor offensive really. I bleed heavily so often have leaks. I've cleaned up after sisters and friends but I just wouldn't want to let blood run down my legs, the mess would be horrific. I know some don't bleed heavily but I'd still not rather not see it.
There was something on FB a few months back - free bleeding yoga mum or something like that, it turned my stomach. If that's what you do in your own home then fine but I didn't quite grasp why the fuck she wanted the world to see.

A couple of years before my periods finally stopped they were so super heavy I struggled to work. I was wearing super plus plus tampons and changing them every 20-30 minutes and having 2 night time pads one on top of the other and two pairs of pants to hold them all in place. On several occasions I still had blood gushing down my legs. I even had to stay home for two days in a couple of months as I could not work like it. Teachers can't keep rushing out of class every 20 minutes. Anyone wanting to freeflow must be nuts in mho. I feel so sorry for women in countries with no sanitary protection where they often have to live in unheated outhouses for a week every month from puberty until after menopause.

Would just like to say that feminism comes into this debate only in terms of the rising number of females who can't afford regular sanitary wear. The solution should not stretch free-flow (which seems to me to be based on fake news).

I've read comments here that some women's periods are so light that they can free flow without notice at times - just a slight staining of their pants! I thought my periods were acceptable /light but I've never been able to or dared to go without 'protection' - I'm not a risk taker!

Sanitary-wear is essential like nappies and bread which aren't taxed. This just needs an overhaul of the tax system to reflect the reality of women's lives. It's decades late but that's not untypical of political parties controlled by men.

We have a woman PM so it shouldn't be too difficult to fix this? All sanitary wear except those made with plastic devices should be tax free.

When I worked in a psychiatric hospital we had a patient who due to her condition didn't understand about periods. She was obviously unhappy about what was happening to her so at least we could persuade her to take painkillers for her 'bad tummy ache.'

However, we could never persuade her to wear sanpro so she had to have three or four baths each day with as many changes of clothing and underwear. We confined her to one waterproof chair which we disinfected. That was as near to 'free-flowing' as I'd ever wish to get.

@caringcarer. I had a similar issue a few years ago.. For two years I could not wear tampons but XXX night pads for four days whilst in the most terrible pain. This was due to fibroid complications and as a contractor I couldn't in all conscience take on another contract knowing I'd be taking 4+ days off every month.

Several months before this, I knew I had fibroids.. completed the contract I was on then trotted along to my GP to tell them what I had and what needed to be done! Fibroids were confirmed, but my female GP said that 'he [presumably the consultant surgeon] wouldn't remove them' but I could have my healthy womb removed instead!

There is a terrible gap in services for women's everyday bits and common health issues which differ to mens. I recently watched one of those reality shows where a surgery took place to remove a fibroid... The darned thing was the size of a 6lb baby! Women need better services at every stage of their reproductive cycle. Especially when we are expected/forced/want to work for years after these issues kick in. Many women accept that retiring earlier than men is fair... But bloody well fix our bits without some 'consultant' likening the removal of multiple, invasive and life changing fibroids and complications to carrying out an abortion. I still don't know who 'he' is, nor do I know the reason he wouldn't conduct surgery. Maybe there would be a different approach to my condition if I were able to pay for surgery privately.

I've recently had to argue with a gp that my cycle was not over (menopause) and that the symptoms I described were in fact real.. I'd been suffering for several years and only recently linked them to 'the change'! She tried to suggest that it was the deterioration of my brain, (when I'm several years away from 60) like I'm naturally going mad. Said that menopause ends at 55, when my mum and internet info suggested it's 60+ on average. Only blood test proved her wrong... I know my body as most women do, purely due to experience!

Now, my period can be average for a day or two, through to light and extra light for 10 to 15 days per month. So unpredictable now, when previously I could set my watch by them.

From a feminist perspective. The complex nature women's bits requires more NHS support. Well Women's clinics which used to be around in the 80s and 90s no longer exist so we have no specialists to go to unless we have private healthcare insurance.

Having inadvertently experienced free bleeding when my gynae surgery stitches burst (blood through umpteen maternity pads, my clothes, my socks, my fur boots - yes they had to be thrown out - and all over my bedding, bedroom carpet, and down the stairs. Then quite a bit on the blue paper in the ambulance too...!), all I can say is anyone who actually does free bleed must get through a hell of a lot of salt

On random's subject of medicine not taking women seriously, I will add that I was rather pissed off to have the first responder say "I was told you have vaginal bleeding" - like my DH had rung 999 cause I had my period

When I got into hospital, the nurse took off my boots and trousers and said "dear god, there is a lot of blood"... umm yeah, that's why we were told to call an ambulance! Boots and trousers then went straight in the bin.

So I am pretty crunchy, all about breastfeeding and I use reusable menstrual products. (Mooncup/menstrual sponge/washable pads)

I fully expect people to find it gross, but it does make a little sad the shame surrounding menstruation. The world wouldn't exist without it.

And even I think free-flow is selfish and gross. (Fine if you want to sleep/sit on a towel at home, that's your mess to clean, but it's not cool if others have to come into contact with it.)

Gross.....just gross

I find the idea of free flowing gross, hoax or no. However, perhaps if every menstruating woman free flowed on the same day whilst going about their normal business the morons in govt. would realise that sanitary products are not a luxury item and would abolish the unfair tax! Luxury, my arse!

Haven't read many of the later messages in the thread yet but I'm pretty sure Mrs free flow wouldn't like me in her house on my period, I'm a very heavy bleeder, when I get out the shower I end up with blood on the floor as the whole water stopping periods is bullshit for me, I go through tampons and pads like bloody wildfire, costs a lot as you can imagine but I'd much rather that than bleeding so over the place, also there's the stench factor, imagine what her house must be like, ewww. 😷

Meaning in her house on my period without any feminine hygiene products.