To ask for your weird names for periods

[Threadkillerextroadinaire]

So I'm very boring and usually just go for "that time of the month" but I've read some cracking names for periods on threads and I want to know your favourites. AIBU to ask you for the weird and wonderful things you call it?

Just a period. That’s it. When certain people are referring to women as ‘bleeders’ while they’re pertaining to help fight period poverty, I’ll stick to having my period. Though I’m through the menopause now and would be discussing them with my youngest.

Uncle Charley.

No idea where the term came from.

Before I had my tubes tied & we were relying on condoms, we called it the 'Hallelujah Chorus'.

Interesting that "period " isnt considered a pet form. Just shows how language evolves . It is, after all, menstruation which has only just occured to me.

Good point LEM. Where does “period” come from? Is it from the “period of (time) menstruating/bleeding”?

Not really unusual lem, since it occurs monthly and is also known as the menstrual period. It’s not actually a pet name. I find a lot of the terms used are similar to ones that misogynistic men would use to denigrate females when they’re having their period. ‘She must be on the rag, etc’ in order to explain why we might behave in a way that they don’t like. It also suggests an embarrassment amongst women in relating to how our female bodies naturally function.

If I were to use similar slang words to describe pregnancy or breastfeeding I would be called disgusting and told it’s different and indeed beautiful. Our periods may cause some of us great pain and discomfort but they are beautiful in that they help our female bodies mature and for some, prepare us for pregnancy.

Periods were known as "gut rot" in my school. Strange name now that I think about it!

I literally just call it my period. Don't see the point of cringy names for it.

My teenage daughter (when she just started her proud) showed me a meme about period pain being similar to tiny alligators biting so we now say we have alligators instead of periods. We find that feeding the alligators chocolate helps

*started her period not her proud 🙄

I usually just say I’m on my period but my husband like to say I’m out of order for 3-5 buisness days 😂

Blimey, alligators! Never heard that one, it's original, I'll give you that.

I am now, thankfully, past having periods but did always call them periods.

My mother used to refer to them as my, "You know", and look downwards which I found extremely crude and offensive. So glad we've on from that sort of nasty but semi-coy talk.

Periods are good! Better to have them than not when you're young. Good to leave them behind when you're not :-).

@jessstan2 I like your final comment!

My mum calls it a sore bum 🤷‍♀️ I have no idea where it came from but in all my years of growing up she has never uttered the word period.

In French there is a slightly old fashion expression which is "les anglais ont débarqué" I. E The English have landed
Apparently the British army used to wear red coats at the end of the 19th century

Loving your autocorrect fail

I always say that time of the month if I ever have to mention it. Not that I ever talk to anyone in real life about them.

At my boarding school eons ago we used to call it Henry (as in Henry the 8th who had red hair) I still refer to Henry when talking to my sister, but my daughter never got on with it so we refer to our periods (sidebar-my brother is 8 years younger than me,and I remember vividly a time when I was talking about Henry with my mother. My brother asked who Henry was, and my dad jumped in with a very helpful (NOT) explanation that Henry was a giant invisible rabbit?!? That visits girls every month. Poor kid felt very left out for years that HE didn't get visited by Henry)

I call it my 'mouse'......sounds really stupid written down Haha ......stems from a joke between me and my sister when we were younger about how tampons look like mice.

"The Communists are in the summerhouse"

TOTM (time of the month)

At Primary School (I started when I was 10) we referred to it as "white rabbit" for the life of me I can't remember why but I know using code words was so the boys wouldn't know what we were talking about!

No cringey names-just 'period'. Can't say I discuss it that much with people though.

I've fallen to the communists well they do have some convincing arguments

Generally we recite the IT Crowd

I just say I have my period. Im boring lol

PositivelyPERF agreed, period is all I use and most of the alternatives I’ve heard are based in derogatory terms men used to use... a group of boys in my school days used to say ‘ on her rags’ which I found disgusting.