To find it sad that the menstrual cycle still feels so taboo

[SunflowerSpirit]

In the week I had a nightmare scenario come true. Time of the month arrives and the bleeding is much heavier than usual leading to large blood stain on a communal sofa at work. I then spent the rest of day panicking, stressing and feeling upset - subtly trying to clean the stain the best I could without anyone noticing, all whilst feeling really cross with myself that it happened (even though it was very unusual for me and has never happened in 20 years of having periods). If I had spilt coffee on the sofa, whilst also a bit embarrassing, I would have felt I could have cleaned the sofa in front of others and not been so ashamed. I know I could have been honest about what had happened as it is natural and could happen to everyone, but it took me straight back to be being a young teenager trying to navigate having a period for the first time, and made me really sad. I'm praying that the stain has come out and that it hasn't left too much damage (I feel really guilty about this too) but it's left me feeling really sad that in that moment I reacted that way - it seems like the menstrual cycle still feels like something shameful and that needs to be hidden.

It isn’t that the menstrual cycle is taboo, it’s that all and any failure to manage bodily functions is shameful to humans. So if you’d peed or crapped or vomited on the sofa you’d feel the same instant desire to hide it/to clean it/to run away.

the thing that is different about periods tho is that we are meant to be able to manage the output. So the sense that you’ve failed to conform to that, is added shame.

i also think that the narrative around periods is that they shoild be/are manageable. So almost all men will know about periods but not about “flooding” or what heavy periods actually “look like”.

anyway just rambling thoughts. Mostly, Christ I feel your misery. I stained the sofa of a very old man who I had visited, I remember the hideous feelings and thoughts I had as I sat there chatting, knowing that at some point I would have to stand up. I fled the house to be honest.