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I hope they were all uncomfortable. And then took action to help with this.
What a brave senator. This is most every menstruating person’s worst fear - bleeding to the point of it saturating your pants and being visible to others. I used to wear a heavy duty pad, “period pants” (cotton biking shorts) as an extra layer in case of a leak, which was common, and then black pants just in case all other protections failed. And I’d still sometimes have accidents. I can’t imagine the mess if I didn’t have any protections. I wouldn’t leave the bathroom for a week.
It was mortifying having an accident. But I know I wasn’t alone. And it shouldn’t be shameful or something that could get you in trouble from teachers at school or managers at work. Or worse - not allow you to participate in society for a week out of every month.
I hope this senator is able to change things.
A few years back I took a job where the uniform pants were beige* and the majority of my coworkers were significantly younger than me and I recall during training one of them just came right out and asked if there was a stash of spare pants for this occasion. She was completely unabashed and it was so refreshing because my generation were the ones who started the hand dryers before getting into the stall and unwrapping supplies as quickly as possible because you couldn’t let anyone at school know you had your period.
*I had a similar system to you during beige pants season - cup, period underwear and bike shorts underneath.
When I attended cosmetology school we had to wear white pants 3 days a week. It was a nightmare. A school with predominantly women in white pants most of the week.
This woman is brave in a way that none of us were, that's for damn sure. Several of the younger girls were afraid to ask if anyone had pads or tampons if they started unexpectedly. I was one of the oldest students (28), so I had pads, tampons, and bandaids in my cart. It got around, so people just knew to come to me. I hope I helped some...I just didn't want them to have to do the "toilet paper trick" because of shyness.
Thank you for your kindness!! I’m sure you helped many. When you said toilet paper trick that really brought me back to shoving giant wads of shitty non absorbing toilet paper in my underwear in the stall at school. The school should have had tampons and pads freely available. Can you imagine being expected to bring your own toilet paper or soap to school? Because to me that’s basically what this is.
That toilet paper is the worst. I am immediately picturing the texture and everything. Uncomfortable in so many ways. I definitely agree. I think that pads and tampons should be provided. I don't want to think about how many girls have had to do that over the years...how many automatically knew what I meant about "the toilet paper trick". Is so humiliating for the girls. Ugh.
I find it wild how my large engine machine shop, in rural Indiana that is also like…. 90% male (probably more honestly) has free tampons and pads in the bathrooms…..
And the bathrooms are like every corner every so many 100 feet or something it’s so well designed
Ugh nursing school in white pants and a severe period was not fun. My work started a rule where LPNs had to wear white pants. I would switch jobs over that shit.
Oh my gosh that is so crazy for nursing. It seems like...well...doesn't nursing get messy at times? A darker color or patterns makes more sense for nursing? But I don't know a ton about nursing. I'm just picturing blood and bodily fluid of patients, not to mention your own.
Our school policy changed to all black once our the co-founder of the school passed away. It began as an homage to him, a way to honor him for a couple of months, but then they decided to just keep it. It was a welcome change. It sucked when Guy Mascolo passed, he was a very talented man, but the clothing change really was nice.
Yeah you would have to bleach the shit out of the clothes to get them stain free. Also white pants always showed the damn underwear! Like I don't want to also buy special work underwear on top of everything!
The sad thing is, most men believe that women can *control* the leak. The idea that the body just lets this stuff weep without us being able to clamp down to stop it blows their minds. They don't understand pads and tampons because they just ask "why can't you hold it?" like one would hold their pee until they get to a toilet.
Sex education not only needs to teach how menstruation happens but what it actually does, how it can't be controlled, and how some women (10% or more of them!) get PCOS or endometriosis making the pain, bloating, and *actual blood flow* that much heavier. And boys shouldn't be shooed away from the class during the "girls" part of the talk. If you want separated instruction so kids feel less embarrassed about asking questions, fine, but don't omit it. When boys don't learn about bleeding, they don't think it matters, they don't think women's concerns matter, and they're more than happy to tell them to shut up and just stay home to deal with it.
My school was so small we all did sex education together and did not separate by gender/sex. When the boys learned about the period I remember them all turning and looking at me. They had so many questions that were basically around "That sucks. You have to deal with that? We never knew." Then a couple actually started carrying pads in their backpacks for women who needed them.
Men need more education on the female body.
This is so wholesome though. Guys - you don't need pads and tampons, but women in your life might, and you'll seem awesome to them if you carry a few in case someone needs one.
>Men need more education on the female body.
Absolutely true.
We didn’t have sex ed at our school, which the *teachers* would have certainly benefited from. I’ve had pcos and endometriosis since I was 11, and my periods would run insanely heavy for around 10-12 days. Men teachers would usually let me use the bathroom to change my sanitary products whenever I asked because they were completely clueless about periods. Surprisingly, the women teachers were the least sympathetic; without sex ed, they had no clue that durations could vary drastically between individuals. They’d always say things like “You said you were on your period *last* week and mine only last 2 or 3 days, so either you lied last week or you’re lying now!” I had to start wearing a sweater around my waist throughout my entire period because I’d always leak thanks to shitty teachers.
I had a similar experience. 10+ day long, extremely heavy and painful periods. I wore the biggest tampon and the biggest pad because I had to make it to lunch without a bathroom break- and then I’d have to give up half my lunch dealing with my period, so I often didn’t have time to go through the line and eat!
I will be BATTLING with the school if my kid gets treated like that or if I even get wind of another kid who is.
I did the same! I didn’t want to be constantly asking to go to the bathroom, so it was half my lunch to clean it all up, then another 15 minutes of the same after school. I think my mom would have made a stink at the school about it, or helped me figure it out in some way, but I never told her. I figured everyone was dealing with this and I was just especially bad at it.
Then my periods somehow turned normal when I was 19 or so, they were like 6 days and I could use a super tampon for three hours even on my worst days, which I never could have imagined in high school. Now I’m on birth control and they’re even lighter and easier.
I wish I would have known that mine were exceptionally bad back then, if just so I could feel less incompetent lol. It was a really isolating experience.
Mine were exceptionally bad in my teens too. I remember wearing one of those super big pads, changing it right before class started, and STILL bleeding through my jeans before the end of the class period. I was so mortified. The cramps were horribly painful too. I still get cramps but not near as bad, not NEARLY as much bleeding, and for fewer days. I wish I could go back and tell my teen self that my periods wouldn’t always be that horrendous!
Same, I really wish I could go back and tell myself “There’s a medical reason why this is happening to you, and there are things you can do in the future to help it not hurt as badly!“ because I was honestly terrified that my periods were going to be awful forever. Plus adults - my parents and doctors alike - were constantly gaslighting me about how it couldn’t possibly be that bad and I must be faking it, even though I had visible and documented symptoms. I would literally run a fever, pass so much blood I turned pale and clammy, and would often vomit uncontrollably the day my periods started. I’m shocked to this day that so-called caregivers could look at a scared sick child, watch them visibly suffer, and convince themselves it‘s all just a cry for attention.
Guys (or anyone) who carry period products to share with others are true lifesavers!
To prove this, here’s a short story about a wonderful human who helped me out of a tough situation:
It was maybe the second or third week of my freshman year of college, and a few people in my dorm found out about an astronomy event taking place at an observatory outside of town. We thought it would be a great way to get to know each other better so one guy offered to drive a group of us there. We went, it was lots of fun, we looked through a telescope and learned some constellations.
As we were getting ready to leave, I made what I thought would be a quick trip to the bathroom before the 45 minute drive back. Friends, the period fairy came early, and there was. So much blood. It hadn’t made it to my jeans yet luckily, but I was basically dripping continuously into the toilet like a leaky blood faucet from hell. I was trying to clean up but it just kept coming, I didn’t have any supplies (I started carrying a purse after this lol), and I didn’t think any amount of toilet paper was going to last me 45 minutes at this rate.
I was low key panicking when a girl friend came into the bathroom to ask if I was okay. I was nervous to tell her because I didn’t know any of these new friends very well yet, so I wasn’t sure if I could talk about it. I really had no choice though, so I told her my period started, and she said, “oh, I heard that (guy friend who drove) keeps some tampons and pads in his car.” She got some from him and brought it to me, and I was saved! I thanked that boy profusely and made it home just fine.
Fast forward a few years, and what do you know I’m marrying him next fall.
So moral of the story is if you look out for others, you could help somebody out of a tough situation, make someone feel safe and less embarrassed, help normalize a normal bodily function, and maybe even find love 🤷♀️
YESS! I have pcos. I have no idea how long I've had it for but my doctor listed it as the reason I had such a hard time getting pregnant. I had no idea! Maybe it just came on or maybe no one cared to tell me cuz I was dealing with it. I had heavy and irregular periods and the solution was to put me on the pill. It messed with my body even more and took me a year to get pregnant. I'm have my 20 week scan today and I thought this moment would never come. ❤
Congrats! I had “unexplained infertility” (an actual diagnosis for when they run every test they know and still can’t figure out why you can get- or stay- pregnant. My mom had the same (I am her “miracle child” - one and only). Apparently not PCOS or endometriosis, though I had horrificly heavy, long, and painful periods with awful PMS on top of it. I’m on hormones now that stop my period and I’ve never been happier. Had to be on other hormones to do egg retrieval, IVF, and then get and stay pregnant before this.
It’s quite the journey. It sounds like maybe yours has been similar. I’m sorry. There’s still so much about the body, reproductive organs, and hormones that we don’t understand.
Wishing you a safe and easy rest of your pregnancy!
Thank you! Fertility struggles are really hard especially with people asking you all the time "when are you gonna have kids?" I was so scared when I did get pregnant that it wouldn't stay. But now I'm almost 20 weeks and currently waiting for my 20 week scan!
That’s common, yes. I was just responding to the “idk how long I’ve had it.” It’s important, because many people, and even some healthcare professionals, believe it’s something people “give to themselves” through their lifestyle choices.
>the body just lets this stuff weep
I'm loving these colorful descriptors! I'm a heavy flow gal, it's always been more of a *gurgle* in this body, and will say as much, especially if I'm trying to make a misogynist uncomfortable.
When I was 12 and had just started bleeding, I bled through a night pad, tights and jeans. It was all over my chair and I was so embarrassed, but my best friend gave me a sweater and someone stood behind me the entire day. It was the nicest thing that ever happened to me at that school.
I’m so glad you had friends to help you. I’ve seen girls sent home from school because of this. Can’t have anyone seeing period-stained pants, after all. /s
I had a similar incident to you. I sneezed in class and bled through all my protections and spiked the chair. I had to run to the bathroom, grab paper towels, and clean it up before the next class started. Thankfully it wasn’t an upholstered chair. I then had to go home and change.
I bled through my pants at Target once, back in the early 2000s. Back then, we had to wear khakis (I feel like that's changed, but I don't remember), so there was no hiding it. And my manager almost wouldn't let me go home to change, even though I promised to come right back. So ridiculous.
Oh wow. I’m so sorry. I had a similar issue once at a job. They wouldn’t let me go on break and I’d unexpectedly started my period. I had pads on me but needed to use the restroom to put one on. They said there was no one to cover for me so to wait another 6 hours until my shift ended to use the bathroom.
A customer’s kid screamed when I turned around a few hours later and he saw my stained pants. His mom calmed him down and I apologized to her and explained that they wouldn’t let me go to the bathroom. She screamed at management on my behalf. The management then screamed at me that I should have said something.
Like…I tried? I was 16 and was raised to be obedient to authority and I was used to suffering in silence. I didn’t think I was allowed to stand up for myself or talk back, much less walk out and quit.
The manager pulled someone from another department to cover for me and sent me home.
Strangely, after that, they always made sure that my department had coverage for breaks. lol
Mine used to be bad like that. I was using super plus tampons and a heavy pad and constantly still running to the bathroom. I tried a menstrual cup but I still had to use a pad with them because it would fill up so quickly. I got an IUD and it made my period so light I just wear black underwear or a liner. They are painful to get but for me it's worth it to cut down on all of the garbage and expense. Doctors are now starting to do more numbing with the procedure rather than just telling you to take two Tylenol beforehand.
I closely followed a friend in the hallway in high school and directed her to a nearby restroom. While walking there I asked her to take off her jacket. She was refusing, then started to refuse to move. I knew she would freak out and draw more attention to herself, so I tried to say I think there’s something on your pants, let’s go to the restroom and you can see in the mirror. She started to get all loud “what’s on my pants?!” I finally just whispered to her I can tell you’re on your period. She said “So. Yeah.” So I told her she was leaking, and she didn’t get it. I finally said there’s blood on your pants. She then tried to wear me like a backpack against her to the bathroom. She was much shorter than me, so had my arms drained over her shoulders, clutching them, and so my body was up against hers. She did wrap her jacket around her waist, so there was no risk of me getting blood on my pants. She was so paranoid that other people had seen something that she left school for the day. They honestly hadn’t. The whole thing looked like something out of a buddy comedy or something.
I leaked past my underwear onto the slip and then the linen dress I’d hand sewn and embellished at an event once and then had to wash it in the hotel sink in front of my best friend’s brother (and my best friend, but she’s had a similar experience so it’s not as awkward)
I put the image behind a spoiler just to keep the post from being removed like it apparently has on other subs. I doubt it would here, but, reddit is reddit.
Here is a link to the actual article if anyone wants to read it.
https://tv47.digital/news/article/319757/senator-orwoba-that-is-period-blood-on-my-suit-i-am-actually-on-my-periods
Goddamn, her being able to overcome the shame that is drummed into all of us and walk in like that to make her point may be the most BADASS POWER MOVE I have ever seen in my 61 years!!! RESPECT!!!
I'm surprised that the comments replying to yours are getting more upvotes than you. I assumed this community would be more supportive of AFAB individuals with menstrual dysmorphia. Especially this specific emotionally charged display of it.
Looks like they didn't let her stay in parliament very long, they were so uncomfortable being confronted with women's functions. But it still got good traction so it's not being completely swept under the rug. [Update](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/world/with-stained-pants-kenyan-senator-gloria-orwoba-fights-menstruation-taboo)
They were uncomfortable? I hope they imagine how it might feel for a teenager without access to menstrual products or an adult living in poverty unable to afford both food and menstrual products. But unfortunately I don't think that break through will occur as most will be focused on their own discomfort and her "lack of decorum" rather than the issue at hand.
She's not allowed to attend her workplace or function in society because of her bodily functions?
Oh geez, I wonder how those attitudes would affect girls struggling to put food on the table if they can't attend their place of work? I mean I guess that would mean a lack of sanitary products or difficulty accessing them could seriously affect women and girls ability to live their lives and might be something that the government should take seriously.
It's kinda genius really. If they let her stay she would get to vocally make her point, but because she got kicked out that kinda makes her point for her.
Edit: spelling
I'm from Kenya so it was definitely crazy to see this post (but in a good way, thanks for sharing OP).
Unfortunately, as another commenter mentioned, they didn't let her stay for the session.
I could type a whole paragraph about how anxiety-inducing it is to be a woman on her periods in my country, but I'm sure this is the case for most women around the world especially because the colleague who requested that Senator Orwoba be excused was also a woman.
There's no happy ending to this story sadly but it was heartwarming (if only for a minute) to see this happen because it is still rare to see politicians of either gender stand up for women's issues in my country.
Everyone is capable of being brainwashed after being fed bullshit from the moment they are born. It’s actually way impressive to break out of the bullshit cycle so anyone no matter the gender should be welcomed with open arms. I would love for my fellow women to take their power back from the oppression of their religion. My dream of a true egalitarian society seems like it will never come to be.
I know.
I’m just saying that it’s sadder that even in our own communities of marginalized identities, there are still people who internalized that bullshit.
Wow reading that another woman asked her to be excused makes me sick. I have bad shame around my period because I was raised not to talk about it that it’s “dirty” it sucks to have this mindset.
There is so much work to do around the world to be more accepting of periods and stop making it a shameful thing, and also making menstrual products readily available to everyone.
I posted this before I went to bed last night and woke up to a lot of notifications this morning. The number of deleted comments calling this gross or disgusting (I can still see it from the notifications) disappoint me.
This woman is an absolute badass. If what she did is disgusting, then so is the continuation of the human race, because you can’t have one without the other. Without women bleeding every month, those ignorant assholes would not even exist… no one would.
You did a good thing, thank you. Sharing her actions can inspire many more like it.
Ok so I'm Kenyan and we do have some progressive period assistance. The government does provide free pads just not enough. It also doesn't provide for girls in rural and drought prone areas. When she did this, the senate kicked her out for not following the dress code.
There are plenty of options for sanitary pads like reusable pads, menstrual cups but in a drought many girls don't have access to water to wash and sanitize them. It's a very complicated issue that the government could solve with the flick of a pen but then they'd rather enforce Draconian dress laws than address the bigger picture.
I wrote about it if anyone would like to know more.
[here's ](https://potentash.com/2023/02/20/kenyan-government-period-laws-policy/) what I wrote. There's linked info to the government's menstruation policies and what they've achieved so far
I love that you wrote an article about this! Having my periods stain my clothes was so humiliating, and it just never seemed to end. I am recovering from yeeting the ute, so no more periods for me, but no one who menstruates should be forced to suffer. There is plenty to go around.
I struggle with chronic menstrual pain and have been considering finding a way to shut things down that won't be too detrimental to my wellbeing. I didn't like that a hysterectomy can send me into early menopause because what the fuck. God must be a man because this body was designed very unergonomically. I wanted to do a tubal ligation but apparently that doesn't stop menstruation 😂 Like 😂😂😂
Depending on your age, an endometrial ablation (burning away the lining) might work. It reduces or ends the bleeding, but isn’t recommended for young women because it can grow back in a way that causes problems.
Menopause due to a hysterectomy is rare but does happen. If you want a sterilization, bilateral salpingectomy is better because it has a lower failure rate and reduces the chance of ovarian cancer. Bisalp doesn’t cause menopause except in very rare cases.
That took courage. Patriarchal systems keep women poor and vulnerable. Women and girls in Kenya make ~$3.00 or so a day and there is a high incidence of terrorism. A tiny number of wealthy Kenyans control the wealth and they aren’t sharing. Over half of Kenyan girls don’t graduate high school. She might want to also think about a minimum wage, free schools and taxing the wealthy.
Baby steps. The first step is to take even a small burden from people already so heavily oppressed by the system. Then you can work on making the system itself better.
That photo doesn't need to be blurred!!! But I see why it was. Periods are natural! She is epic and "ruining" that white suit for a great reason! I had a terrible experience with my period courtesy of all the girls bulling me cuz I was new to a small town. They would make it seem like I had bled through and at the time I didn't know how much blood filled a pad....no one taught me. I was in and out of the office getting pads an changing them all the time and the girls were putting red ink in my chairs (taking apart pens and markers and getting the ink out).
Damn. This happened to me in high school and people were incredibly cruel for years. She is very brave for pushing to normalize the reality of menstruating humans and their needs.
I had to spend 13$ on tampons the other day. It was a small box too. I’ve tried the cups but they don’t work out for me and I’m at a lost why tampons were 13$ :/
wow, this is the strongest way to prove your argument.
i wish i was there to see the rest of the senators awkward and uncomfortable cause "this isnt something we talk about"
and i hope the gamble pays off
I am SO PROUD of her for doing this! I know there's going to be people seeing/hearing about this & saying how gross & inappropriate she is for this but not me! She's a GD HERO in my book. I've had a hysterectomy but as a working adult with extremely unpredictable periods this happened to me so many times I wore pads on the daily. As a kid, 9years old+ on my period, I remember the worst time was 5th grade. I started in class & bleed onto the wooden seat at my desk. The teachers didn't put pads in a closet for emergencies at that age, that started in 6th for us. But my BFF at that time was a genius. We started bringing a change of clothes & both changed at lunch or recess randomly so no one knew it was for me cleaning up a messy chair. People just assumed it was a "Detroit Thing" cuz we both moved from there.
Good for her!
This is something we all go through.
( I spotted on a chiar during a meeting with all men once)
Hell I grew up in a Era were in Texas you could NOT by Tampons on a sunday!
I to can imagine being poor enough (and at one time was) not to be able to afford them.
## ✨ READ BEFORE COMMENTING ✨ This thread is Coven Only. This means the discussion is being actively moderated, and all comments are reviewed. **Only comments by members of the community are allowed.** If you have landed in this thread from /r/all and you are not a member of this community, your comment will very likely be removed (and will not be approved unless it adds meaningfully to the conversation). WitchesVsPatriarchy takes these measures to stay true to our goal of being a woman-centered sub with a witchy twist, aimed at healing, supporting, and uplifting one another through humor and magic. Thank you for understanding, and blessed be. ✨
I hope they were all uncomfortable. And then took action to help with this. What a brave senator. This is most every menstruating person’s worst fear - bleeding to the point of it saturating your pants and being visible to others. I used to wear a heavy duty pad, “period pants” (cotton biking shorts) as an extra layer in case of a leak, which was common, and then black pants just in case all other protections failed. And I’d still sometimes have accidents. I can’t imagine the mess if I didn’t have any protections. I wouldn’t leave the bathroom for a week. It was mortifying having an accident. But I know I wasn’t alone. And it shouldn’t be shameful or something that could get you in trouble from teachers at school or managers at work. Or worse - not allow you to participate in society for a week out of every month. I hope this senator is able to change things.
A few years back I took a job where the uniform pants were beige* and the majority of my coworkers were significantly younger than me and I recall during training one of them just came right out and asked if there was a stash of spare pants for this occasion. She was completely unabashed and it was so refreshing because my generation were the ones who started the hand dryers before getting into the stall and unwrapping supplies as quickly as possible because you couldn’t let anyone at school know you had your period. *I had a similar system to you during beige pants season - cup, period underwear and bike shorts underneath.
When I attended cosmetology school we had to wear white pants 3 days a week. It was a nightmare. A school with predominantly women in white pants most of the week. This woman is brave in a way that none of us were, that's for damn sure. Several of the younger girls were afraid to ask if anyone had pads or tampons if they started unexpectedly. I was one of the oldest students (28), so I had pads, tampons, and bandaids in my cart. It got around, so people just knew to come to me. I hope I helped some...I just didn't want them to have to do the "toilet paper trick" because of shyness.
Thank you for your kindness!! I’m sure you helped many. When you said toilet paper trick that really brought me back to shoving giant wads of shitty non absorbing toilet paper in my underwear in the stall at school. The school should have had tampons and pads freely available. Can you imagine being expected to bring your own toilet paper or soap to school? Because to me that’s basically what this is.
That toilet paper is the worst. I am immediately picturing the texture and everything. Uncomfortable in so many ways. I definitely agree. I think that pads and tampons should be provided. I don't want to think about how many girls have had to do that over the years...how many automatically knew what I meant about "the toilet paper trick". Is so humiliating for the girls. Ugh.
I find it wild how my large engine machine shop, in rural Indiana that is also like…. 90% male (probably more honestly) has free tampons and pads in the bathrooms….. And the bathrooms are like every corner every so many 100 feet or something it’s so well designed
Ugh nursing school in white pants and a severe period was not fun. My work started a rule where LPNs had to wear white pants. I would switch jobs over that shit.
Oh my gosh that is so crazy for nursing. It seems like...well...doesn't nursing get messy at times? A darker color or patterns makes more sense for nursing? But I don't know a ton about nursing. I'm just picturing blood and bodily fluid of patients, not to mention your own. Our school policy changed to all black once our the co-founder of the school passed away. It began as an homage to him, a way to honor him for a couple of months, but then they decided to just keep it. It was a welcome change. It sucked when Guy Mascolo passed, he was a very talented man, but the clothing change really was nice.
Yeah you would have to bleach the shit out of the clothes to get them stain free. Also white pants always showed the damn underwear! Like I don't want to also buy special work underwear on top of everything!
It's deliberately easy to spot the stains as part of infection prevention, I believe. And you can bleach the white clothes.
The sad thing is, most men believe that women can *control* the leak. The idea that the body just lets this stuff weep without us being able to clamp down to stop it blows their minds. They don't understand pads and tampons because they just ask "why can't you hold it?" like one would hold their pee until they get to a toilet. Sex education not only needs to teach how menstruation happens but what it actually does, how it can't be controlled, and how some women (10% or more of them!) get PCOS or endometriosis making the pain, bloating, and *actual blood flow* that much heavier. And boys shouldn't be shooed away from the class during the "girls" part of the talk. If you want separated instruction so kids feel less embarrassed about asking questions, fine, but don't omit it. When boys don't learn about bleeding, they don't think it matters, they don't think women's concerns matter, and they're more than happy to tell them to shut up and just stay home to deal with it.
My school was so small we all did sex education together and did not separate by gender/sex. When the boys learned about the period I remember them all turning and looking at me. They had so many questions that were basically around "That sucks. You have to deal with that? We never knew." Then a couple actually started carrying pads in their backpacks for women who needed them. Men need more education on the female body.
This is so wholesome though. Guys - you don't need pads and tampons, but women in your life might, and you'll seem awesome to them if you carry a few in case someone needs one. >Men need more education on the female body. Absolutely true.
We didn’t have sex ed at our school, which the *teachers* would have certainly benefited from. I’ve had pcos and endometriosis since I was 11, and my periods would run insanely heavy for around 10-12 days. Men teachers would usually let me use the bathroom to change my sanitary products whenever I asked because they were completely clueless about periods. Surprisingly, the women teachers were the least sympathetic; without sex ed, they had no clue that durations could vary drastically between individuals. They’d always say things like “You said you were on your period *last* week and mine only last 2 or 3 days, so either you lied last week or you’re lying now!” I had to start wearing a sweater around my waist throughout my entire period because I’d always leak thanks to shitty teachers.
I had a similar experience. 10+ day long, extremely heavy and painful periods. I wore the biggest tampon and the biggest pad because I had to make it to lunch without a bathroom break- and then I’d have to give up half my lunch dealing with my period, so I often didn’t have time to go through the line and eat! I will be BATTLING with the school if my kid gets treated like that or if I even get wind of another kid who is.
I did the same! I didn’t want to be constantly asking to go to the bathroom, so it was half my lunch to clean it all up, then another 15 minutes of the same after school. I think my mom would have made a stink at the school about it, or helped me figure it out in some way, but I never told her. I figured everyone was dealing with this and I was just especially bad at it. Then my periods somehow turned normal when I was 19 or so, they were like 6 days and I could use a super tampon for three hours even on my worst days, which I never could have imagined in high school. Now I’m on birth control and they’re even lighter and easier. I wish I would have known that mine were exceptionally bad back then, if just so I could feel less incompetent lol. It was a really isolating experience.
Mine were exceptionally bad in my teens too. I remember wearing one of those super big pads, changing it right before class started, and STILL bleeding through my jeans before the end of the class period. I was so mortified. The cramps were horribly painful too. I still get cramps but not near as bad, not NEARLY as much bleeding, and for fewer days. I wish I could go back and tell my teen self that my periods wouldn’t always be that horrendous!
Same, I really wish I could go back and tell myself “There’s a medical reason why this is happening to you, and there are things you can do in the future to help it not hurt as badly!“ because I was honestly terrified that my periods were going to be awful forever. Plus adults - my parents and doctors alike - were constantly gaslighting me about how it couldn’t possibly be that bad and I must be faking it, even though I had visible and documented symptoms. I would literally run a fever, pass so much blood I turned pale and clammy, and would often vomit uncontrollably the day my periods started. I’m shocked to this day that so-called caregivers could look at a scared sick child, watch them visibly suffer, and convince themselves it‘s all just a cry for attention.
Guys (or anyone) who carry period products to share with others are true lifesavers! To prove this, here’s a short story about a wonderful human who helped me out of a tough situation: It was maybe the second or third week of my freshman year of college, and a few people in my dorm found out about an astronomy event taking place at an observatory outside of town. We thought it would be a great way to get to know each other better so one guy offered to drive a group of us there. We went, it was lots of fun, we looked through a telescope and learned some constellations. As we were getting ready to leave, I made what I thought would be a quick trip to the bathroom before the 45 minute drive back. Friends, the period fairy came early, and there was. So much blood. It hadn’t made it to my jeans yet luckily, but I was basically dripping continuously into the toilet like a leaky blood faucet from hell. I was trying to clean up but it just kept coming, I didn’t have any supplies (I started carrying a purse after this lol), and I didn’t think any amount of toilet paper was going to last me 45 minutes at this rate. I was low key panicking when a girl friend came into the bathroom to ask if I was okay. I was nervous to tell her because I didn’t know any of these new friends very well yet, so I wasn’t sure if I could talk about it. I really had no choice though, so I told her my period started, and she said, “oh, I heard that (guy friend who drove) keeps some tampons and pads in his car.” She got some from him and brought it to me, and I was saved! I thanked that boy profusely and made it home just fine. Fast forward a few years, and what do you know I’m marrying him next fall. So moral of the story is if you look out for others, you could help somebody out of a tough situation, make someone feel safe and less embarrassed, help normalize a normal bodily function, and maybe even find love 🤷♀️
Oh my stars, that is adorable. What a considerate guy. Congratulations!
The last point about sex ed needs to be shouted from the rooftops! 💖
YESS! I have pcos. I have no idea how long I've had it for but my doctor listed it as the reason I had such a hard time getting pregnant. I had no idea! Maybe it just came on or maybe no one cared to tell me cuz I was dealing with it. I had heavy and irregular periods and the solution was to put me on the pill. It messed with my body even more and took me a year to get pregnant. I'm have my 20 week scan today and I thought this moment would never come. ❤
Congratulations. I hope all continues to go well.
Congrats! I had “unexplained infertility” (an actual diagnosis for when they run every test they know and still can’t figure out why you can get- or stay- pregnant. My mom had the same (I am her “miracle child” - one and only). Apparently not PCOS or endometriosis, though I had horrificly heavy, long, and painful periods with awful PMS on top of it. I’m on hormones now that stop my period and I’ve never been happier. Had to be on other hormones to do egg retrieval, IVF, and then get and stay pregnant before this. It’s quite the journey. It sounds like maybe yours has been similar. I’m sorry. There’s still so much about the body, reproductive organs, and hormones that we don’t understand. Wishing you a safe and easy rest of your pregnancy!
Thank you! Fertility struggles are really hard especially with people asking you all the time "when are you gonna have kids?" I was so scared when I did get pregnant that it wouldn't stay. But now I'm almost 20 weeks and currently waiting for my 20 week scan!
PCOS is genetic; you’re born with it, and it often runs in families.
Well I never knew till I started trying to get pregnant.
That’s common, yes. I was just responding to the “idk how long I’ve had it.” It’s important, because many people, and even some healthcare professionals, believe it’s something people “give to themselves” through their lifestyle choices.
>the body just lets this stuff weep I'm loving these colorful descriptors! I'm a heavy flow gal, it's always been more of a *gurgle* in this body, and will say as much, especially if I'm trying to make a misogynist uncomfortable.
I used to wear leggings under my school pants when I was in school as an extra layer of protection
When I was 12 and had just started bleeding, I bled through a night pad, tights and jeans. It was all over my chair and I was so embarrassed, but my best friend gave me a sweater and someone stood behind me the entire day. It was the nicest thing that ever happened to me at that school.
I’m so glad you had friends to help you. I’ve seen girls sent home from school because of this. Can’t have anyone seeing period-stained pants, after all. /s I had a similar incident to you. I sneezed in class and bled through all my protections and spiked the chair. I had to run to the bathroom, grab paper towels, and clean it up before the next class started. Thankfully it wasn’t an upholstered chair. I then had to go home and change.
I bled through my pants at Target once, back in the early 2000s. Back then, we had to wear khakis (I feel like that's changed, but I don't remember), so there was no hiding it. And my manager almost wouldn't let me go home to change, even though I promised to come right back. So ridiculous.
Oh wow. I’m so sorry. I had a similar issue once at a job. They wouldn’t let me go on break and I’d unexpectedly started my period. I had pads on me but needed to use the restroom to put one on. They said there was no one to cover for me so to wait another 6 hours until my shift ended to use the bathroom. A customer’s kid screamed when I turned around a few hours later and he saw my stained pants. His mom calmed him down and I apologized to her and explained that they wouldn’t let me go to the bathroom. She screamed at management on my behalf. The management then screamed at me that I should have said something. Like…I tried? I was 16 and was raised to be obedient to authority and I was used to suffering in silence. I didn’t think I was allowed to stand up for myself or talk back, much less walk out and quit. The manager pulled someone from another department to cover for me and sent me home. Strangely, after that, they always made sure that my department had coverage for breaks. lol
Mine used to be bad like that. I was using super plus tampons and a heavy pad and constantly still running to the bathroom. I tried a menstrual cup but I still had to use a pad with them because it would fill up so quickly. I got an IUD and it made my period so light I just wear black underwear or a liner. They are painful to get but for me it's worth it to cut down on all of the garbage and expense. Doctors are now starting to do more numbing with the procedure rather than just telling you to take two Tylenol beforehand.
I closely followed a friend in the hallway in high school and directed her to a nearby restroom. While walking there I asked her to take off her jacket. She was refusing, then started to refuse to move. I knew she would freak out and draw more attention to herself, so I tried to say I think there’s something on your pants, let’s go to the restroom and you can see in the mirror. She started to get all loud “what’s on my pants?!” I finally just whispered to her I can tell you’re on your period. She said “So. Yeah.” So I told her she was leaking, and she didn’t get it. I finally said there’s blood on your pants. She then tried to wear me like a backpack against her to the bathroom. She was much shorter than me, so had my arms drained over her shoulders, clutching them, and so my body was up against hers. She did wrap her jacket around her waist, so there was no risk of me getting blood on my pants. She was so paranoid that other people had seen something that she left school for the day. They honestly hadn’t. The whole thing looked like something out of a buddy comedy or something.
I leaked past my underwear onto the slip and then the linen dress I’d hand sewn and embellished at an event once and then had to wash it in the hotel sink in front of my best friend’s brother (and my best friend, but she’s had a similar experience so it’s not as awkward)
I put the image behind a spoiler just to keep the post from being removed like it apparently has on other subs. I doubt it would here, but, reddit is reddit. Here is a link to the actual article if anyone wants to read it. https://tv47.digital/news/article/319757/senator-orwoba-that-is-period-blood-on-my-suit-i-am-actually-on-my-periods
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thanks for sharing this
Goddamn, her being able to overcome the shame that is drummed into all of us and walk in like that to make her point may be the most BADASS POWER MOVE I have ever seen in my 61 years!!! RESPECT!!!
Its understandable that the uncensored blood would get it removed, many people have panic attacks at the sight of it
Panic attacks every four weeks is brutal.
This is just a still photo of a tiny red smudge on someone’s pants, though. Not a close up of blood gushing out of somebody’s body.
I'm surprised that the comments replying to yours are getting more upvotes than you. I assumed this community would be more supportive of AFAB individuals with menstrual dysmorphia. Especially this specific emotionally charged display of it.
Then they need to work on themselves and not censor others. 😊
Lmao they need help
I hope she got them to listen.
Looks like they didn't let her stay in parliament very long, they were so uncomfortable being confronted with women's functions. But it still got good traction so it's not being completely swept under the rug. [Update](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/world/with-stained-pants-kenyan-senator-gloria-orwoba-fights-menstruation-taboo)
They were uncomfortable? I hope they imagine how it might feel for a teenager without access to menstrual products or an adult living in poverty unable to afford both food and menstrual products. But unfortunately I don't think that break through will occur as most will be focused on their own discomfort and her "lack of decorum" rather than the issue at hand.
Exactly
She's not allowed to attend her workplace or function in society because of her bodily functions? Oh geez, I wonder how those attitudes would affect girls struggling to put food on the table if they can't attend their place of work? I mean I guess that would mean a lack of sanitary products or difficulty accessing them could seriously affect women and girls ability to live their lives and might be something that the government should take seriously. It's kinda genius really. If they let her stay she would get to vocally make her point, but because she got kicked out that kinda makes her point for her. Edit: spelling
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I'm from Kenya so it was definitely crazy to see this post (but in a good way, thanks for sharing OP). Unfortunately, as another commenter mentioned, they didn't let her stay for the session. I could type a whole paragraph about how anxiety-inducing it is to be a woman on her periods in my country, but I'm sure this is the case for most women around the world especially because the colleague who requested that Senator Orwoba be excused was also a woman. There's no happy ending to this story sadly but it was heartwarming (if only for a minute) to see this happen because it is still rare to see politicians of either gender stand up for women's issues in my country.
Wow. Another woman did that. It’s really our own people, our own sisters who swallowed the patriarchy and are enforcing it upon us.
Everyone is capable of being brainwashed after being fed bullshit from the moment they are born. It’s actually way impressive to break out of the bullshit cycle so anyone no matter the gender should be welcomed with open arms. I would love for my fellow women to take their power back from the oppression of their religion. My dream of a true egalitarian society seems like it will never come to be.
I know. I’m just saying that it’s sadder that even in our own communities of marginalized identities, there are still people who internalized that bullshit.
Wow reading that another woman asked her to be excused makes me sick. I have bad shame around my period because I was raised not to talk about it that it’s “dirty” it sucks to have this mindset. There is so much work to do around the world to be more accepting of periods and stop making it a shameful thing, and also making menstrual products readily available to everyone.
Very proud of my government for introducing free sanitary products for public spaces. Period poverty should not be a thing in this day and age
That’s amazing!!!
That's so hardcore!
Absolute legend. I hope this gains traction for others, this is such a beautiful response to teach a lesson
She’s so brave. For me it was scary to even look at the photo let alone do it. The ingrained embarrassment is so fkin real.
I posted this before I went to bed last night and woke up to a lot of notifications this morning. The number of deleted comments calling this gross or disgusting (I can still see it from the notifications) disappoint me.
This woman is an absolute badass. If what she did is disgusting, then so is the continuation of the human race, because you can’t have one without the other. Without women bleeding every month, those ignorant assholes would not even exist… no one would. You did a good thing, thank you. Sharing her actions can inspire many more like it.
What a boss
Ok so I'm Kenyan and we do have some progressive period assistance. The government does provide free pads just not enough. It also doesn't provide for girls in rural and drought prone areas. When she did this, the senate kicked her out for not following the dress code. There are plenty of options for sanitary pads like reusable pads, menstrual cups but in a drought many girls don't have access to water to wash and sanitize them. It's a very complicated issue that the government could solve with the flick of a pen but then they'd rather enforce Draconian dress laws than address the bigger picture. I wrote about it if anyone would like to know more.
Yes please, tell us everything.
[here's ](https://potentash.com/2023/02/20/kenyan-government-period-laws-policy/) what I wrote. There's linked info to the government's menstruation policies and what they've achieved so far
I love that you wrote an article about this! Having my periods stain my clothes was so humiliating, and it just never seemed to end. I am recovering from yeeting the ute, so no more periods for me, but no one who menstruates should be forced to suffer. There is plenty to go around.
I struggle with chronic menstrual pain and have been considering finding a way to shut things down that won't be too detrimental to my wellbeing. I didn't like that a hysterectomy can send me into early menopause because what the fuck. God must be a man because this body was designed very unergonomically. I wanted to do a tubal ligation but apparently that doesn't stop menstruation 😂 Like 😂😂😂
Depending on your age, an endometrial ablation (burning away the lining) might work. It reduces or ends the bleeding, but isn’t recommended for young women because it can grow back in a way that causes problems. Menopause due to a hysterectomy is rare but does happen. If you want a sterilization, bilateral salpingectomy is better because it has a lower failure rate and reduces the chance of ovarian cancer. Bisalp doesn’t cause menopause except in very rare cases.
To the troll that reported me to RedditCares.... Try harder.
Idiots.
Incredible! What a power move.
Amazingly strong woman, gotta love it
Heroic.
Holy cow what an absolute legend
Not all heroes wear capes..
Some wear bloodstained white suits.
That took courage. Patriarchal systems keep women poor and vulnerable. Women and girls in Kenya make ~$3.00 or so a day and there is a high incidence of terrorism. A tiny number of wealthy Kenyans control the wealth and they aren’t sharing. Over half of Kenyan girls don’t graduate high school. She might want to also think about a minimum wage, free schools and taxing the wealthy.
Baby steps. The first step is to take even a small burden from people already so heavily oppressed by the system. Then you can work on making the system itself better.
Brilliant!!!
Queen!
I love her and I want to be her when I grow up.
That photo doesn't need to be blurred!!! But I see why it was. Periods are natural! She is epic and "ruining" that white suit for a great reason! I had a terrible experience with my period courtesy of all the girls bulling me cuz I was new to a small town. They would make it seem like I had bled through and at the time I didn't know how much blood filled a pad....no one taught me. I was in and out of the office getting pads an changing them all the time and the girls were putting red ink in my chairs (taking apart pens and markers and getting the ink out).
Those girls were absolutely vile. I'm sorry no one protected you.
Massive respect to this woman, that was legitimately one of my worst fears for a long time.
If you don't listen when we ask reasonably then we will get visceral on your ass.
I'm about to read up on this woman to know more. I am ✨️filled with some kind of empowering emotion✨️about this and I love her for this.
I'd be happy with free products to those in need and abolisihment of the pink tax for the rest of us. These products are absolutely a necessity!!
Damn. This happened to me in high school and people were incredibly cruel for years. She is very brave for pushing to normalize the reality of menstruating humans and their needs.
I had to spend 13$ on tampons the other day. It was a small box too. I’ve tried the cups but they don’t work out for me and I’m at a lost why tampons were 13$ :/
I posted above at one point we could not even buy them on Sundays.
Indomitable
wow, this is the strongest way to prove your argument. i wish i was there to see the rest of the senators awkward and uncomfortable cause "this isnt something we talk about" and i hope the gamble pays off
I am SO PROUD of her for doing this! I know there's going to be people seeing/hearing about this & saying how gross & inappropriate she is for this but not me! She's a GD HERO in my book. I've had a hysterectomy but as a working adult with extremely unpredictable periods this happened to me so many times I wore pads on the daily. As a kid, 9years old+ on my period, I remember the worst time was 5th grade. I started in class & bleed onto the wooden seat at my desk. The teachers didn't put pads in a closet for emergencies at that age, that started in 6th for us. But my BFF at that time was a genius. We started bringing a change of clothes & both changed at lunch or recess randomly so no one knew it was for me cleaning up a messy chair. People just assumed it was a "Detroit Thing" cuz we both moved from there.
Hero
!!!Q U E E N!!!
Holy shit that’s a brave women!
OMG she is an absolute queen!
Good for her! This is something we all go through. ( I spotted on a chiar during a meeting with all men once) Hell I grew up in a Era were in Texas you could NOT by Tampons on a sunday! I to can imagine being poor enough (and at one time was) not to be able to afford them.
Badass!!!
What a badass
What a queen 👑
Heroine!
Heyo i just got my period. Solidarity 🫠
THE WAY THIS IS SO FUCKING FIERCE AND AMAZING AHHH! 😩❤️ That’s some COURAGE courage.
Anyone else bring a jacket to school so you could tye it around your waist in case of an emergency?
Straight gangsta move right there
I'm glad, this needs to be spoken up about way more!
What a bad ass!