Breaking the cycle: A look at period shame through history

Let’s be honest, a lot of us deal with disruptive periods in silence, not asking for help when we need it. Why? Well, it’s kind of what we’ve always done. Periods have been wrapped in taboo and misunderstanding for centuries, leaving many women quietly suffering. And even though medicine and technology have come a long way, the stigma surrounding periods is still hanging about. But here’s the good news: by looking back and understanding the origins of period shame, we stand a better chance of breaking it down together. Keep reading to find out more!

Myths and madness 

Oh, periods – they’ve been misunderstood and surrounded by mystery since way back when. In ancient cultures, people genuinely believed some wild things about period blood. Take Pliny the Elder, a Roman writer, who claimed menstrual blood could do everything from spoiling wine to causing storms and even making dogs go mad if they happened to taste it!  Yeah, seriously. It sounds ridiculous now, but those kinds of beliefs show that periods were seen as something to be feared.

Religion contributed to this as well. In medieval times, society’s view of periods was heavily shaped by religious beliefs. Ever heard of Leviticus? It’s a biblical text that straight-up stated that menstruating women were ‘unclean’ and should be avoided. And it wasn’t just Christianity.  In some Hindu cultures, women on their period were sent to huts far away, a tradition that stuck around until recent times in some places.  

And just when you think things should have got better with progress, think again! Even in supposedly more ‘enlightened’ times like the Victorian era, talking about periods was still a no-no. They didn’t even say the word ‘menstruation’ out loud – it was all about women’s ‘monthly sickness’ or ‘terms.’  So yeah, this stigma has been around for a while, and even women felt the pressure to keep quiet, adding to the shame that surrounded periods.

 

Making do 

Despite this culture of shame, women have always been pretty resourceful when it comes to managing their periods. Back in ancient Egypt, women got creative with reusable loincloths and even tampon-like devices made from papyrus and grass. Ancient Greek women? They wrapped lint around wood or made DIY rags to soak up the blood. Across Equatorial Africa, they rolled up grass mats as makeshift pads.  We’ve got to give these hustlers some props for their ingenuity, even though these early methods might not necessarily scream ‘comfort.’ 

Fast forward to medieval times where women mostly relied on rags, or what they called ‘menstrual cloths’ – basically homemade pads.  Some even went as far as tying dried toads around their waist to try and stem heavy bleeding (yep, toads!).  By the 17th century, women were stuffing their clothes with linen or wool to manage their flow, but internal protection was a complete no-no, seen as compromising purity and virtue.  

Victorian women had more regular cycles thanks to better nutrition, but period care? Still rather basic. Women in workhouses would usually free-bleed, and the floors of manufacturing mills were often lined with straw or sawdust for absorption. By the end of the Victorian era, ‘menstrual belts’ made an appearance – cloth belts with absorbent fabric attached to catch the blood. Sanitary napkins finally hit the market in the early 20th century, but talking about periods was still totally hush-hush. 

Managing disruptive periods 

It wasn’t just periods that got a bad rep – symptoms like heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia) and painful periods (dysmenorrhea) were totally misunderstood and barely treated for most of history. These symptoms were often seen as signs of ‘female weakness,’ which only reinforced the idea that women were somehow inferior.

Back in medieval times, if you had painful cramps, people would say it was the curse of Eve (because of course, blame Eve, right?). Women were just expected to suffer through it.  And doctors? Not much help. In the 17th century, their big idea for curing painful periods was – wait for it – getting married and having more sex. Yep, if you were single, the advice was to tie the knot ASAP, and if you were already married? Just have more sex to ‘balance your humours.’ Not exactly a groundbreaking medical solution.

Even when doctors did acknowledge disorders like heavy bleeding or irregular periods, their treatments were questionable at best. Bloodletting (literally cutting your skin and letting you bleed out) was a go-to for excessive menstrual bleeding – which, shocker, only made women more anaemic and exhausted. They also tried things like telling women to get more fresh air, change their diet, or, hilariously, tie branches of mulberry trees to their wrists to stop a heavy flow.  

And things didn’t get much better during the Victorian times. Imagine being prescribed treatment like sulphuric acid and turpentine for cramps, or even opium! And if that wasn’t bad enough, some doctors were pushing for extreme surgeries like removing ovaries. While herbal remedies like black cohosh and black haw started becoming popular, and medicines like Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound were thought to offer some relief, the options were either risky or still hit-or-miss. Women were basically stuck trying anything they could to ease the pain. 

Breaking the cycle 

Even today, with all our modern menstrual products and medical knowledge, the stigma around periods stubbornly lingers. Many women still feel awkward talking about their periods, and menstrual symptoms often go under-diagnosed and untreated. Conditions like dysmenorrhea (painful periods) or menorrhagia (heavy menstrual bleeding) are often brushed off as ‘just part of being a woman’ – a frustrating echo of outdated attitudes.

This cultural silence has left many women hesitant to seek help, even for disruptive symptoms. Too many choose to quietly endure rather than face what they see as the embarrassment of explaining their symptoms. It’s all part of the historical shame attached to menstruation, which still affects how periods are viewed and managed today.

Yes, we’ve swapped out dried toads for tampons and menstrual cups, and access to medicines for disruptive periods is growing, but the stigma hasn’t evolved as much as we’d like. If periods remain something to hide, women will continue to suffer in silence – trapped by the same shame that has persisted for centuries.

But it doesn’t have to stay this way. By breaking the silence, challenging the stigma, and encouraging open conversations, we can make sure no one has to suffer alone anymore. Periods are just a part of life, and its way past time we started treating them like it.

Sources

‘Women’s Hour: Periods Through History’, BBC Radio 4, August 2024

‘The History of Menstruation: Managing Periods Through The Ages’, Modibody, May 2023: https://www.modibodi.co.uk/blogs/womens/history-menstruation?srsltid=AfmBOor-BirkYe178W2Zl-ZZ2c2FL_Vh7zgdSTu7OSFEi-RPW6E35O87  

‘Attitudes to Menstruation in Seventeenth Century England’, Past & Present 91, May 1981 

‘Treatments for Menstrual Cramps throughout History’, Museum of Health Care at Kingston Blog, September 2015: https://museumofhealthcare.blog/treatments-for-menstrual-cramps-throughout-history/