Pardon, but your tie is not symmetrical.

i understand the whole "it's offensive to ask a woman if she's on her period just because she's nervous" thing but i also think we should start saying more that yes, periods can in fact make you tired and nervous (and you'd be nervous too if you were going on about your daily activities while bleeding and battling with cramps) and maybe instead of making an unfunny joke about it you should try to be more sympathetic towards someone who's clearly having a difficult day for reasons outside their control. like idk i think i should be able to say "yeah today i'm super tired because my period just started" the same way i'd say "yeah i'm super off today because i slept badly / have a headache / whatever" and have guys just go "okay fair" instead of acting either like i said the most icky and disgusting thing ever or like it's okay to make an unfunny sexist joke about it

#like yeah unsurprisingly losing large amounts of blood makes you tired and your body makes you crave sweets to compensate#can we go on with our day now#also i'm not a superhero i think when i'm on my period i should be allowed a little more sympathy just as if i had a headache or something (via lanotteseneva)

#nervous bc is that sweat or did i massively underestimate today’s flow #periods suck and we should be able to handle them as we see fit #and yes I do believe that includes being able to take sick days when necessary (selection of tags via thegirlnoonetexts)

before i started using a period tracking app i was one of those people who forgot that periods are a thing every. fucking. month. and kept wondering "gee why do I feel like shit"

I explained this to Charles, who also can't remember monthly stuff unless he puts it on his calendar, so he understood the issue. and if I said I felt like shit would, in fact, ask me "is your period coming up"

and I would have to do some heavy research on whether I mentioned the previous period to anyone but yeah usually it was that

it's better now that I have a tracking app that reminds me to update it every day and I can see oh yeah, red storm rising, but I still sometimes ask "gee why do I feel like shit" on like. day 3. when I am FULLY AWARE that my period has started and is ongoing!

so now Charles says "uh you do know you're on your period right," which is a valuable service since apparently I can know things without actually knowing them

[ID: a screenshot of a tweet by “Lindsay Zoladz”:

An app where you can automatically transfer your menstrual cramps to a politician who does not support reproductive health. /end ID].

And…also the actual blood.

My dear lgbt+ kids, 

The answer to most period-related questions is “Well, it depends on the person”. Periods are not all the same. The length, pain level etc. varies from person to person and even for one person, it can vary from cycle to cycle! 

That can lead to confusion or worries, especially for young people. You may hear period stories from your friends that you can’t relate to at all  That’s why I want to give you a little “Is my period normal?” guide. 

Before we start, let’s look at the basics: What exactly is a period? 

We often think of periods as “bleeding down there”. But it’s not comparable to blood loss from an injury: You produce hormones that tell your uterus to build a comfortable house for a baby - or in more scientific terms, to build the lining of the uterus a fertilized egg can attach itself to. But when there’s no fertilized egg, your body needs to break that “house” down and get rid of it - that’s your period. The whole process of building and then tearing down takes around a month, and then it starts all over again. 

- Age 

Many people get their first period when they are between 10 years old and 16 years old. As a rule of thumb, we can say “around two years after your chest starts to change”, although that’s not always true for everyone. 

If you’re over 16 years old and never got a period, it’s good to talk to a doctor. Not because you’re necessarily “sick” in any way - the most common cause is simply “lifestyle factors”. For example, dancers (who train a lot) often get their period later! Less common are reasons like hormonal imbalances or side effects of a medication you take.

 - Length 

For many people, it’s around 5 days. But it can be shorter or longer. The important thing here is: What is usual for you? It can help to track your periods (by hand or with an app). This will make it easier to see your own personal patterns. It’s not unusual for the length to vary a bit from cycle to cycle. 

If it’s a few days longer just once, you don’t need to worry. I would only recommend talking to a doctor if they often last longer than a week. 

- Regularity 

Periods usually come once a month (21 - 35 days). As we said above, that’s how long the building and tearing down takes! It doesn’t need to be “exactly every XX days”, however - some people have shorter, some have longer cycles and it’s fully normal for it to be a “My cycle is XX days, +/- 5 days″ thing. So, if it’s 27 days one month and 31 the next, that’s not unusual. 

If you feel like your period is completely unpredictable, however, it’s a good idea to track your periods if you didn’t do so already. (Important to know for tracking purposes: Day 1 of your cycle is the first day of your period, not the last one as often assumed). If you notice you often skip a month (go 8 weeks without a period), talk to a doctor. 

Important: that only goes for people who have had their period for longer than two years. During the first two years, it’s okay to skip a few months. Nothing to worry about, your body is still learning! 

- Pain 

Cramps are not a sign of a health problem. Your uterus contracts to get rid of that lining. These contractions help to detach the lining and move it out of your body. For some people, warmth helps (a heating pad, warm water bottle, a hot bath etc.). Other people need to take painkillers. And some people feel cramps but don’t need any pain relief at all. All of that is normal. 

If you need pain relief or not has nothing to do with willpower: the cramps are triggered by a hormone-like thing called prostaglandins (which are involved in pain and inflammation processes). Some people naturally produce more, others produce less and therefore have more/less pain! As long as painkillers help, there’s no reason to worry. 

However, if painkillers don’t help (and especially if the pain is so intense that you throw up or faint), please talk to a doctor. It’s less common in young people but severe period pain can be caused by reproductive health issues like endometriosis or fibroids.  

With all my love, 

Your Tumblr Dad

Hey y’all, there’s a program working on this!

The Menstruatin’ with Satan program, founded by The Satanic Temple Arizona, is collecting donations of pads, tampons, and other menstrual supplies for incarcerated women, as well as fighting to raise the monthly allotment of products!

If you’re not in AZ, you can help out the Temple by buying them products on their Amazon Wish List, here.

And if you are in Arizona, help ‘em out! There are a bunch of drop-off and volunteer locations.

but really guys

tampons/pads marketed to young kids who just started getting their periods

should be a thing

wrappers with dinosaurs and planets and glitter and cats and sea creatures 

make kids feel comfortable about something natural that happens to their bodies. 

and for goodness sake

don’t sexualize it

No. Actually. Why do you need this? You don’t. Getting your period means you are starting to mature, which means you need to drive them AWAY from needless things like that. Also, you all bitch enough as it is about paying for these things, imagine how much more money companies will charge for those things? Or, maybe EDUCATE them, so they will already feel comfortable about it. Jesus fucking christ. 

Tell that to ten-year-old me, who still hadn’t had the period talk yet in school. I was crying and freaking out because I thought I was dying. Then my mother comes up to me and says with a smile “You’re becoming a woman!” I didn’t want to grow up yet. I was ten. Fucking ten and was told to start to grow up. My mom wanted me to get away from silly little kids things because I’m fucking bleeding out my goddamn vagina.

Also some people are children at heart and like to be silly and having a dinosaur-patterned maxi-pad would be pretty fuckin’ hilarious and I’m sure there’d be a huge market for that.

Not all people with vaginas are stoic and serious and want the same frilly, swirly boring-ass pads and tampons.

Plus if you’ve been having a miserable day and say you bought the character variety pack of pads. Sitting in the bathroom stall wanting to stab everyone and you open up some baby dinosaur pads. You’ve got dinosaurs in your underwear. No ones gonna ruin your day now.

U by Kotex has these, Tween pads. Sparkly box, cute designs on the pad and wrapper. There are even “period facts and myths” in each box, and the inner wrapper has instructions for how to use a pad properly. What’s more is they are smaller than standard pads. (I use these pads because I’m a petite person). Best part? Everywhere I buy them, one box of pads is less than $5. 

^^^^^^^ THESE ARE THE BEST BTW. VERY SOFT AND FUN AND COLORFUL. DID YOU KNOW THAT EVEN SEEING PRETTY COLORS CAN LIFT YOUR MOOD? I DIDN’T. NOW I DO.

BUT REALLY THESE ARE THE BEST OK

BECAUSE WHEN MY TEN-YEAR-OLD SISTER GOT HER PERIOD SHE WAS SUPER SCARED BUT I GAVE HER MY PACK AND SHE’S LIKE THIS LOOKS KINDA COOL AND NOW SHE THINKS SHE’S SO AWESOME AND COOL BECAUSE SHE WEARS COLORFUL PADS WITH SHOOTING STARS AND HEARTS ON THEM AND SHE’S SO CONFIDENT IT’S SO AWESOME

SO YOU TRY TELLING ME THAT SEEING A TEN YEAR OLD GIRL DEPRESSED AND ASHAMED OF A NATURAL BODY FUNCTION IS PREFERABLE TO SEEING HER SHOWING OFF HER UFO AND SHOOTING STAR-PATTERNED PADS TO HER BFFS

YOU WOULDN’T GIVE A FOUR-YEAR-OLD BOY A BORING BEIGE BAND-AID NO YOU’D GO OUT AND BUY THE HECK OUTTA THOSE SPONGEBOB AND TOY STORY SHITS BECAUSE IT MAKES THEM HAPPY DON’T MAKE YOUR GIRLS GROW OUT OF THINGS THAT MAKE THEM HAPPY BEFORE THEY’VE EVEN LEFT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Ok but U by Kotex has got all of our backs. This brand dose great and empowering things for all women and even girls :)

Why are people with vaginas expected to be grown ass adults at 10 but people with dicks aren’t expected to act like adults until their 20’s??

Also Party in My Pants makes dinosaur pads! You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy them. :) They also frequently have designs with spaceships and cartoon cats/animals and other cute stuff!

If companies can make brightly colored and glow-in-the-dark condoms for grown-ass people with penises, then companies can sure as hell make colorful and fun-themed menstruation products for young people (and all people, young or not) with periods.

I also think there should be more non-femme packaging for men with periods, or non-binary people with them! Something more neutral and not *flowers and sunshine and lavender*.