Have you ever wondered how people dealt with periods back in the day?
Or how the evolution of menstrual products came about from ancient times to the modern-day pads, tampons and menstrual cups we use today?
This blog takes you through the history of periods—how it’s been understood, perceived, and dealt with over centuries.
Menstruation and culture
Periods have sparked all kinds of cultural and religious views throughout history, and different eras and societies have had their own individual takes on menstruation. The most significant factors in shaping historical menstruation beliefs include religion, and its role in menstrual myths and superstitions.
For example, in many Indian cultures, there’s an association between the worship of goddesses and menstruation.
According to historian Janet Chawla, the monsoons in the regions of Assam and Orissa are celebrated and seen as the goddess’ periods. Not only that, girls are also celebrated and treated as goddesses when they start their period, which all adds to the idea of sacredness around periods.
Other examples of perceptions of menstruation in ancient cultures include the Mayans and Aztecs in Central America, who held menstruating women in high regard. This was due to the cultural menstrual symbolism of fertility and prosperity.
But not all views surrounding periods were positive. Many negative ideas came from the presentation of menstruation in religious texts, often linking periods to retribution.
This led to a major split in how people saw menstruation; on one hand, it was seen as sacred and worthy of respect, but on the other, it was associated with shame and punishment.
In South Asian and Hindu menstrual traditions, this split is clear. For example, in the Rig Veda, in which the guilt of murder is transferred onto womankind, menstruation is seen as a way for women to cleanse themselves of sins.
Similarly, there was a connection between retribution and menstruation in the early modern times, or Tudor period of British history. In this context, periods were thought of as a curse on Eve for her temptation in the Garden of Eden - a curse that spread to all women.
Attitudes towards periods also had various impacts on the participation of women in religious practices. Impurity was commonly associated with menstruation and menstrual blood, and unfortunately this still continues today across many cultures.
Medical and scientific understandings of menstruation in history
Modern medical understanding of the female reproductive system took a big leap in the 19th century with the discovery of the egg cell, which was crucial for understanding menstruation.
Before this, research in the western world had been conducted by figures like Hippocrates in Ancient Greece, who also made connections between fertility and menstruation in ancient medicine.
With regard to the menstruation timeline, Hippocrates claimed that the most fertile period for women occurred in the days following menstruation, with the logic that the uterus, in the absence of any blood, was prepared to accept semen.
Evidence also suggests that Hippocrates may have coined the medical treatment of bleeding patients after observing the easing of body aches and bloating (what we’d call PMS!) with the start of the period in women.
Ancient Roman physician Soranos had a similar theory, showing a consistent classical perspective.
In contrast, the ancient Persian Bun-Dahisn, (Sassanid Dynasty) open our eyes to one of the most advanced historical understandings of menstruation.
They split the menstrual cycle into 3 phases and believed that the first phase, the 10 days after menstruation, was a time of infertility due to the absence of the female 'seed' in the uterus. The second phase was considered fertile, and the third phase was menstruation if there was no impregnation.
How did women deal with their periods?
Menstrual products throughout history consisted of various methods to manage periods. Ancient menstruation in different civilizations had their versions of pads made from different materials to absorb menstrual blood.
For instance, in ancient Egypt, pads were made from cotton and papyrus because they were cheap and accessible. In ancient Greece, sea sponges were used, in Rome, wool, and in Japan, rolled paper.
In Europe, menstruation in the middle ages managed by products similar to pads appeared to be more popular. These typically came in the form of cloth and rags, or absorbent mosses, a practice that continued through practises of menstruation in the Victorian era into the 20th century. However, for women who couldn’t afford access to these materials, bleeding into their clothes, or free-bleeding as we may call it, was very common.
To deal with the smell, often due to the shame and stigma surrounding menstruation, women used nutmegs and other agents.
The late nineteenth century saw the commercialisation of period products. This started with sanitary pads, which were secured with a belt, in contrast to the self adhesive ones that are available nowadays. These weren’t initially as popular, as their high price made them relatively inaccessible.
It was after WWI, when nurses noticed how well bandages absorbed blood, that sanitary pads became popular as a commercial product.
In the latter part of the 1940s, tampons and the brand Tampax became mass produced after the development of components such as the manual applicator.
Tampax's sale to Johnson & Johnson and the production of adhesive pads paved the way for today's popular commercial disposable period products.
Despite these advancements, the prevalence of period and menstruation taboos still contribute to issues such as inaccessibility of period products (period poverty) and menstrual education, impinging directly on the rights and empowerment of women.
In 2019, 71% of girls in India reported being unaware of menstruation before their first cycle. In 2022, out of 16.9 million people living in poverty who menstruate, only a third could afford menstrual products, often choosing between them and food.
To learn more, read our blog on the correlation between periods and girls’ education.
While menstruation and societal attitudes, and methods for dealing with periods have evolved, there's still much work to be done to ensure broader accessibility, prioritise sustainability, and remove the stigma.
Learn more about the work Asan is doing to end period poverty.
This blog was written by our intern, Gayatri Chatterjee who is a 20-year-old student at St Andrews University.
