The Red River: Rethinking Menstruation
For half the population, blood comes every month. And yet — for centuries — it has been silenced, shamed, and hidden. Periods are not weakness. They are not dirty. They are not “the curse.”
They are the red river of life.
Why We Hide the Blood
Think back to your first period. Did you know what was happening to your body? Or did you, like so many girls, think something was wrong - that you were bleeding to death?
Across the world, girls are given pads but not power. They’re told to whisper, to hide tampons up their sleeve, to excuse themselves in shame. But here’s the truth: menstruation is not a private embarrassment. It is a vital sign of health.
The Science of the Cycle
The average cycle lasts 28 days, but normal can be anywhere from 21 to 35.
Day 1–5: Bleeding. The uterine lining sheds.
Day 6–14: Oestrogen rises, the body prepares for ovulation.
Day 14: An egg is released. Fertile window.
Day 15–28: Progesterone builds, the body prepares for pregnancy — or for the next bleed.
Blood volume? Around 30–40ml. Heavy bleeding is more than 80ml — yet many women are told their flooding is “normal.”
When Pain Isn’t “Just Periods”
Cramps are common. But crippling pain? Missing school or work? That’s not “just being dramatic.”
Endometriosis: Tissue like uterine lining grows elsewhere.
Adenomyosis: Uterine muscle infiltrated with lining tissue.
PCOS & PMDD: Cycles that bring extreme hormonal storms.
The average delay in diagnosing endometriosis in the UK? 8 years.
Period Poverty: The Silent Crisis
1 in 10 girls in the UK can’t afford pads or tampons. Worldwide, millions miss school because of bleeding. Scotland became the first country to make period products free. Others must follow. Access to products is not luxury — it is dignity.
Reclaiming the Red River
We need a revolution in how we talk about periods:
Talk openly with daughters and sons.
Demand schools teach cycle literacy, not just biology.
Stop using words like “the curse.” Start saying “the cycle.”
Celebrate menarche (the first period) as a rite of passage, not a secret shame.
The Global Lens
In Nepal, menstrual huts still exist, forcing women into isolation.
In Japan, companies technically allow menstrual leave, but stigma stops women taking it.
In Kenya, free pads are now given to schoolgirls to keep them in education.
In Indigenous traditions, menstruation was once seen as sacred — a time of heightened intuition.
The red river flows whether we name it or not. It is time to name it with pride. No more silence. No more shame. No more dismissal of pain.
The river is life. The river is power. The river is ours.