Period - The Real Story of Menstruation

About the author

Kate Clancy

Summary

A bold and revolutionary perspective on the science and cultural history of menstruation

Menstruation is something half the world does for a week at a time, for months and years on end, yet it remains largely misunderstood. Scientists once thought of an individual’s period as useless, and some doctors still believe it’s unsafe for a menstruating person to swim in the ocean wearing a tampon. Period counters the false theories that have long defined the study of the uterus, exposing the eugenic history of gynecology while providing an intersectional feminist perspective on menstruation science.

Blending interviews and personal experience with engaging stories from her own pioneering research, Kate Clancy challenges a host of myths and false assumptions. There is no such a thing as a “normal” menstrual cycle. In fact, menstrual cycles are incredibly variable and highly responsive to environmental and psychological stressors. Clancy takes up a host of timely issues surrounding menstruation, from bodily autonomy, menstrual hygiene, and the COVID-19 vaccine to the ways racism, sexism, and medical betrayal warp public perceptions of menstruation and erase it from public life.

Offering a revelatory new perspective on one of the most captivating biological processes in the human body, Period will change the way you think about the past, present, and future of periods.

Additional text

"a well-written, interdisciplinary exposition of menstruation.... Highly recommended"

Product details

• Authors: Kate Clancy
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 24.09.2024
• EAN: 9780691264592
• ISBN: 978-0-691-26459-2
• No. of pages: 264
• Dimensions: 130 mm x 200 mm x 20 mm
• Subjects: Guides > Health; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Medicine; SOCIAL SCIENCE / Gender Studies, SCIENCE / History, HEALTH & FITNESS / Women's Health, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Evolution, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Biology, MEDICAL / Gynecology & Obstetrics, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Physical, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography, Women's health, History of Science, Women’s health, Biology, life sciences, Social and cultural anthropology, Gender studies, gender groups