Facts & Figures

February 10, 2025 0 Comments

First period starts earlier and earlier: this is why

Carrying a pack of menstrual pads in your school bag when you’re only eight years old? Perfectly normal. At least, if the trend of girls getting their period at an increasingly younger age continues. What does science says about this? (…)

Global

September 11, 2024 0 Comments

Impure – a story that needs telling

Based on the tragic story of Jackline Chepngeno, the movie Impure from German writer/director Rico Herre focuses on period shaming in rural Kenya. (…)

Quotes

October 10, 2022 0 Comments

My entry into womanhood

The menarche is a unique moment that requires a gesture. Big or small, symbolic or plain. Every girl is different after all. Author and celebrant Carla Rosseels recalls her own entry into womanhood. After experiencing the power of rituals and ceremonies, this became one of her core themes. (…)

Facts & Figures

October 3, 2021 0 Comments

Menstruating more often

A few hundred years ago women menstruated about 50 times in their lives; now, 500 times. What are the reasons for this? (…)

Facts & Figures

August 21, 2021 0 Comments

Will it stay this way?

Every beginning is difficult. And also the start of your menstruation can go hand in hand with pain and other complaints. But does this automatically mean something is wrong? (…)

Global

September 25, 2020 0 Comments

Menarche, maturity, marriage?!

When a Gambian girl starts menstruating, she’s often married off to a stranger. Hence why Musu Bakoto hid her periods for two years. (…)

Quotes

May 24, 2020 2 Comments

Getting your first period in Bangladesh

For girls in rural Bangladesh, an area which lacks menstrual education and amenities, the menarche is likely to be a daunting event. – A guest blog by Sumit Banik.

Art

June 14, 2018 0 Comments

What’s your menarche story?

Everybody remembers her first period, don’t they? Was it a happy occasion? A sad one? British artist Pippa Robinson is exploring the menarche transition in her participatory arts project My Menarche. (…)

Quotes

March 12, 2018 0 Comments

An ode to PadMan

Following the worldwide release of the movie PadMan, Indian blogger Sonia Chatterjee shares her personal journey about menstruation and cramps. (…)

Quotes

March 20, 2017 0 Comments

A ritual for mothers and daughters

‘Almost every woman remembers her first menstruation. So why do we take this important moment in life for granted?’ Tessa Custers developed a period ritual, with a bar of soap as conversation starter.

Global

January 22, 2017 0 Comments

A cruel menarche ritual

Kusasa fumbi is a menstruation rite to ‘sexually cleanse’ girls and learn them how to appeal to men. It’s a forbidden tradition in Malawi. In 2016 a man was sentenced for this for the first time. What other rites are there in the world for the first menstruation? And are they all this cruel? (…)

Quotes

January 19, 2016 4 Comments

A time for celebration

‘Our first period is a precious time and a celebration of the transition from being a girl to becoming a woman. But how come so very few of us truly celebrate our menarche?’ A guest blog by the Australian counsellor Robyn Jones. (…)