More Than A Magazine, A Movement
Menstruation is a vital part of reproductive health, yet it has historically been shrouded in stigma and silence. The stigmas of menstruation are exacerbated by gender inequality, extreme poverty, humanitarian crises and harmful traditions. Menstruation is not a source of shame but a symbol of the importance of bodily autonomy and gender equality.
In her first appearance on the campaign trail since her electric speech at the Democratic National Convention, former First Lady Michelle Obama pleaded directly with men to take women’s lives seriously this election.
“To the men who love us … I am asking you from the core of my being to take our lives seriously. Do not put our hands in the lives of politicians—mostly men—who have no clue or do not care about what we as women are going through.”
Last month at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79) in New York City, Ms. joined “Spotlight on Periods: A Call for Menstrual Health Equity,” an event that brought together film, music, and sports trailblazers, influencers and activists to discuss their call for action to close the gap in menstrual health.
“As creators, we have a responsibility to tell the story and also have the inner dialogue to develop a loving relationship with our bodies and periods, to be able to show up and bravely educate others,” said Madame (Kiran) Gandhi, a musician and activist, who ran the London marathon on the first day of her period. “Women bleed all over the world and we are not rewarded and celebrated. And we are expected to hide it away in shame.”
Project 2025’s endorsement of fertility awareness-based methods—which are less effective than other birth control methods—would require nothing short of a national campaign in menstrual and cervical mucus literacy.
In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.
This week: Kamala Harris reaffirmed her candidacy for president at the DNC; Republican-appointed judges strike down Biden’s student loan relief plan; a new law bans women from speaking in public in Afghanistan; working moms earn just 71 cents per dollar earned by dads; understanding the orgasm gap; gold-medalist boxer Imane Khelif fights back against racist and sexist abuse; new reproductive rights bills signed into law in Illinois; and more.
For years, bills that put tampons and pads in school bathrooms were gaining traction across states. But the rise of anti-trans legislation has made a health issue political.
A recent study found concentrations of 16 metals in 30 different varieties of tampons. Although there may be no need for immediate panic, consumers have every right to be angry. Where is corporate responsibility? Why so little transparency? How can the government step in?
When Rivers Flow: “Menstrual blood came with its own set of messages, whispers from my womb space that only I could decode. It was like embarking on a treasure hunt within myself, armed with nothing but a compass made of intuition and a hefty dose of trial and error. Creating my own map of this internal landscape wasn’t easy. I had to channel my inner cartographer and chart new territories with each cycle.”
When Rivers Split: “There was something special about a bunch of Black women who had already been where I was calling me with joy in their voices. … forming a kinship with our wombs is about learning to love ourselves, to treat ourselves with the same grace, kindness and high regard that the world demands of us as Black people with wombs.”
When Rivers Unravel: “Menopause would be that queer initiation, that modern-day rite of passage I had so longed for. And it would come at a price. My transition initiated a second puberty that changed everything about my body. This rite of passage pried off the mask of societal expectations I had inherited from my foremothers. Menopause set the mask on fire.”
For many decades, sexual and reproductive rights have been at the core of the global feminist struggle—but only an unapologetically feminist administration puts them at the center of the political agenda. Such is the progressive turn the government of Catalonia, an autonomous region in northeastern Spain, assumed in May 2021 when it created a Ministry of Equality and Feminisms.
In October 2021, this new ministry drafted the national strategy for sexual and reproductive rights. This was founded on the premise that the personal is political, so it must also be public policy. This strategy sought to guarantee the effective exercise of existing rights—particularly abortion, long-term contraception and sexuality education.
Many women are now asking: What about perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause?
When performed properly, abortion is considered extremely safe. But nearly half—45 percent—of the 73 million abortions performed worldwide each year are unsafe.
One big reason: American anti-abortion policies.
For decades, the U.S. has used the power of the purse to force poorer nations to abide by the anti-abortion values of American conservatives or forgo aid for family planning and other healthcare—giving women around the globe no alternative but to seek backstreet abortions that send some to emergency rooms and others to their graves.
Menopause is having its moment, so say daily news headlines. A new essay series in the medical journal The Lancet, published to coincide with International Women’s Day, argues all that hype—combined with “over-medicalization” and reliance on menopausal hormone therapy—harms women by framing menopause as a disease. But, in fact, the real disservice to women is the lack of consideration of menopause in the halls of government.
If we truly want to rise to the so-called moment for menopause, here is a policy agenda that can best serve us.