5 Fun Facts about Menstruation
November 24, 2009 by KatrinaHamilton
Filed under Femme
… And you didn’t even think there was one did you?
1) A 20-week-old female fetus has approximately 7 million eggs, but is down to 2 million by the time she is born.
2) Some native South American cultures thought that all mankind was created out of “moon blood.”
3) In 18th Century Europe, washing and changing underclothing during their period was regarded as unhealthy, because women feared it would block the bleeding or make it more intense.
washing and changing underclothing during their period was regarded as unhealthy
4) The Draghi tampon, invented in 1959 by Andre Draghi, was designed for early cancer detection. The idea was that women could insert it themselves and send it off to a laboratory or physician who would examine it for abnormalities like cancer. It spared women and doctors the time necessary to accomplish the same thing in the doctor’s office.
5) Ancient Egyptians considered menstrual blood a remedy for many beauty problems, including sagging breasts. However, it was never used to treat conditions in men.
Ehem.
FCC Disclosure: http://JBNI.us Naturaceuticals produces this blog, Cycalign for PMS and Fountin for Menopause Relief. Sample Them.
NEXT: 5 MORE Fun Facts About Menstruation by Katrina Hamilton @noodledrive
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KaraCecil
Katrina Hamilton
ThomasScotCecil
How would the menstrual blood possibly help sagging breasts?Can we have more details to that one.
Was the fear of changing n washing underclothing a superstition?Cause logically why would it?
Both good questions.
Unfortunately there is little information about menstruation in Ancient Egypt. What we have is mostly incomplete lists and instructions, so the logic behind this cure is unknown. I do know that the treatment was literally to smear the blood on the breasts, belly and thighs. Perhaps the blood that gives life was thought to restore some of your external youth? Your guess is as good as mine.
As far as the dirty underclothes goes, in 18th Century Europe washing wasn’t very common in general, and was often viewed as unhealthy. While too much washing can be unhealthy (such as douching or harsh cleansers that actually remove the top layers of your skin), the Europeans at the time were a long way from too much. Also, the information I found seemed to indicate that this wasn’t necessarily a studied and doctor recommended practice so much as it was just one of those things that “everybody knows.”
It’s so amazing you know all these stuff!