menstruation
 

I have noticed that often when girls start talking about periods (just in general, not in an icky graphic way), men seem to split into two groups...those who are happy to sit there and listen or participate in the conversation, and those who go 'ewww that's gross' and run away. And the former group tends to be much smaller than the latter...even though the same men are often perfectly happy to talk about other bodily functions in huge detail.

I was just wondering how people in this forum react when girls talk about such things...and why?

Re: menstruation
 

i think a lot of the time when girls bring up their menstrual issues in the presence of guys, they are intentionally trolling for reactions.

to me, the issue isn't that i'm uncomfortable with menstruation, the issue is that i'm not sure how i should be acting/talking when the topic comes up. "yeah, i sure do love to bang bleeders" often gets funny looks and uncomfortable silences. same with "ohmigod i dunno about you but i've been going heavy this month" and "yeah well the other day i had morning wood".

Re: menstruation
 

this forum generally loses interest when girls start menstruating...BADAMMBOSSSH etc

Im not sure what responce you want, im neither intrigued nor put off the idea, theres a certain hilarity in discussing boodily functions but by discussing them they lose their meek shock value and therefore become boring.

Re: menstruation
 

Vampy has to check that everyone knows she's a girl on the internet.

Re: menstruation
 

To most girls though, the topic has no shock value, its just an inconvenient part of life. My personal menstrual cycle isn't something i talk about, but occasionally i've been involved in conversations about a new 'product' to deal with it, or about how certain contraceptives help/make things worse...and if there's a group of like 10 people there, sometimes guys just happen to be there. I don't think girls (or certainly not the ones I know) intentionally mention it to get a reaction...its just that its something so mundane we often don't realise that men get squicked out by it.... and i dont mean the graphic personal details....often even a mention of the word 'tampon' has guys running for the hills...and i just dont get why.

Re: menstruation
 

If you are nothing short of sympathetic towards the lassies at that time... you are the object of their hate.

So you either "take it like a man" and be awfully sympathetic and give the heroic tale where you went on the quest for ailse 11 for your girlfriend's hour of need.
Or you run for the hills.

Re: menstruation
 

haha, there was somewhat of a clue in the title :)

Re: menstruation
 

I find the subject an bit of a turn on, but that's due to unrelated psychological problems.

Re: menstruation
 

I'm happy to listen but it's not a particularly interesting topic.
I've found some girls are more embarassed talking about it than I am...

Anyway, never trust anything that bleeds for 5 days and doesn't die :(

Re: menstruation
 

I don't mind the topic of menstruation and side effects to certain contraceptives. Same if a girl mentions a product or if they're "on".

The idea of a girl sticking something up there to soak up the bleeding is pretty gross though to me, so I don't like it if/when they bring it up.

It's just something girls accept because they have to do it. It's the same with old people talking about their bowel problems or medication - it's normal for them so they feel fine talking about it. Even if the rest of us don't.

Re: menstruation
 

I have no idea what I'd say in a conversation about menstruation. I wouldn't like it to be brought up at dinner but otherwise I wouldn't give a shit.

Re: menstruation
 

when women talk about it it doesnt bother me , it's part of life , i've even made the trip to aisle 11 in an emergency

Re: menstruation
 

so what do you think of those menstrual cups? I think that's what I'd be cramming up my flange if I was a girl, seems like a good way to save money.

and then I'd go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like 'rebooting the Ovarian Operating System', ' dracula's tea bag', 'dishonorable discharge from the Uterine Navy' and linking to the Aunt Irma scene from IT Crowd.


edit : that video isn't quite the one I thought so the dedicated can click here and wait till about 3:30 through the episode

Re: menstruation
 

What the hell's a menstrual cup? :(

Re: menstruation
 

http://www.mooncup.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_cup

Re: menstruation
 

girls don't talk to me full stop

Re: menstruation
 

I'm not really interested in people's bodily functions, and people who are drawn towards discussing them are generally tedious and tiresome mono-obsessives.

Cocks, on the other hand, I could talk about all day and anyone who says that's gross is a ****ing homophobe. :mad: :down:

Re: menstruation
 

Wouldn't it be kinda useful to talk about bodily functions, if you like cock? This is assuming i haven't got a big part (lol) of homo sex completely wrong.

Re: menstruation
 

I find it a very good time to be nice to a girl; if you manage to successfully avoid annoying a girl and coming off as a good guy during her period, you get major props from her and her friends.

I dont mind talking about it, though it obviously can be general, or disgusting - in the same way i can say "i peed in my bin last night" and you're not overly disgusted, but i can see "i peed in my bin and it smelled like cabbage and lambrini" and you might be quite disgusted.

Men are very unsure when it comes to vaginas. If theres something extra going on down there that is kept secretive, and is slightly amiss, the surity level drops further.

I think also vampy you have to realise its a two way thing. Its not like every woman in the world has tried at some point so discuss her period with a bloke at some point and been shunned - for the most part its something the majority of women keep to themselves, and therefore will always have an aura of mystery/taboo to it.

Ps you have a vagina lol

Pps MM are you a full blown pillow biter now? Or do you still take the odd wander up salmon alley?

Re: menstruation
 

The problem is that when girls first start getting periods, boys are kept well away from them. It's simply not talked about. When my mother first tried to give me 'the talk' at the age of 11, periods were the only thing that I didn't have a clue about.

How can men really be expected to empathise with women when the topic comes up? All we can really do is sit there and try not to bring up how it feels to have a massive shit the morning after a spicy curry.

A lot of women are very uptight about it when men are around anyway, so it's not even easy to pick up the facts via sheer osmosis. Rare is the woman who says "i'm on the blob for the next few days so if i get shitty...sorry". That'd probably help.

So basically it's just an inconvenient part of life for you, but a great mystery for most men. The basic concept is pretty gross so unless men are 'included', they'll always find it pretty :o

Re: menstruation
 

I was being sarcastic you unutterable spastic.

Hey, I'm a poet and I didn't know it!

Re: menstruation
 

how the **** am i meant to know you're being sarcastic you inflatable balloon of a parody?

Re: menstruation
 

Sooo.. what have the topic of the majority of your last 20 posts been you muppet?



.. couldn't make it rhyme :( I suck :(

Re: menstruation
 

I'll take you through it, champ. Read what I posted. Notice how part one totally contradicts part two. Assume that I did that on purpose, because I'm fundamentally not a spakka, and further assume that I was doing it for purposes of comedy gold.

Got there in the end? A WINNAR IS YOU!

Re: menstruation
 

I too was unaware of your sarcasm.

Re: menstruation
 

Well take that huge Jamaican cock out of your mouth and you won't be so distracted next time.

Re: menstruation
 

I can remember helping unpack the shopping aged about 12, picking up a tampax box and innocently asking "what are these?", only to be snapped at with "mind your own business". Parents eh? :rolleyes:

Re: menstruation
 

I can't stand blood in general. I also can't stand other people's body fluids, or my own for that matter.

Re: menstruation
 

That's what Dracula said!

Re: menstruation
 

They were for your father, hence the embarrassment.

Re: menstruation
 

Was this more homo-erotic sarcasam?

Re: menstruation
 

Why, did it make you hot?

Re: menstruation
 

Yo mama.

Re: menstruation
 

I've got no problem talking about it. My gf suffers alot with hers, they make her extreemly ill at times. This (of course) is something that is fairly rare even though most girls get abit of "pain".

I think guys that run away form it are being silly as at the end of the day it will affect them one day should they wish to try for a baby with a prospective wife etc..

It's no biggie really, just be open and discuss it from a mature adult point of view.

Re: menstruation
 

Taking a massive shit after eating a particularly spicy Indian is "something that affects me". It doesn't mean I want to chit-chat about it while sipping tea and eating scones in the garden though.

Re: menstruation
 

I suffer with an incredibly poor digestive system. I suffer because of inbreeding but I still suffer. My blood family has it's own gastric condition which is unsurprisingly named after us.

Until I started living with other people on a longterm basis (college and after) I thought that it was perfectly normal to suffer the things which I suffer.

I would never ever mention what goes on to other people and I expect similar treatment.

I doubt that Tomkat's chemo-therapy is particularly pleasent. I do not expect that Tom would ever tell us about what goes on.

I see no difference when considering every bodily function. I can see no value in vampy's "we must discuss everything" approach. What is wrong with not discussing things? Must we discuss disgusting things all of the time? Mankind is a beautiful race capable of art and music to rival even the very heavens. The fact that we all have to suffer animal bodies is something to be endured not celebrated!

Re: menstruation
 

I'm not of the opinion 'we must discuss everything', it just intrigues me why some things are taboo when others aren't. I don't tend to go into graphic detail about any bodily function, but i am perfectly at ease discussing anything from a strictly clinical/medical standpoint.
I personally find our 'animal bodies' fascinating...after all, art, music and all the beautiful things we are capable of are all products of our bodies and their amazing abilities.

Re: menstruation
 

You are not a doctor. Doctors are people dedicated to healing and objectivity.

I doubt a doctor discusses these things over dinner.

You have your fascination with animal bodies, others do not. I will not opress you, but you must stop forcing your beliefs on others.

Re: menstruation
 

Yahwe is "not" a Doctor..........

Re: menstruation
 

I have no justification for this viewpoint, but I don't really see menstruation on the same level as bowel movements. The fact they're both "bodily functions" doesn't seem particularly relevant - it's not like all bodily functions are treated the same way. Many people seem to feel comfortable telling us about their sleep patterns (or their apetite levels) but very few people seem to start the day (in my office at least) with expressions of "OMG you should have seen the monster shit I did this morning! It was h00j!". Similarly, I doubt many people would discuss their experiences getting an enema, yet the women in my office who have had kids often mention what their pregnancy was like.

Certain topics seem to have to be assigned as either icky, embarrassing or private. Someone who talked excessively about the quality / quantity of their orgasms would (generally) be seen as violating some sort taboo in some circles, but not because we think sex is disgusting (I guess it depends who it is - no-one wants to hear about fatties having sex), but usually as a private concern.

I'd personally say menstruation doesn't belong in the "icky" category (unlike bowel movements). To me it more belongs in the the "life" category (with pregnancy) and therefore it wouldn't bother me, even over dinner. Fecal matters however should definitely stay out of any polite conversation. Obviously there's sometimes overlaps, parents like to prattle on about how fast their child is growing (which is fine) but if the conversation drifted into their son getting an erection when being changed (or something like that) I'd probably want the conversation to stop.

Re: menstruation
 

I don't have a problem with talking about the topic.


There is this one girl I know who mentions it when I ask her how she's feeling. If she wanted to talk about it, I don't run away.

If anything, she was the one who helped me with the whole pregnancy ordeal where she "sort of" exlpained how periods work (the whole being a few weeks late and all).

Re: menstruation
 

What were people thinking when they clicked on the link for this thread? genuinely interested.

Re: menstruation
 

a photo of one of vampy's bloody tampons

Re: menstruation
 

Given her past threads have all revolved around what men think of subject X about women I more or less expected exactly what was in this thread.


To stay relevant, the subject does not bother me, natural part of life big deal.

I have noticed though that some women seem to treat it as though it should be shocking to men, even if they themselves view it as mundane.

If a guy shows interest or insight into the topic he's considered wierd cause clearly a guy should not know of these things, if he shows disinterest or disgust then women wonder what the big problem is... either way we can't win :)

Re: menstruation
 

"all" my threads? as far as i can remember, the only other thread that did that was the shoes one, and that was purely to show deff that threads i make go off topic too, its not just his, and it doesn't matter that I'm a girl or not. (though to be fair, i did like the shoes)

Re: menstruation
 

I know two doctors (my father and one of my uncles) who discuss all sorts of things related to bodily dysfunctions and all the stuff "normal" people wouldn't consider dinner conversation .. I thought it was a bit gross when I was younger, then found it increasingly funny and now it's nothing out of the ordinary.

Re: menstruation
 

I know two that don't.

So I guess we cancel each other out, am i rite?

Re: menstruation
 

ah.

a thread about menstruation.

finally.

Re: menstruation
 

Because I am married I am forced to listen while she talks about her flow from her period. I cannot run away but at least she no longer goes for the shock value of talking about her clots and all.

Just better to listen and apologize cause she did not feel good than to raise objections. I agree with Ste. Anything that can bleed for a week and not die is pretty scary.

Re: menstruation
 

What school did you go to that didn't explain the basics of sex ed / biolology??