Ask Eve - Women's Periods: What the Hell is Going On?

14:05 Ask Eve May 10, 2018 10 comments 4005 3331

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This audio was originally posted only on Soundgasm, as a quick educational audio for those who didn't know the first thing about women's periods. It came about because of a long ago tweet by a very ignorant young man, who believed that women should be able to 'control themselves' and not bleed until they get home, thus not needing tampons.

I realized that there are probably quite a few young men who don't quite get the whole period thing, and don't want to ask. Then when I saw this audio had over 7000 listens on Soundgasm, I figured I might be on to something. And so I decided to post it here, for anyone who might be curious.

In this audio, I explain in fairly simple terms what causes periods, how long they last, where we bleed from, when we can get pregnant, and whether it's safe to have sex while we're on our periods.

And just to clarify something I said in this audio (because the point of this wasn't to discuss pregnancy itself), you might want to keep in mind the window of opportunity for conception to occur. Even though, as I say, a woman ovulates once a month and is fertile for about two days before the egg disintegrates, your sperm can live for about five days inside her body.

So if you have sex on the 10th, and she doesn't ovulate until the 15th, she can still get pregnant - five days after you've had sex. In essence, the window of time each month is closer to a week, even though her egg is only viable for two days.

And yes, in case you're wondering - it's okay to have sex on her period. It's her 'least fertile' time, in theory, and even though she's bleeding, she's not damaged inside, you won't hurt her. In fact, fucking helps ease menstrual cramps. :P

One last thing - you've probably heard the term 'menopause' - or older ladies may call it 'the change of life' - that's the time during a woman's 50's (or sometimes earlier) when she gradually stops ovulating, and therefore stops developing that nourishing lining of her womb. Which also means that her periods stop. A lot of hormonal and physical changes happen to women during this stage of life, including her inability to get pregnant (as opposed to men, who can father children into their very old age). Menopause also brings about changes like osteoporosis, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and sometimes some bodily changes in a woman's general shape. Women can replace the hormones lost during menopause, and many do - however it does come with some increased risks and isn't for everyone.

Any other questions? Feel free to Ask Eve. 💋


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  • Johnny88 on 2019-07-14 12:18:35 (UTC)

    I once watched this YT vid where they asked a bunch of girls how they thought would it be if men got a period instead of women. A lot of them thought we couldnt handle it. A lot thought of gross names that we would call it (some were so hillarious that i can still remember them). But one of them just said: "What? They would make it into a competition like everything else."

    • A Eve on 2019-07-16 23:02:22 (UTC)

      haha well possibly :P I think men could handle it, but they might make a bit of a bigger deal about it than women do :p

  • CharlieRomeoLima on 2018-05-12 02:19:43 (UTC)

    Was a great refresher to listen to again a year on.

    I once read an issue of Maclean's where the cover story announced a new contraceptive pill that, if taken continuously, would prevent menstruation entirely. The fact that, over a decade later, there's no shortage of feminine hygiene products on supermarket shelves shows just how much of this 'End of the Period' was hyped speculation on the part of the publication. I wouldn't doubt that some women have chosen this route but for many others it's fine to let nature take its course.

    • A Eve on 2018-07-21 10:19:54 (UTC)

      Yes, it's one of those things - as frustrating as it is, most women are content to just let it happen. Something feels very off about messing with that whole system.

  • SamuelXD on 2018-05-11 22:13:52 (UTC)

    Well, this took me back to human sexuality class. I still can't believe I got really good grades for it 😂. Honestly, I actually wanted to ask the same question too: Is it ok for women to have sex during their period?

    • A Eve on 2018-07-21 10:18:33 (UTC)

      Yes, it is - that's the simple answer. Like most things, there are always going to be slight concerns about infection, but as I said in the audio, she isn't bleeding from her vagina, the blood is just passing through it.

  • Matthew on 2018-05-11 22:10:00 (UTC)

    when listening to this the only thought is i wish you could had been my sex education teacher back in school because i seem to understand you much better, in other words you have cleared a lot things up in so many different areas.

    Thanks Eve

    • A Eve on 2018-07-21 10:19:11 (UTC)

      You're very welcome!

  • Vermouth1991 on 2018-05-11 15:05:07 (UTC)

    The thing I most wanted to learn before this audio first came out but was too ashamed to ask, was if it is okay for a woman to hve sex during her period.

    • A Eve on 2018-07-21 10:19:00 (UTC)

      Yes, just read what I said to Sam :P