Why do some women need to announce they are menstruating?

Question

Co-workers, strangers in a public restroom, relatives at a family gathering, etc.

Answer 1

ugh, it's so tacky!
why not announce your bowel movements as well?
or announce when you must urinate?
or that you must go blow your nose?
no one wants to know about your bodily functions!!

Answer 2

Believe it or not, mood swings do come with menstruating, sometimes we can just tell by the mood swing or chocolate craving that its on its way. But announcing it would only be to get some "pass"---as a woman, I know I have used this excuse to justify something that really didn't have much to do with menstruating, but I knew it would sit well with a male because he doesn't really know much about the subject--- I never dared to use it with a female supervisor cuz she would feel not much compassion. There are tons of other issues that affect one's mood or performance, but we are not allowed to use those. Lack of sleep? Casual depression? Anxiety? Feeling down? How many times can we actually use those reasons to justify under-performance?

As for as personally, it's not a bad thing, so if it comes up, and I feel like mentioning it, I will---nothing to be ashamed of.

Answer 3

I didn't. I'm not due on for another week, yet.

Anyways, it helps for the heavy bleeders, cos if they wait too long for a change of towel, it could get messy. Better to have a warning in place.

One of my old friends suffered this once. Now I know why my mom always said tampons are for smarter girls. Never leaked once in my life. No embarassments, except the one time the string broke and I had to go to ER.

Answer 4

I know how you feel! My mother felt it her duty to tell our family AT THE DINNER TABLE every time I started my period! Argh!

I used to chide her about having nothing more interesting in her life to talk about than my bodily functions!

Bodily functions are really a private matter as I see it.

Answer 5

I don't like it when some women do that. It makes me feel rather uncomfortable. It might be because I was raised in a family where bodily functions weren't discussed. Even to this day, I don't talk about my periods with anyone, including my husband. I have two daughters who don't discuss having their periods with me and I don't expect them to. It's not that menstruation is such a terrible thing. It's just something I would prefer keeping private.

Answer 6

I don't see a problem with telling close friends, but I do find it really weird & inappropriate when they announce it to others or loud enough for surrounding people to hear.

Answer 7

Why do some people feel it's so taboo? If you had a cold or the stomach flu would you feel reluctant to tell others? I don't announce anything about my health, but I don't see anything offensive about women openly discussing their own health issues. If she's in pain, maybe she wants sympathy. That's not so unusual.

Answer 8

I don't understand the need to discuss bodily functions. Maybe they just don't have much else in their lives worth noting. Right up there with someone telling you they have to pee.

Answer 9

The old say, misery likes company, they want sympathy OR they are not in a good mood, edgy, and want others to know why. Both are unacceptable as far as I am concerned. We all have it and go through it, some easy, some difficult, but it is what it is, part of life.

Answer 10

In the company of women if the subject comes up its concidered 'woman talk'.But otherwise its not typical.

Answer 11

I am a woman and I think it is disgusting when women have to talk about it, too.
It is just a normal body process, they make such a big deal out of it.
It is really no one elses business.
When did that change anyway, a few years ago people didn't talk about that stuff in public.