on girls' matters

[sarea]

corianderstem posed a question in her LJ that got me reading this article about the origins of The Pill that are really, really fascinating. It's a long article, but goes quickly because it's so interesting.

I did, however, want to point out one particular passage:

All told, Dogon women menstruate about a hundred times in their lives. (Those who survive early childhood typically live into their seventh or eighth decade.) By contrast, the average for contemporary Western women is somewhere between three hundred and fifty and four hundred times.

*weeps* 350-400 times?! Compared to 100?! I hate Aunt Flo. I do not want to see her 400 times during the course of my life. Of course, Dogon women also give birth 8-9 times during a typical lifespan and spend the rest of their time breast feeding, which is probably not the trade off I want to make. Probably.

Also, msscribe, I love you dearly. I will try my darndest to have some fic ready to send to you. Please feel better soon. You're in my thoughts. (For those of you who may be friends with Dionne but who haven't seen Liss's post, go here.)

Comments

[jessryn.livejournal.com]

Wow, fabulous article. Thanks for pointing me toward it. Interesting look at the past and possible future of birth control(and cancer research). Very sad that the life of John Rock seemed to be so destroyed by his discovery.

[corianderstem.livejournal.com]

I find it best not to think of how much of our lives will be spent menstruating.

Egads, is this how I enter my 30s? By feeling vaguely nauseous two days in a row and then freaking out? *g*

[sydney-lynne.livejournal.com]

Yecch. For one day a month I literally can't do anything except lie down and hope the pain goes away. I don't think I'd trade 8-9 pregancies for fewer menstruations, however. I mean, that's 8-9X 9 consecutive months of misery. Ewwwww.

[akscully.livejournal.com]

That would be 72-81 months of pregnancy. Plus, you know, you actually have to raise the kids. If you have the kids, oh, let's say six months apart (six months from birth of one child to conception of the next (if you breast feed for longer period of time, it'll just extend everything out even more)), that's 39 years of non stop caring for children/teenagers. If you start at 21, you'll be 60 before all your kids are legally adults and you can kick them out of the house.

I'll take my period, man, even if it is every month. I like kids, but not that much.

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

Very sad that the life of John Rock seemed to be so destroyed by his discovery.

I know! That seems to happen a lot, actually. Another example is that of Charles Goodyear (http://www.goodyear.com/corporate/strange.html). Honestly, these penniless pioneers got us where we are today, and they had next to nothing to show for it -- not even gratitude. It's a lot like being a writer. HAHAHHAHAA, kidding.

I'm glad you read/enjoyed the article; I was completely riveted!

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

Okay, this may be TMI for anyone else who's reading -- *waves to potential audience of people who couldn't care less* -- but you're freaking me out again. A lot of people have menstrual pain throughout their period, or at least for several days; I've always been lucky in that if I have severe cramps, it's always on the first day. So yeah, one day every month, I'm completely useless. It sucks to be a girl. Even more so at work, when I'm like, "Yeah, I know I'm supposed to be paying attention in this meeting, but I'd rather lie down and die instead. That all right with you?" :p

On the rare occasions when I'm able to head it off with a couple of Aleve, it's all right. But if I've left it too long, it's just suffering on top of more suffering. Oh, woe is us the female gender.

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

Dude, you're assuming that you don't have a nanny to care for the squalling brats lovable sweethearts. And it's the breast feeding that helps suppress ovulation (for as many as 20 months, according to the article) so that it ends up being only 100 periods total.

Too much information for everyone!

[sydney-lynne.livejournal.com]

I've always been lucky in that if I have severe cramps, it's always on the first day. So yeah, one day every month, I'm completely useless. It sucks to be a girl. Even more so at work, when I'm like, "Yeah, I know I'm supposed to be paying attention in this meeting, but I'd rather lie down and die instead. That all right with you?" :p

*chimes in to agree with you once again*
It's always the first day that's the day of killer pain for me as well, all the blood just drains out of my face and I just want to lie down and die. I'm lucky in that being a graduate student I can go home when I'm at work and just lie in bed if I haven't passed out because there are no set hours. The other days are uncomfortable but fortunately not painful. I don't know if I'd rather be a guy though, it seems awfully gross to be a guy, plus they don't get to buy pretty clothes. :P

Re: Too much information for everyone!

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and they have that thing that they can't control half the time and the other half the time it just kind of flops around and has no place to go.

Re: Too much information for everyone!

[sydney-lynne.livejournal.com]

Hahaha. I wasn't going to say it. ;) It's so scary that you can read my mind.
<33333

[akscully.livejournal.com]

Heh. My cramps are always on the first day and they're just awful. After that though, the pain clears up and I'm okay, although highly irritable. Oh, no, wait. I'm like all the time.

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was gonna say.

[akscully.livejournal.com]

Then the time period is stretched out even longer. And with nine kids, do you think you can afford to hire a nanny? All I'm sayin' is that some (relatively) momentary discomfort is nothing compared to either going through nine pregnancies, bringing them to term and having to raise nine kids to not be pyschotics and be able to function properly in the world or going through nine pregnancies, possibly losing some and having to deal with six kids and severe emotional pain.

Cramps. They ain't that bad for me.

[akscully.livejournal.com]

:-L

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

Dude, in a world where I would have 9 kids, I'd also be a pureblood witch married to Draco Malfoy. And throw in a pony while you're at it. So yes, I think we'd have enough money. And each one of the pregnancies would be problem-free and precious, and they'd have names like Astral and Pierre. And with us as parents, they so won't be able to function properly in the world, but they'll have tons of money with which to assauge that pain.

[akscully.livejournal.com]

I've always wanted a pony.

Astral, huh? Yeah, no amount of money is going to make up for that pain. Why don't you name 'em Jackass One, Jackass Two, etc, etc and be done with it?

"Jackass Five, come here! Mummy needs her medicine!"

[fearthainn.livejournal.com]

*never gets cramps*

*smirks*

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

Oh, BIATCH.

[fearthainn.livejournal.com]

I do get a mild backache sometimes... *whistles innocently*

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

lol

[sevenfourteen.livejournal.com]

interesting...

man, I HATE periods. They suck ass.


*mwah*

~714