do women really need their periods?

when the technology is ready but the culture is not

Estimated time: 18 minutes

Menstruation is not a women’s issue; it’s a societal issue.

- Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, author and activist

NSFW warning: this post contains some graphic images.

Ah, the joys of menstruation—a time when about half the population gets to enjoy the monthly spectacle of cramps, bloating, and mood swings, all while society pretends it’s some delicate secret.

You’d think that by now, with all our technological advancements, we could have moved past the awkwardness and outdated taboos, but no. We’re still stuck watching tampon commercials with baffling blue liquids and hearing whispers about “that time of the month,” as though menstruation is something shameful rather than a normal bodily function.

Periods are messy, uncomfortable, and downright expensive. Between the “luxury” pricing of menstrual products (because, of course, bleeding once a month should come with a tax) and the general inconvenience of it all, it’s no wonder so many people are frustrated.

And if you thought that was bad, imagine not even having access to basic necessities like clean water or a private bathroom. In some parts of the world, managing menstruation is a daily struggle for survival, while in others, it’s an inconvenience brushed under the rug.

But: what if we could just opt out? With modern hormonal birth control, that’s becoming an increasingly viable option. Doctors today can offer amenorrhea (the absence of periods) as an elective process. No more stocking up on tampons, no more iron deficiency, and certainly no more worrying about bleeding through your favorite pair of pants during an important meeting. Sounds like a dream, right?

That leads us to the big question:

should we stop periods altogether?

With the rise of hormonal contraceptives that can safely reduce or eliminate menstrual cycles, the debate is heating up. Some argue that if you can skip the whole ordeal, why wouldn’t you? Others believe periods hold some intrinsic value—both in terms of health and the symbolism of womanhood.

So, is menstruation an outdated biological burden that we’re ready to move past, or is it still a vital part of our experience?

1. periods are painful, expensive, and unnecessary

Amenorrhea—the abnormal absence of periods—has been historically tangled up with all sorts of doom and gloom.

In Ancient Rome, the naturalist Pliny the Elder warned that menstruating women had the power to sour wine, blunt the edge of steel, and cause crops to wither simply by walking past them. He also claimed that menstrual blood could drive dogs mad and cause bees to abandon their hives.

Pliny the Elder: history's first male menstrual myth-maker (and probably wine ruiner)

Fast forward to the Middle Ages, where menstruation was viewed as a form of divine punishment. According to Christian theologians, women bled monthly as a consequence of Eve’s original sin. Some medieval physicians went as far as to suggest that a woman’s period was a way for her body to expel evil humors and toxins.

By the Victorian era, menstruation was seen as a dangerous, debilitating condition. Women were often advised to rest in bed during their periods, avoiding any physical or intellectual exertion, lest they damage their fragile bodies or “overheat” their reproductive system. Even basic education for young girls was thought to be too taxing during menstruation, which, naturally, threatened their future fertility.

And as recently as the early 20th century, menstruation was still being blamed for all sorts of female behaviors. In the 1920s, Sigmund Freud’s theory of "hysteria" was applied to menstruation, with the belief that a woman's reproductive cycle was a source of mental instability. Anything from irritability to outright mental illness could be explained away by the supposed emotional volatility brought on by menstruation.

Fast forward to modern times, and while we’ve shed the religious and superstitious narratives, menstruation remains a painful and financially taxing experience for countless women around the world. The medical explanation for period pain, or dysmenorrhea, isn’t as comforting as you might think.

For all my fellow men out there, here’s how period period:

“Imagine the worst muscle cramp you've ever had—like the kind that seizes your leg during a workout or wakes you up in the middle of the night. Now, take that sharp, twisting pain and move it to your lower abdomen. But instead of it lasting for a few seconds or minutes, picture it happening on and off for hours, sometimes days. It’s as if someone’s repeatedly squeezing your insides like a stress ball.”

- my friend

The intense cramping that many women endure is caused by the release of prostaglandins, hormone-like chemicals that trigger the uterine muscles to contract. For some, these contractions are mild. For others, it’s as if their uterus has decided to turn into a medieval torture device.

In severe cases, women experience nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and debilitating pain that can last for days. This isn’t just a monthly annoyance; it’s a condition that can severely disrupt daily life, with some women missing work or school during their period.

In fact, dysmenorrhea is so common that it affects roughly 80% of menstruating women at some point in their lives, with about 10% experiencing pain so severe it’s classified as incapacitating. And yet, despite this widespread suffering, period pain is often downplayed or dismissed by healthcare providers. Women are frequently told that cramps are “normal” and just something they have to endure—another subtle reminder of the historical baggage that still lingers around menstruation.

But it’s not just the physical pain that’s draining; menstruation comes with a hefty price tag. On average, women spend between $150 and $300 per year on period-related products—pads, tampons, menstrual cups, pantyliners, heating pads, pain relievers, and sometimes new clothing or bedding to replace items stained by unexpected leaks. Over a lifetime, this adds up to thousands of dollars.

In fact, one study estimated that women in the U.S. can spend upwards of $6,000 on menstrual hygiene products throughout their reproductive years. And this doesn’t even account for the hidden costs: higher prices on women’s pain relief products and menstrual-related healthcare visits.

Adding insult to injury, in many countries, period products are subject to a “luxury tax.” That’s right—items like tampons and pads, which are essential for basic hygiene, are often taxed as non-essential goods, as if menstruating women have a choice in the matter.

Meanwhile, products like Viagra or Rogaine, often marketed to men, are not taxed in the same way. The so-called “pink tax” is a glaring example of gender-based economic inequality, one that menstruating individuals are forced to pay simply because they were born with a uterus.

The Tampon Book: A creative protest against unfair tax on female hygiene products, packaging tampons like a book to highlight gender inequality in taxation.

Beyond the financial burden, the issue of period poverty further highlights the inequality surrounding menstruation.

In low-income regions around the world, access to basic menstrual hygiene products is a privilege, not a right. Many girls and women are forced to rely on unsanitary alternatives like rags, newspapers, or even dirt during their periods. As a result, menstruating girls in some developing countries miss several days of school each month, putting their education—and ultimately their futures—at risk.

In some cases, the stigma around menstruation is so strong that girls are entirely excluded from their communities during their period, further marginalizing them and perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality. In many parts of India, menstruating women are restricted from participating in daily activities, including cooking, touching food, or entering places of worship. Girls may also miss school due to the lack of proper menstrual products, causing them to fall behind academically.

During menstruation, a lot of girls are not allowed to enter the kitchen - Plan India

Even in high-income countries, period poverty is a serious issue. In the UK, one in ten girls can’t afford menstrual products, and in the U.S., many low-income women face the impossible choice between buying food for their families or purchasing tampons. For those who are homeless or incarcerated, access to period products is often extremely limited, further compounding the indignity and discomfort of an already challenging experience.

Yes, menstruation, which was once the bane of medical professionals' existence, is now an elective process.

2. why to choose to opt out of period

Contrary to popular belief, there's no biological need for periods unless you're gearing up to conceive. Think of it like a bird building a nest—the body prepares for pregnancy by thickening the uterine lining, but hormonal birth control, in its modern wisdom, simply says, "Nah, let's skip the nesting." This keeps the lining from ever forming, and in turn, keeps periods at bay.

Many of the 4 billion random people using birth control methods like the pill, IUDs, implants, patches, or rings notice a change in their periods, often seeing them lighten or disappear altogether.

Liletta IUD - Liletta

Take the Liletta IUD, for example: after six years, over 40% of users stopped menstruating entirely. Meanwhile, nearly 70% of those who use the Depo-Provera shot for two years will become period-free. For pill, patch, or ring users, you can safely bypass your "scheduled bleeding" with little more than a shrug.

However, choosing birth control just to make periods vanish altogether is a different game, and plenty of reasons exist for wanting to pull the plug on Aunt Flo.

As stated, menstruation is not exactly a budget-friendly event. "Feminine products" rack up costs in the thousands over a lifetime, and as of 2024, several countries still apply a tampon tax on these "luxury items." Because yes, apparently, tampons are right up there with champagne and caviar.

One study found that nearly two-thirds of low-income women in St. Louis couldn't afford menstrual-hygiene products during the prior year—an unfortunate reminder that access to periods is also an issue of privilege.

There are medical reasons for opting out, too. Amenorrhea can be essential for those born without an intact uterus, or those dealing with heavy, painful periods, a problem that impacts about 20% of women. For those with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which affects 6 to 12% of reproductive-age women, skipping periods can help alleviate symptoms. Or perhaps, in these post-pandemic times, some people have simply decided periods are just one more burden to eliminate.

For many, periods aren't just a monthly inconvenience; they're an outright medical complication. And for more than a decade, associations of obstetricians and gynecologists have confirmed it's perfectly safe to reduce or eliminate menstruation with hormonal birth control. The trickier part is finding out how many people are actually doing it.

A 2013 survey of over 4,000 women in the Americas and Europe found that about a third knew it was possible to reduce menstrual bleeding with birth control, and roughly 10% had tried it.

A 2016 study of 400 Iranian Muslim women making the pilgrimage to Mecca revealed that nearly all had taken birth-control pills to stop their periods, and three-quarters were successful.

Dr. Sophia Yen envisions a future where this knowledge is widespread, and menstruation becomes truly elective. In Yen's ideal world, people would only have about 28 periods over their lifetime—far fewer than the hundreds typically experienced today.

Once your periods are established, we can turn them off.

- Dr. Sophia Yen.

Yen, who also co-founded Pandia Health, a birth-control delivery company, is on a crusade to bring menstruation to an early retirement.

It’s easy to see why she’s so enthusiastic: people who menstruate will spend an average of 2,300 days of their lives bleeding. Imagine what they could do with all that extra time. Yen sees a world where fewer people suffer from iron deficiency (since women experience it at significantly higher rates than men) and where landfills are no longer clogged with discarded plastic tampon applicators.

As a mother of two daughters, one of whom has already started menstruating, Yen is determined to level the playing field between girls and boys. Without periods, her daughters wouldn't have to miss days of school, suffer through cramps during swim meets, or deal with any of the other headaches that come with having a uterus. "I want them to be competitive against those who don’t have uteruses," Yen says. "Teenage years are already tough enough—why suffer unnecessarily if I can prevent it?"

Yen's vision, in many ways, is one of liberation: making menstruation an optional inconvenience, not a biological requirement. Whether the world is ready to jump on board remains to be seen, but one thing’s clear: the future of periods may be far less bloody.

---

3. a period-free future remains a radical idea.

But despite all the messiness, pain, and expense that come with menstruation, some folks are still hesitant to ditch it. Periods, for better or worse, are wrapped up in cultural and personal significance. They’re a badge of adulthood, a reminder of fertility (or lack thereof), and an enduring feature of life for many. So while Yen envisions a glorious future where periods are as optional as Wi-Fi at a fancy hotel, it seems that for some, letting go of this ancient monthly ritual is a bit more complicated.

A period-free future might sound like the stuff of futuristic novels, but in reality, it’s already here—just not without some strong opinions.

For some, the idea of never dealing with the monthly visitor again is a dream come true. For others, menstruation isn’t just a biological event; it’s a vital sign, a reassurance that everything is ticking along as it should. After all, who wouldn’t want a monthly reminder from their body that all systems are good?

For instance, those recovering from conditions like eating disorders. For them, the return of their period is a sign of victory—a signal that their body is recovering. According to *The Journal of Adolescent Health*, the resumption of menstruation is a key indicator of restored health in these cases, showing that the body is regaining balance after periods (no pun intended) of stress or malnutrition. It’s a victory lap of sorts.

But let’s not forget the science that says periods don’t have to be a non-negotiable part of life. Research from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has confirmed that using hormonal contraceptives to skip periods is not only safe but perfectly fine for most women. In fact, that standard 28-day cycle most birth control pills follow? It was designed for social reasons, not medical necessity. Yes, the whole point was to mimic the “natural” cycle, not because your body was begging for a week off.

Yet, despite the science, some people still find the idea of skipping periods a bit… unnatural.

A study published in Contraception showed that many women were hesitant to embrace menstrual suppression, describing it as “weird” or “unhealthy.” And it’s not just vague unease; there are genuine concerns about fertility, bone density, and, believe it or not, the fear that the body might secretly accumulate "trapped blood" without a monthly release. No, seriously, that’s a thing. And while there’s no scientific evidence to back it up, myths like this persist.

For many, it boils down to a deeply ingrained cultural belief. A 2016 study in BMC Women’s Health found that some women view menstruation as an essential part of their femininity and health. When society spends years teaching you that your period is not just a bodily function but also a rite of passage—a badge of womanhood—giving it up feels less like a medical decision and more like a departure from identity.

After all, the first period is practically celebrated with a “welcome to the club” party, complete with awkward talks and a well-meaning relative offering unsolicited advice. “You’re becoming a woman," your mother says.

Knowledge, Attitude and Socio-cultural Beliefs of Adolescent Girls towards Menstruation - Anju Kapoor, Smriti Khari

Doctors, however, are working hard to dispel the myths. Dr. Sophia Yen, a vocal advocate for menstrual suppression, is one of many experts pointing out that “there’s no medical reason to have a period if you don’t want one.” She, along with others, argues that while periods are a natural part of reproductive health, they are far from essential. In fact, they’re kind of optional. Go figure.

But it's not all about science; it's also about society’s complicated relationship with menstruation. For centuries, periods have symbolized health, fertility, and femininity. That kind of cultural baggage doesn’t just disappear overnight. Opting out of menstruation feels, for some, like opting out of an entire history of womanhood.

So, while the idea of a period-free future may be backed by science, it’s clear that for many, the thought of giving up their monthly cycle is still a hard sell. Maybe it’s the fear of straying from what’s considered “normal,” or maybe it’s just the comfort of knowing that everything’s running on schedule.

In the end, as science and medicine continue to advance, we might very well be standing at the threshold of the "End of Periods" era. But whether it’s welcomed with open arms or reluctant skepticism, one thing’s for sure: the humble period is no longer the untouchable biological process it once was. Whether it’s on or off? Well, that’s becoming a personal choice.

4. readily available tools for better periods

At your local drugstore, "FeMiNiNe PrOdUcTs" is the euphemism of choice for pads and tampons—though that same aisle is filled with a host of other feminine-coded essentials, from razors to makeup to shampoos, all designed to help women look “feminine.” This branding reinforces the idea that menstruation, and anything else deemed "unfeminine," must be hidden. Body hair, sweat, and periods? All to be managed, masked, and made invisible.

Of course, this focus on femininity completely disregards trans men who menstruate, but let's not get too nuanced. The point is that while periods are often framed as a hallmark of womanhood, society simultaneously pressures people to keep them as discreet as possible. It's no surprise, then, that some have turned to completely eliminating their periods for convenience.

Periods, with all their pain and mess, are considered a vital part of female identity, but that doesn't mean they're easy to deal with. There are also social pressures to keep them invisible on account of them being “gross”. So there are some who find eliminating periods altogether to be their best option.

According to Dr. Alyssa Dweck, assistant clinical professor of OB/GYN at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, “There is no medical reason why a woman has to menstruate every month.” In other words, skipping periods isn’t going to ruin your body. In fact, for many women, particularly those with severe cramps, migraines, or endometriosis, eliminating periods can be life-changing. Dr. Paula Thompson agrees, noting that many women, not just those with medical conditions, simply don’t want to have periods anymore—and that’s perfectly fine, with no short- or long-term harm.

Before at-home pregnancy tests, women may have clung to their periods as a monthly reminder that they weren’t pregnant. In designing the birth control pill, developers found that women wanted a "reassurance period" to mimic a natural cycle. However, as Dr. James Segars from Johns Hopkins explains, the period experienced on the pill is purely pharmacologic and has no real biological function.

So, the pill gave women control not just over their fertility but over their periods as well. For those with heavy bleeding or irregular cycles, the pill was a game-changer. And then came the IUDs, like the popular Mirena, which not only prevent pregnancy but often reduce or eliminate periods altogether.

A study in The New England Journal of Medicine found that hormone-releasing IUDs actually improved health outcomes for women with heavy bleeding compared to traditional birth control pills.

With methods like these, women are finding ways to "tweak the system" and ditch periods entirely, without worrying about mysterious uterine "build-up" (don’t worry, that’s more likely to happen if you aren’t on hormones).

Despite these advancements, there are still those who question whether skipping periods is "natural." But as Dr. Thompson points out, not having a period while on hormonal contraception doesn’t lead to the dangerous buildup many fear. Instead, the real risk comes from not managing the uterine lining, which, left unchecked, can become precancerous.

Much of the conversation around period elimination is focused on women who have debilitating periods. But there are those, too, who are simply inconvenienced by their periods and would rather not have them.

A Midol slogan famously said, “Because your period's more than a pain.” This is true not only for women who just don’t want the burden of buying tampons and avoiding wearing white.

Then there are the shift workers who can’t always escape to the restroom, women in male-dominated fields who hide their hygiene products to avoid alienation, and mothers juggling unpredictable schedules. For them, eliminating periods isn't just about convenience—it’s about survival.

"Having a monthly period is reassuring but certainly not necessary,” says Dr. James Segars. And when it comes to long-term, reversible contraceptives, the failure rate is so low that the real benefit isn't just freedom from periods—it’s effective pregnancy prevention. These methods, like injections or devices, bypass the common pitfalls of daily hormone pills, leaving less room for human error and providing a more reliable solution.

The bonus? No more periods. For many women, skipping the monthly ordeal means saving time, money, pain, and stress—all with no known medical downsides. And should they ever decide they miss their cycle, simply removing the IUD or implant brings periods back into the picture, as easy as that.

But despite the convenience of opting out, periods continue to be framed as an inevitable part of womanhood—one that must be both endured and hidden. This pressure to keep menstruation discreet has, unsurprisingly, sparked a counter-movement that celebrates periods as something sacred. Cycle Harmony’s Chief Harmony Officer, Jing Jin, suggests ways to "honor" the menstrual cycle: paint, write, dance, and connect with your “radiant goddess.” And if that’s your vibe, more power to you.

However, in championing women’s choices, I’ll pass on dictating how one should experience their period. If someone feels like a radiant goddess when they're “united in blood,” then more power to them—but for those who’d prefer to skip the monthly mess, the option is there, with no shame attached.

---

It’s interesting how periods, a natural biological process, can spark so many conversations, especially when they shouldn't be anyone else's concern. The reality is that each individual has the right to decide what works best for their body—whether that means embracing their monthly cycle or choosing to skip it.

Some feel more in tune with themselves through their periods, while others find it unnecessary or inconvenient. Both perspectives are valid. What matters is that the choice comes without judgment—no cultural pressure, no whispers of doubt. It's time to shift the conversation away from what’s considered “natural” or “normal” and toward supporting personal decisions that prioritize well-being.

Ultimately, it's not about whether the period stays or goes, but whether there’s space for making that choice without guilt or shame.

Scientific backing might not decide for you what to do, but so should outdated narratives. The decision should be about what’s right for each person.