menstruation

Bloody hell, it's about time! Always has an ad for its ultra thin pads that features a teeny tiny dot of red blood (no carefree girl in white in sight), and it may be one of the first instances a US feminine hygiene ad has dared to reference real blood, much less show it.

Despite being about periods, tampon and maxi pad advertisements have a long history of pussy-footing around the realities of menstruation with euphemisms, metaphors, and that infamous blue liquid. The closest we've seen to a blood reference are the o.b. and Tampax ads above that use vampires and sharks to get their point across.

Is this a step in the right direction? Do you think we'll ever get to a point when a woman's period and her body are talked about openly and honestly?

I can deal with synced periods among a few friends, but the more research produced about the effect brothers and fathers have on girls, the less I want to know. From brothers delaying first periods and sexual experiences to women avoiding their fathers while ovulating, it's all fascinating but disturbing. And, since we can't really change it, what is it good for?

While some of the influence can be chalked up to environment, research is beginning to sniff out another, more plausible culprit: pheromones. Yes, unshowered brothers and biological fathers everywhere are sweating out cues that inhibit female sexual development. It even has a name: "sweat-stifles-sexuality theory." To explain why it's an evolutionary necessity, I'll let sex and science writer Jena Pincott of Science of Sex, Love, and Babies talk.

"Over the years, a girl would inhale chemical cues in fraternal sweat — think of all those sock and armpit odors. Those chemicals would hit the hypothalamus of her brain where sex hormones are produced, and slow down the works. Puberty strikes a little later. Evolutionarily speaking, the result is that a girl could stay in the family nest longer without conflict. The risk of incest is reduced."

Ugh, wake me up in 1,000 years when evolution has rendered biological incest blockers irrelevant.

"In 2010 women became the majority in the workforce," is how the above video opens. I expected the next sentence to discuss the wage gap or how men still rule boardrooms, but instead the voice-over says: "Still it's difficult to talk about menstruation."

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, since the video is part of an initiative by feminine hygiene brand SCA trying to make menstruation less taboo. The company conducted a study that found most women experience social discomfort while on their period. To combat that, SCA wants women and men to talk about menstruation during a 28-day period starting today, International Women's Day. If you start seeing "Period." show up in your Facebook feed, you'll know it's working.

Last year, a tampon-ad-meets-social-experiment from Kotex demonstrated a man's inability to calmly confront the idea of menstruation. A young woman stood outside a drug store, asking men to run inside and buy her tampons. If most men are like the one guy who said, "Can I get you toilet paper?" I have a feeling it will be tough to get many to talk about a woman's period openly. But maybe that just shows how much we need an awareness campaign like the one from SCA. Will you try to break down the taboo surrounding menstruation, or do you it's think a topic better suited for private conversation?

This is what happens when people have too much money! A British millionaire is offering £100,000 (about $162,000) to the person with his favorite money-winning idea. Despite 160 entries, somehow Karl Dorn has made it to the top 10 with Help For Husbands, a Livestrong-like bracelet meets mood ring that changes color to warn men when to stay away.

"Through my research I've found out that women's body temperatures increase at certain times of the month," Karl said. "This little wristband would be temperature sensitive and change color." He seems to think "certain times of the month" are PMS, when women are supposedly extra emotional, but it's actually when women ovulate. You know when we dress extra sexy and want sex the most? And why shame a woman with a scarlet bracelet when there are apps and websites for tracking periods.

So if this wasn't senseless enough, the best part is this "invention" is anything but novel. A company in Norway makes women wear red bracelets when they have their periods, which we found absurd enough to make the headline a top question on a Real or Fake quiz. At least they're using the bracelets at the right time of the month.

First there was the Brawny man. Then the Old Spice guy. And now Stayfree wants to bring the Stayfree stud into the public consciousness. In the company's new viral ads, good-looking men (I hope they paid the actors well) invite you into their bachelor pads with hopes of selling you maxi pads.

Brad, Trevor, and Ryan (see above) love Stayfree maxi pads so much that they'll demonstrate how well they work using the blue Kool-Aid liquid and all. Thanks, but no thanks. I want a man who's mature enough to buy me tampons, but there is nothing romantic about feminine products.

Welcome to Hump Day, TrèsSugar's sex advice column. If you have questions about sex, send them to TrèsSugar, and our friend Dr. Charlie Glickman from Good Vibrations will offer his sound advice!

Today's question: I find myself wanting sex more when I’m menstruating. Is that normal? And how do I avoid potentially making my partner feel turned off?

To see Dr. Glickman's advice read more.

Stress. Rather than being a symptom of PMS, stress actually causes it, according to a set of researchers. They found that women who register high on a stress scale are much more likely to experience anger, anxiety, depression, mood swings, trouble concentrating, and other signs of PMS. And if a woman's stress scores went down in a month, the signs of PMS would decrease in her next cycle.

Considering the fact that 75 percent of women experience mild to moderate PMS, I'd bet most of us have too much stress in our lives. Linking the two means that we can treat PMS the same way we treat stress: with exercise, other lifestyle changes, and maybe a day in our PJs watching mindless reality TV.

Source: Flickr User Helga Weber

DrSugar is in the house! And she's answering your health-related questions.

Dear DrSugar,
I am wondering why my digestion goes haywire during my menstrual period. I always keep my diet clean and exercise daily but I can't seem to combat the gas, diarrhea, constipation and constant gurgly noises coming from my gut! What could this be and how can I stop it?
— Too Much Fun Below the Belt

Oh, what fun menstruation is! It’s our monthly reminder that we are capable of reproducing, which is a beautiful thing! But, unfortunately, it brings with it some not-so-fun symptoms, including the ones you’ve listed: gas/bloating, diarrhea, and constipation. The most straightforward answer for your question is that these symptoms you have are due to hormones and chemicals!

For a more in-depth explanation, keep on reading.