The Radical, Expansive Future of Period Technology

April 20, 2023

(Wired) – Chemical menstrual suppression, like hormonal contraception, represents the next step of what the historian Sharra Vostral calls “technologies of passing.” Menstrual management products were the first “technology of passing,” in that they allow a menstruating person to move through the world as though they are not menstruating. Tampons make it possible to wear bathing suits and go swimming; all forms of menstrual management products decrease the risk of bloodying clothes, furniture, and bedsheets. Menstrual suppression technologies are a logical next step in pharmaceutical executives’ quest to gain customers, but it also seems like a good idea to those looking to survive in hustle and productivity cultures that leave less and less room for experiences like menstruation, not to mention those for whom eliminating menstruation would help affirm their gender. While the acceptance of menstrual suppression technologies was initially quite low, acceptability has increased dramatically over the past several decades, in no small part due to the advertising of pharmaceutical companies and advocacy by vocal physicians. (Read More)