"It shouldn't be an act of feminism to know how your body works," says gynecologist and author Jen Gunter. In this revelatory talk, she explains how menstrual shame silences and represses -- and leads to the spread of harmful misinformation and the mismanagement of pain. Declaring the era of the menstrual taboos over, she delivers a clear, much-needed lesson on the once-mysterious mechanics of the uterus.

Jen Gunter: Why can't we talk about periods?

Why can't we talk about periods?

Breaking menstrual taboos with knowledge empowers half the population, debunking myths of biological processes as 'dirty'.

Menstrual pain, compared to labor's second stage, isn't 'weakness' but a significant physical ordeal demanding respect and care.

Debunking myths: Menstruation isn't toxic; it's a natural, albeit complex, reproductive process crucial for human evolution.

*The Vagina Bible: The Vulva and the Vagina: Separating the Myth from the Medicine*

*The Menopause Manifesto: Own Your Health with Facts and Feminism*

*Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter*, a TED original podcast

science

social change

health

health care

biology

medicine

women

public health

society

feminism

human body

TED Stage Talk