Hope

While menstruation can be an annoying and uncomfortable time for women around the world, for some women, the lack of access to things that we take for granted, such as tampons and pain relievers, can make their periods a huge obstacle when attempting to live their lives and survive.

This is actually merely one of the issues brought up in an interview with Michealene Cristini Risley, director of Tapestries of Hope, a documentary about the (often young) female victims of rape by HIV Positive men in Zimbabwe who are seeking the "virgin cure".

You can read the interview here: Tapestries of Hope: Director Michealene Cristini Risley on the Tenacity and Optimism of Zimbabwe’s Rape Survivors

In honor of New Moon

Warning: Even I was a bit grossed out by this.

Twilight Cycles from Brandon Routh

Symptom #2

You might have PMS if just thinking about dealing with customer service makes you want to cry.

Breathe

Good news for those who have asthma and don't want to have kids right now: 'The Pill' May Reduce Asthma Symptoms.

For the (figurative) kid in you

A little Disney:

A little musical animation:

Early Menstruation and Breast Cancer

It seems that all signs point to early menstruation being bad, which is unfortunate since the average age of menstruation is getting younger.

"For young women who have breast cancer, it could be because they started their menstruation at nine or ten years of age," said Senior Staff Nurse at the Community Health Nursing cum Chairperson of Breast Cancer Support Group (BCSG) Hjh Jaliha Hj Momin, in an exclusive interview with The Brunei Times.
-from Early puberty adds to breast cancer risk

Ramadan and Menstruation

Not being Muslim, I know very little about Ramadan, save for the basics of the fasting. Here are a couple of interesting links about the Muslim holiday and women:

• The responsibilities of women and fasting during Ramadan
• Women Taking Pills to Stop Menses during Ramadan