“A magical little pill that will relieve you of your womanly issues”: What young women say about menstrual suppression

Abstract

Perceptions of menstruation by media discourses portray this bodily function to be messy, inconvenient, and as an unnecessary phenomenon to be controlled or possibly eliminated. Commercials shown on YouTube targeted toward young women suggest that having a monthly period is not healthy and a lifestyle that is menses free is both pharmacologically available and recommended in order to live a fuller life. We explored the meanings attached to online menstrual suppression commercials with 10 women aged between 18 and 25. In-depth open-ended interviews were conducted over a 10-month period in 2014 after each participant viewed three menstrual suppression online advertisements. Feminist critical discourse was used for analysis with both authors coding for inter-rater reliability recognizing how our age difference and relationship as mother and daughter informed our interpretation. An overarching theme of tension emerged from the interviews with participants feeling detached due to the gendered stereotypes the commercials used to frame menstruation as compared to their own lived experience. Meanings associated with the menstrual suppression commercials were contrary to the participants’ lived experience of menstruation as a healthy process not a detrimental one to their well-being as suggested by the commercials. Subliminal messages within the advertisements were identified as reinforcing gender bias and prejudices, including those associated with femininity. Despite attempting to emulate popular culture, the menstrual suppression advertisements were largely dismissed by this group of participants as undermining their intelligence and of intentionally creating divisive binaries between groups of women. This study suggests that historical bias and stereotypical prejudices were identified by this group of young women within the marketing of menstrual suppression products and, as such, were dismissed as inauthentic to the menstruation experience reflecting a form of menstrual activism.

Experiences of menstrual inequity and menstrual health among women and people who menstruate in the Barcelona area (Spain): a qualitative study

“…Barriers to address menstruation as a natural event for half of the population leads to experiences of stigma and shame, and compromises community participation, equity and free agency [ 19 , 20 ]. Stigma, shame, taboo and misconceptions around the menstrual cycle and menstruation are prevalent in many cultures [ 14 ].…”

“…Another consequence of prevailing MIs is the medicalization of the menstrual cycle and menstruation [ 24 , 25 ]. Hormonal contraception (HC), which generally stops a natural menstrual cycle and menstruation, is a common strategy to manage menstruation-related issues such as menstrual pain or even acne [ 20 , 26 ]. Women and PWM experiencing menstrual problems rarely attend healthcare services, partly as some menstrual health problems tend to be normalized and dismissed [ 22 , 27 , 28 ].…”

The Menstrual Cycle Phases Are Like 'Body Seasons'

“…Hormones used in contraceptives such as the pill or implants do not replace the natural hormones whose secretion they inhibit. More recently, suppressing the cycle has been proposed [16,17] as a means so women can have similar physiology to those of men and be able to compete for their professional careers.…”

Exploring feminist political economy and feminist critical discourse analysis as methodologies in critical nursing research

“…Feminist CDA research from various social science disciplines interrogates dominant gender norms, across various topic areas of interest to nursing, frequently violence (Azzopardi, 2022; Jovanovski & Tyler, 2018); body‐related functions (e.g., milk sharing [Carter et al, 2015]; menstruation suppression [McMillan & Jenkins, 2016]); or are critiques of health policies and texts (e.g., Burnett et al, 2015; Harkness & Cheyne, 2019). In nursing studies that use CDA with a gendered lens, some focus has been closely related to discursive matters at work.…”