Men Experience Menstruation For The First Time, Bleed Everywhere

Approximately half of the world’s population experiences periods, while for the other half, menstruation remains a mystery enshrouded by the vague knowledge that "that time of the month" simply is not a happy one. So, to enlighten a few cis men, Buzzfeed has granted them the opportunity to experience a period. Sort of.

Using a homemade “blood” recipe and a dripping tube filled with the faux blood, the three men were given pads, which they ever-so tentatively strapped to their briefs. And so began the trickle of blood over the course of a short, three-day menstrual cycle.

The main difficulty that the participants faced in this experiment was the overflow of blood into their underwear and onto their garments. Granted, every person who has experienced a period, over the course of many cycles, eventually comes to an understanding of their flow so that they may avoid such accidents. But when you’re having a period for the first time, it’s understandable that you’ll end up with a few “blood” stains.

Their major takeaway? The participants realized that tampons and pads are a necessity, not a privilege, and that bleeding is just one aspect of having a period. “I’m not dealing with hormone stuff. I’m not dealing with cramps, or bloating, or anything,” one participant realized. While this experiment may not have fully dived into the monthly struggle of menstuation, at the very least, it at least showed a few guys that the struggle is indeed very real.

(via Cosmopolitan)