Welcome to your one stop shop for menstrual art, news, science, and more!

• All you hip ladies out there should check out these super cool 2011 Menstrual Lunar Calendar by Etsy crafter vivalacraft.
• Blogger Life as a Reader responds thoughtfully and personally to our post The Curse? Cultural Celebration of Menarche in her post Huge Myths About Women’s Bodies.
• See the commercial that started it all!  The word “period” said on air in this commercial for the first time by our friend, Courtney Cox.  Did anyone see this when it first aired?  Did you notice it was the first time you heard the word “period” on television?
• Read this sassy British review of the MoonCup, Investigative Journalism from the Fringes of Girl Culture #9827: Over the MoonCup, complete with awesome graphic (shown on right).
• Check out this awesome, unintentionally menstrual positive tattoo Norwegian footballer John Carew got on his neck.  This might have to be my next tattoo.
• Blogger Context and Variation posted a very interesting academic (but totally readable!) article titled Iron-deficiency is not something you get just for being a lady, which explores the relationship between anemia and menstruation.  Surprise!  They may not be as linked as you think.
• Look for the new Moon Cup packaging at your local store! It uses fewer materials and takes up even less space in shipping, reducing the cup’s eco-footprint even more.
• There are great tips in Social Media for the 28th Day: 9 Tech Tips for Easier Periods, but as you know DivaCup is not the only option. What is your favorite cup?  In your tweet, use the hashtag #28thday to voice your opinion and add your tips!

• Alternative menstrual products fan and all around cool blogger, RasingBoyChick, writes an in depth and thoughtful review of Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation.



• A student makes an amazing gingerbread and candy uterus model!  See photo to the right.  Learn more and see the the candy key here.
• Simply Healthful has a great Moon Cup review.
• Awesome blog post about the pros and cons of menstrual cups from Shuffled Pink. In summary: “Just do it, you big sissy.”
• Do women living close to each other sync up their periods? Our favorite podcast, @MomStuffPodcast explores in a recent podcast why many believe this and what science shows.
• Interesting article from Live Science on the most recent research on what happens to women during ovulation and how this may effect behavior.

Reviews and giveaways!

• Win organic pantyliners from Sacred Bee and read her review here!

• The Allergy Be Gone blog shares with us info on a New Study Finds that Early Menstruation Linked to Greater Asthma Risk.
• One of the the most interesting blogs on the internet, Sociological Images, reports on an artist’s installation on Re-Framing Menstruation through branding (see image to the right).
• Pfizer recalls ThermaCare HeatWraps Menstrual lot.  Check out our microwavable Herbal Comfort pacs instead!
• Check Mommy of 1 and Counting’s review of GladRags pads.

• “Menstruation Skateboards: some girls bleed more than once a month.”  An Austrian university student creates a fake skateboard brand that is both awesome and positively reframes menstruation.

• A new study links early menstruation to a greater risk of asthma.

• Save on GladRags in stores by requesting up to 10 coupons on GladRags.com.

• Enter to win a 3-pack of GladRags color day pads on Heather M’s blog, Mommy of 1 and Counting!

Here we are back from a bit of break to bring you the latest menstrual news, art, and more!

• In Which I Discuss Periods in which one mother/blogger shares her thoughts on the Keeper Cup.
• Interesting take on the attractive male type of advertising campaign– Disposable pad ads featuring shirtless dudes: creepy?  funny?  condescending?  What do you
• Great blog, EmpowHER explores the menstrual cup in this article.
• Easy to read, Fast Facts about alternative menstrual products.  Informative and fun, especially designed for teens!
• GladRags was featured in the Better World Shopping Guide and we got an A! Their highest grade!
• Green Your Period: Menstrual Cup Replaces Disposable Tampons gives some well deserved love to the Lunette Cup.
• On the nature of writing The fantastic, the mundane, and menstruation.
• The new Chinook Books are out!  They have tons of great coupons along with an awesome one from GladRags.  So if you live in the Bay Area, Boulder/Denver, Portland, Seattle, or the Twin Cities pick one up today!

If your day is as busy as ours has been, take a quick time-out for this week’s Menstrual Monday.  We have a good mix of funny and informative links this week, so grab your coffee, make sure your boss isn’t looking, and take a minute to see what’s new in the world of menstruation!

•  EmpowHER explores the menstrual cup.

• Stayfree uses shirtless dudes to sell menstrual pad in their new viral marketing campaign.  Reactions are mixed: creepy? condescending? or totally hilarious?  You decide!

• Blogger/mom Katy considers the Keeper after having her first period in two years.

• I’m always amazed at the sheer quantity of information at the Museum of Menstruation website.  Today I stumbled across this piece about how women dealt with menstruation before the 19th century.  Interesting stuff!

• Green Upgrader sings some praises in Reusable Menstrual Products Help Reduce Waste, Save Money.

• A study finds that the presence of older brothers delays menstruation in girls.  Learn more about why they think that is and how it relates to sexual activity here.

• I’ve always wondered What Causes Digestive Issues During Menstrual Periods.  And now I know!
• Ashley at Domestic Chaos reviews cloth pads and the Instead and rates them according to effectiveness and comfort.
• A new study finds a link between stress and worse PMS symptoms.
• Life on Health brings us many reasons to start using menstrual cups in Wondering How To Forget About Menstrual Pains & Discomfort Of Constant Tampon Or Pad Changing? Menstrual Cups!
• Check out this laughable recent ad for douching How to Ask for a Raise: First, Wash Your Vagina.  If only we could all feel comfortable with our own bodies silly shaming ads like this would not be a problem!
• Reasons to use a menstrual cup, let blogger Delta S count the ways.

About GladRags:

• Thanks to everyone who donated to our campaign for an orphanage in Nepal!  Learn more about the orphanage and our donation campaign here.
• You can see the TigerMama crew sporting their new GladRags pins in the picture to the right! Want one of your own? Sign up to be a GladRags Guerrilla!

• Just in case you’d forgotten why you love your GladRags (or need a link to pass on to a friend!), Green Upgrader has a great post called “Reusable Menstrual Products Help You Reduce Waste, Save Money.”

• MSNBC shared a brief but intriguing article about the effect of having brothers on a woman’s reproductive development.

• Ever wonder why your digestive system seems to get a little wonky around your peroid?  Dr. Sugar explains it all for you in this Q & A post.

• Ashley reviews cloth pads and the Instead cup, and rates them according to comfort and effectiveness.  Find out which method she likes best at Domestic Chaos!

• We recently learned about the Sierra Club’s Beyond Oil House Parties from a GladRags user who hosted one at her home in Minnesota and contacted us for materials and coupons to share with her guests.  Stacy wrote, “This event is fun learning opportunity to inspire simple and eco-friendly lifestyle changes that will make a difference for our Earth.”  And of course, using GladRags is one of those easy changes that can help reduce our dependence on oil!  Check out Stacy’s pictures from her party (below) and let us know if you host an event of your own.

Just to shake things up we are going to bring to a back-to-school rave review from one of our happy customers on sharing the joys of reusables with her daughter.

6 years later and I still couldn’t be happier using cloth pads. In fact, my daughter couldn’t be happier. Well–maybe—I just got her a beautiful Green Lunette cup for her 18th Bday!!! She has been using cloth from day 1 of her period—and I would hate to see her leave home and feel the need to switch to disposables or –gasp—tampons because of laundry issues etc. So I am giving her the gift of a lovely green cup to help her along with her ‘green’ and reusable future Gladrags were my very first purchase for myself and my daughter–and I am happy to order again! -K.B.

• Evangelizing about the Menstrual Cup from “Let Me See,” a Christian Feminist blog.  Learn why she loves menstrual cups!
  
• Elephant Journal has a great piece informing and advising you on how to Get Back on the Rag (see photo).
• Don’t forget!  Shop GladRags.com for free shipping on all domestic orders until next Friday (8/6/10).
• Also ending next Friday is your chance to win the Uterine Health Companion book!  Read our review and enter the contest here.