Menstruation here although you might know me by one of my nicknames such as your period,
that time of the month, Aunt Flow, who's she? Me. The Curse although that one hurts a little
bit. Your monthly gift and that reason why all your white pants are ruined. Sorry about that.
The 28-day menstrual cycle rule is not a rule at all. It is simply an average. The length
of a woman's menstrual cycle can vary due to a number of factors including diet, exercise
and stress levels. Ever hear the one about you can't get pregnant if you have sex when
I'm in the bedroom? Ha, ha, false. Your period and ovulation can overlap. Sperm can survive
in the reproductive tract for up to five days. That sperm and that egg, oh they can meet
alright and then guess what? Oopsi-baby. Have you and your best friend ever flipped-out
over the fact that you've synced up periods? The so-called McClintock Effect which is the
name given to this idea of menstrual synchronicity was in fact debunked by a 2006 study which
tracked Chinese students in a dorm for a year. While some students did randomly sync up periods
from time to time there was no statistically significant pattern. If you and your bffs
start having your periods at the same time, well, that's just friendship magic which is
a lot stronger than science. If a lady takes me to the beach, she is not and I repeat not
at greater risk of being attacked by a shark. According to Florida State University Ichthyologist,
that's a fancy word for a shark doctor, George H. Burriss the only way to scientifically
prove this is to put menstruating and non-menstruating women in a tank with a bunch of sharks and
see who they attack. And they're probably not ever gonna get any volunteers for that
study. Speaking of safety I am no longer an excuse for not going camping or hiking due
to fear of bear attacks. A recent study out of the National Park Service debunked the
myth that women on their periods attract bears. This idea started in the late 1960s after
a couple of women were attacked by grizzly bears in Glacier National Park and some people
thought, 'Huh. Maybe those ladies were on their period.' But it turns out there is not
scientific validity to that whatsoever. Ah-wooooo. Even though we call it the moon-cycle your
period has nothing to do with the phases of the moon. This myth has been around since
the 18th century but check it folks. The lunar phase is precisely 29.5 days long which does
not account for all that variation from woman to woman in the length of our menstrual cycles.
Using tampons does not mean you lose your virginity or break your hymen. The hymen is
something that cannot actually be broken. It's a ring of tissue called the vaginal corona
which already has an opening in it that allows menstrual fluids to exit your body. Due to
the presence of well, blood, some people think women and girls should rest up and avoid exercise
when I come around. You only lose about 4 tablespoons of blood and tissue during your
period and exercise is good for you. A more recent study out of the University of Birmingham
debunked the idea that exercise can cure all of the discomforting symptoms that come along
with periods, it's still perfectly fine to exercise when I come around for a week. One
final myth that needs debunking and that is that periods make women go crazy. Even though
roughly 75% of women report some kind of pre-menstrual symptom such as bloating, fatigue, breast
tenderness, acne or moodiness, a more recent study out of the University of Toronto analyzed
41 different studies looking at menstruation and mood and found no relationship between
getting your period and being crazy irrational as we often stereotype women on their periods
to be. Now I'm going to go but don't worry I'll be back in like 20-25 days. Of myth-busting.
Myth-bus-that didn't have the desired effect. That uh person has 12 babies now. For them
to make a baby-ahhhhh! Make room for a baby, dadadadadah. You ever hear the one-[cough].
Iiiiiiit's not true. Shatatatadadadah. Ah-wooo. Ah-woooooo. Anthropomorphic period. Who says
a period can't talk? Who says a period can't walk? Here I am I'm your period friend, doing
a little myth-busting here's the end.