Regulating Menstruation. Beliefs, Practices, Interpretations

Historical and anthropological studies of the practices women use to affect their menses have largely failed to consider their perceptions of menstruation and their intentions over the course of time. Do women view their period as something negative-a "curse," or a failed conception-or as something to be celebrated because it signals either that they are not pregnant, or that they remain fecund ? This unique volume considers women's attitudes toward their menses and the ambiguities inherent in regulating them. Covering a wide range of topics from the impact of herbal substances to current views of reproduction and the Pill, this multidisciplinary work by historians, anthropologists, demographers, and health specialists sheds new light on the culture of reproduction.