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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/26/health/womens-periods-menopause.html
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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Getting Real About Periods, Childbirth, Menopause and More | Getting Real About Periods, Childbirth, Menopause and More |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Gender Letter is a weekly take on news and culture. Tell me what you think at dearmaya@nytimes.com. | Gender Letter is a weekly take on news and culture. Tell me what you think at dearmaya@nytimes.com. |
| My friend’s question was simple: Are there any foods that help ease the intensity of hot flashes? | My friend’s question was simple: Are there any foods that help ease the intensity of hot flashes? |
| She went online hoping to find a community of women who could help her navigate a transition — menopause — that half the population will experience at some point. | She went online hoping to find a community of women who could help her navigate a transition — menopause — that half the population will experience at some point. |
| What she found instead were recommendations for drugstore supplements like ginseng and ... tofu. | What she found instead were recommendations for drugstore supplements like ginseng and ... tofu. |
| I was surprised, but I shouldn’t have been. | I was surprised, but I shouldn’t have been. |
| Women’s health issues and biological processes have long been shrouded in secrecy and shame. Who among us hasn’t hidden our pad or tampon wrappers under a wad of toilet paper, lest we appear unattractive or messy? The result: We feel alone, often at a young age, when we are anything but. | Women’s health issues and biological processes have long been shrouded in secrecy and shame. Who among us hasn’t hidden our pad or tampon wrappers under a wad of toilet paper, lest we appear unattractive or messy? The result: We feel alone, often at a young age, when we are anything but. |
| [Sign up here to get future installments of the Gender Letter delivered to your inbox.] | [Sign up here to get future installments of the Gender Letter delivered to your inbox.] |
| Worse yet, data suggests that bias can lead doctors to dismiss women’s health problems. (Even Serena Williams felt her concerns after childbirth were snubbed by hospital personnel.) And for girls and women around the world, these taboos can have tragic consequences: In a corner of Nepal, girls have died after being banished from their homes while menstruating; in Kenya, poorer girls may trade sex to afford pads. | Worse yet, data suggests that bias can lead doctors to dismiss women’s health problems. (Even Serena Williams felt her concerns after childbirth were snubbed by hospital personnel.) And for girls and women around the world, these taboos can have tragic consequences: In a corner of Nepal, girls have died after being banished from their homes while menstruating; in Kenya, poorer girls may trade sex to afford pads. |
| But there’s a growing wave of women who are speaking openly and unabashedly about their health issues, giving the middle finger to modesty and bringing these once-private struggles into the public sphere. | But there’s a growing wave of women who are speaking openly and unabashedly about their health issues, giving the middle finger to modesty and bringing these once-private struggles into the public sphere. |
| This week, The New York Times published an article about advocates and activists who are pushing for recognition of a woman’s right to manage her period “with dignity,” urging states to exempt menstrual hygiene products from sales tax and bringing into the debate the concept of “menstrual equity,” which involves equal access to hygiene products and education about reproductive health. | |
| “Why are tampons taxed when Viagra is not?” the piece asks, echoing a common refrain. | “Why are tampons taxed when Viagra is not?” the piece asks, echoing a common refrain. |
| [Like this newsletter? Share with a friend! Did a friend forward you this? Sign up here.] | [Like this newsletter? Share with a friend! Did a friend forward you this? Sign up here.] |
| In Harper’s Bazaar, the photographer Frances F. Denny recently opened up about the vaginal tearing she experienced during childbirth, an injury that affects many American mothers. | In Harper’s Bazaar, the photographer Frances F. Denny recently opened up about the vaginal tearing she experienced during childbirth, an injury that affects many American mothers. |
| In May, the supermodel and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen, an extraordinarily candid presence on social media, shared that she too had experienced severe vaginal tearing with her firstborn. | In May, the supermodel and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen, an extraordinarily candid presence on social media, shared that she too had experienced severe vaginal tearing with her firstborn. |
| Harper’s Bazaar also published an article last week about the hurdles new mothers face while trying to pump breast milk while working. | Harper’s Bazaar also published an article last week about the hurdles new mothers face while trying to pump breast milk while working. |
| And Buzzfeed has published demystifying articles like “Is Your Period Too Heavy? We’ve Got Answers” and “17 Brand New Period Jokes In Case You’re Tired Of Laughing At The Old Ones.” | And Buzzfeed has published demystifying articles like “Is Your Period Too Heavy? We’ve Got Answers” and “17 Brand New Period Jokes In Case You’re Tired Of Laughing At The Old Ones.” |
| This surge of frank discourse comes among growing concern about reproductive-health issues in the Trump era. | This surge of frank discourse comes among growing concern about reproductive-health issues in the Trump era. |
| This month, the United States stunned global health officials by upending deliberations on a resolution supporting breast-feeding to protect the interests of infant-formula manufacturers. | This month, the United States stunned global health officials by upending deliberations on a resolution supporting breast-feeding to protect the interests of infant-formula manufacturers. |
| The nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court has renewed focus on Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that guaranteed women access to abortion, and led Massachusetts to last week pass a law — called the NASTY (Negating Archaic Statutes Targeting Young) Women Act — that will ultimately repeal the state’s 173-year-old legislation banning abortions. Lawmakers called it “an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health.” | The nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court has renewed focus on Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that guaranteed women access to abortion, and led Massachusetts to last week pass a law — called the NASTY (Negating Archaic Statutes Targeting Young) Women Act — that will ultimately repeal the state’s 173-year-old legislation banning abortions. Lawmakers called it “an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health.” |
| If you’ve got a health issue you’d like to see enter public conversation, let me know at dearmaya@nytimes.com. | If you’ve got a health issue you’d like to see enter public conversation, let me know at dearmaya@nytimes.com. |
| ______ | ______ |
| • What Feminists Can Do for Boys. In this Op-Ed piece, the author Jessica Valenti worries that “while women protest, run for office and embrace the movement for gender equality in record numbers, a generation of young, mostly white men are being radicalized into believing that their problems stem from women’s progress.” [The New York Times ] | • What Feminists Can Do for Boys. In this Op-Ed piece, the author Jessica Valenti worries that “while women protest, run for office and embrace the movement for gender equality in record numbers, a generation of young, mostly white men are being radicalized into believing that their problems stem from women’s progress.” [The New York Times ] |
| • Inside the manosphere. Men are freaking out about a study suggesting that sperm counts have been dropping for decades. Silicon Valley is trying to help them get their mojo back. [The New York Times] | • Inside the manosphere. Men are freaking out about a study suggesting that sperm counts have been dropping for decades. Silicon Valley is trying to help them get their mojo back. [The New York Times] |
| • Have you watched “Nanette” yet? Perhaps you’ve heard: The comedian Hannah Gadsby is angry, and she is amazing. [The New York Times] | • Have you watched “Nanette” yet? Perhaps you’ve heard: The comedian Hannah Gadsby is angry, and she is amazing. [The New York Times] |
| • The big business of being G.P. Taffy Brodesser-Akner profiled Gwyneth Paltrow, actress and founder of Goop — the most controversial brand in the wellness industry. [The New York Times Magazine] | • The big business of being G.P. Taffy Brodesser-Akner profiled Gwyneth Paltrow, actress and founder of Goop — the most controversial brand in the wellness industry. [The New York Times Magazine] |
| • “Outercourse”? A lawyer for the convicted rapist Brock Turner attempted to overturn his assault conviction by arguing his client only wanted “outercourse” (sexual contact while fully clothed). [HuffPost] | • “Outercourse”? A lawyer for the convicted rapist Brock Turner attempted to overturn his assault conviction by arguing his client only wanted “outercourse” (sexual contact while fully clothed). [HuffPost] |
| • Our teenage girls are suffering. A study finds that 80 percent of teenage girls grapple with serious mental illnesses for months after being sexually assaulted. [The Guardian] | • Our teenage girls are suffering. A study finds that 80 percent of teenage girls grapple with serious mental illnesses for months after being sexually assaulted. [The Guardian] |
| • Overlooked No More: Edmonia Lewis, a 19th century sculptor, transcended constraints, and as a woman of color, she confronted a society that wished to categorize her. [The New York Times] | • Overlooked No More: Edmonia Lewis, a 19th century sculptor, transcended constraints, and as a woman of color, she confronted a society that wished to categorize her. [The New York Times] |
| ______ | ______ |
| Highlighting the song or album that has gotten a New York Times employee through this week. | Highlighting the song or album that has gotten a New York Times employee through this week. |
| Sharon Attia, the mastermind behind our Instagram account @nytgender, has been listening to Drake’s new album, “Scorpion,” all week “because part of my job is being #ontrend and because it’s straight fire,” she said. “I have a new favorite song every couple of days that coincides with my mood. Currently, it’s ‘Mob Ties.’” | Sharon Attia, the mastermind behind our Instagram account @nytgender, has been listening to Drake’s new album, “Scorpion,” all week “because part of my job is being #ontrend and because it’s straight fire,” she said. “I have a new favorite song every couple of days that coincides with my mood. Currently, it’s ‘Mob Ties.’” |
| ______ | ______ |
| In 1872, a New York Times article oh so generously (insert side-eye) announced that female doctors are not “out of place in the medical profession.” Instead, it declared that “their advent as humble workers” helped to fill gaps left by a “lack of experienced nurses, and the dislike of respectable women to be considered as living by such an occupation.” | In 1872, a New York Times article oh so generously (insert side-eye) announced that female doctors are not “out of place in the medical profession.” Instead, it declared that “their advent as humble workers” helped to fill gaps left by a “lack of experienced nurses, and the dislike of respectable women to be considered as living by such an occupation.” |
| These doctors also got to do the tasks that “no male physician would be willing” to do, the article stated — such as spending “hour after hour in the sick-room, attending to every want of the patient.” | These doctors also got to do the tasks that “no male physician would be willing” to do, the article stated — such as spending “hour after hour in the sick-room, attending to every want of the patient.” |
| ______ | ______ |
| Like this article? Sign up here to get future installments of Gender Letter delivered to your inbox. Want us in your Instagram? We gotchu. Tell me what you think at dearmaya@nytimes.com. | Like this article? Sign up here to get future installments of Gender Letter delivered to your inbox. Want us in your Instagram? We gotchu. Tell me what you think at dearmaya@nytimes.com. |