Getting Your Period in the Middle Ages...

Menstruation is a milestone in the life of any girl or woman. A biological phenomenon that changes her body and her social standing. But what about women who lived during the Middle Ages? Knowing what we do about Medieval hygiene it’s hard not to feel sympathy for them, without the convenience of modern pads and tampons. Did they understand what was happening to their bodies during their period? What sort of sanitary products and pain relief did they use? Why did the Medievals believe that menstrual blood was poisonous and could trigger some quite shocking magical feats? And why were medieval women wearing pouches filled with the ashes of burnt toads? Welcome to Medieval Madness.