Science & technology | Of mice and menses

Progress on the science of menstruation—at last

Newly developed research models show promise

Illustration of a mouse running on a wheel shaped like a drop of blood — Illustration: Eiko Ojala

May 29th 2024

HISTORY OFFERS no shortage of unhinged takes on menstruation. In 77AD, Pliny the Elder claimed that contact with menstrual blood would turn crops barren and drive dogs mad. A medieval medical text warned that the presence of menstruating women would make men ill, and that sex with them would cause cancer of the penis. In the first half of the 20th century, some theorised that periods contained toxins that could wilt flowers.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Of mice and menses”