The Bible doesn’t shy away from talking about menstrual bleeding so neither should we

Midwife Michelle Tant explains that to ignore and fear the period is to misunderstand God’s message of hope. And she suggested it should be talked about more, not less.

Society has a complicated relationship with periods. Period product adverts bear no resemblance to the lived experience of women. Menstrual blood isn’t blue, nor do most women feel like roller-skating throughout their time of the month. Even recent research has shown that period protection products are not in step with the requirements of women’s cycles, pointing to a reluctance to engage meaningfully in this significant conversation. It is only in recent years when periods have been talked about in anything more than hushed tones, and girls still pass tampons between them at school like contraband. 

Is the church any different? I don’t know that I have ever heard a preach about periods but the Bible doesn’t shy away from them and neither should we. I’d therefore like to take a brief look at some of the trickier texts about menstrual bleeding in the Bible.