People manage their periods in different ways, finding their own methods to deal with the pain, discomfort, and inconvenience that can come with menstruation. But now, experts are warning against a practice known as “period scooping.”
Being on your period can be uncomfortable, painful, and tiring. Throughout history, women have done all sorts of things to make it more manageable. Some take hot baths, others take pain medication, many use contraceptive medication that allows them to skip their monthly flow, and others use… more unexpected ways of dealing with their period.
Something you may have heard of on social media lately is “period scooping,” which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like – consciously washing or “douching” the vagina, or in some cases even inserting fingers or objects to “scoop” out menstrual fluid.
One Reddit user recently shared: “When i’m in the shower i kind of try ‘scooping’ the blood out – I feel like I can ‘wash away’ gobs of blood before they get on my pad,” according to Tyla.
“Part of me also hopes this might make my period shorter even though I know that’s not likely.”
What is “period scooping”?
Immediately, another user replied: “I do this also since I have endometriosis and really I can’t help but do anything I can to get the clots of blood out as soon as possible.
“I am going to pass them one way or the other, so may as well be in the shower.”
And while some people believe this can make their period shorter or make menstrual bleeding easier to manage, experts are warning that the practice can come with risks.
