menstruation

South Dakota passes most restrictive abortion law in the country, and the threat of anti-choice terrorism is growing. Also, a cute new chapbook tells you all you need to know about your cycle, and then some.

Follow Amanda Marcotte on Twitter, @amandamarcotte

It's Veterans Day so I'm reminding myself (and others who need it) that our female vets are in need of gender specific health care upon returning home from combat; Sarah Palin and the Tea Party want less government - unless it has to do with abortion restrictions; a drug manufacturer of breast cancer treatment drugs adds cancer-causing agents to its drugs; and anorexic women face more unplanned pregnancies than do women who don't suffer from the disorder.

It is rare to read about Latino men in the way I have known them. Even stories by Latino men seem to exclude the experiences and relationships I have come to experience and nurture with the Latino men in my life. For this Father’s/Papi's Day I want to share some of the ways I have come to know “machismo,” the idea of what it means to be a man, the idea of masculinity. I’ll warn you now, this is not going to be similar to what you have read in other places because my machismo comes from a space of love, respect, trust, and acceptance.

There's nothing about having a menstrual period which makes it impossible or even difficult for a woman to have any kind of sex.

UPDATED: At first I thought it was a joke. Then I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, scream or call Margaret Atwood.  But this morning I opened the paper to read that new iPhone apps allowing men to track the menstrual periods of their girlfriends or wives are flying off the virtual "shelves."

Follow Jodi Jacobson on Twitter, @jljacobson

The authors of FLOW: A Cultural History of Menstruation recognize the need for different approaches to discussing Femcare, but don't go far enough in using those approaches themselves. 

A new report reveals that young adults are relying on magical thinking and misperceptions about contraception to the detriment of their well-being.

The history of menstruation, the political prejudices against scientific information on the HPV vaccine, and fighting against the Hyde Amendment, all on this week's podcast.

Follow Amanda Marcotte on Twitter, @amandamarcotte