I even believe that men have their days more than women, that there are days in a man's life when he knows that nothing will work for a week because he has a falling out with himself. He then walks around neglected and doesn't notice anything except this quarrel.
So do women have such a falling out with themselves once a month? And is this really the image men have of the female cycle? Those women who regularly lie in bed once a month with severe abdominal pain, who suffer from uncontrollable bleeding or whose period has already been postponed for a few panicky days for completely inexplicable reasons should now cry out. And all those who hear the phrase "Well, are you on your period?" when they don't behave as others expect.
Menstruation as a male taboo subject?
How did I come up with this topic in the first place? I would like to tell you about it. I recently got into a conversation with an older acquaintance. The impetus was my plan to write about the taboo subject of menstruation. Well, he had always given women a wide berth during these times. It wasn't for him. Not even as a topic of conversation. If I gave a talk about it, he wouldn't be interested in listening.
However, he admitted that men see things differently. Not all of them leave the love nest when the sheets threaten to turn red during sex. And there are also men who talk to their partner about her cycle. Now I can well imagine that age also plays a role in this attitude. Although the female cycle is still not a socially fashionable topic, it is no longer as unspeakable as it was fifty years ago.
Then, however, came on top:
"Men have their periods too!" "Oh what", I replied, "do they? Do they bleed? Do they have abdominal pain?" "No, but men have a cycle too!" I would just have to ask the executive secretaries. They would know exactly when the boss's period is in their calendar. My feminist blood pressure rose alarmingly. I was then sent the above-mentioned writer, among others, as proof. To be honest, that was the last straw for me.
Falling testosterone levels lead to changes
Yes, of course, not everything is the same for men throughout their lives.
- Testosterone levels fall with increasing age. Among other things, this leads to a loss of muscle and bone mass, easier infection and a decrease in libido. The latter in particular can of course have an impact on quality of life.
- Around midlife, between the ages of 48 and 55, life satisfaction with regard to leisure time, partnership, personal sexuality, satisfaction with oneself and social integration actually declines. This data was obtained from a scientific study on the "midlife crisis" from 2007.
- However, once they have passed this stage of life around the age of fifty, men are able to "readapt to their changed physical and psychological changes at a qualitatively different level than before."
Wonderful, fortunately women can do that too. And at that point, we are also through with our monthly cycle. You might ask whether this stage of life is the same as a woman's menopause. But with menstruation?
The supposed effects of the male cycle
Let's take another look at science.
- A British study - sorry, it was probably just a survey by the British discount brand cloud (so it's not really science) - claims to have found that men also have their periods. According to the study, every four weeks, one in four men suffers from an "irrepressible desire for sweets, a permanent craving for food, latent irritation and the feeling of being bloated and tired".
- However, bild.de writes that only every third woman suffers from these symptoms. Depending on the source, it could also be one in four women and then we would already have a tie.
I definitely like this information, because all too often people forget how many women use hormonal contraception and thus fool their bodies into thinking they are pregnant every month. This is exactly how many hormonal contraceptives work. This also eliminates ovulation as the cause of the unfortunate side effects of the female cycle. No ovulation, no premenstrual syndrome.
Equality does not mean that everyone has to have everything the same!
If you look at the whole thing with a twinkle in your eye, I can't argue with that. Why shouldn't men have a food attack, be annoyed or dissatisfied with their bodies? Isn't that part of life? Why does it have to be dogmatically equated with female menstruation? I, at least, am annoyed from time to time, feel bloated in front of certain mirrors and am tired at some point every day. I can't attribute this to monthly regularity. Why does equality so often mean that everyone wants the same thing? Why should men want to have a cycle that is equated with that of women? However, I do have a good explanation: if you are at the mercy of your hormones, you lose responsibility for your actions: "I can't help it, I'm on my period"!
Anja Drews - qualified sex educator for ORION