# First TV show to openly mention/discuss menstruation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [December 2, 2024, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084 "2024-12-02T21:11:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/1 "2024-12-02T21:11:07Z")
We’re all familiar with the old canard that _Leave it to Beaver_ was (kind of) the first TV show to portray a toilet (and in those repressed and uptight days, even just showing the tank, as they did, caused much pearl-clutching). When did TV decide to ditch the menstruation taboo? I have vague memories of commercials for pads & tampons back in the early 1970s, but that was advertising, and not show content. Does anyone remember the first show to openly discuss menstruation? What about the first show to openly discuss menarche? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/2 "2024-12-02T21:28:34Z")
Blossom (Mayim Bialik) gets her period in the second episode of Blossom in 1991. I’m not sure if there is an earlier example. ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/3 "2024-12-02T21:30:01Z")
This article suggests it was the Cosby Show in 1990. That seems way later than I would have thought. There must have been some misogynistic reference in a 70s sitcom surely? The film version of ‘to sir with love’ alludes to them when sanitary pads are thrown in a fireplace. That was 1967. > **[A Brief History of Onscreen Periods](https://www.vulture.com/article/periods-in-movies-and-tv.html)** > > Very rarely is a period portrayed as what it is like for almost everyone who experiences it — mundane. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/4 "2024-12-02T21:31:29Z")
I remember an episode of All in the Family that talked about it, but perhaps didn’t actually use the word menstruation. That was in 1973. The episode was called “The Battle of the Month". ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/5 "2024-12-02T21:31:43Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > When did TV decide to ditch the menstruation taboo? I have vague memories of commercials for pads & tampons back in the early 1970s, but that was advertising, and not show content. Funny enough, the first time the word “period” was uttered on TV (in the context of menstruation) was in a Tampax commercial in 1985, and Courteney Cox (from _Friends_ among many other things) was the one who said it. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pnmxLW4cO88/hqdefault.jpg "Tampax Tampons with Courteney Cox - "Three Period Version" (Commercial, 1985) 🔴 🔴 🔴") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnmxLW4cO88) > [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Blossom (Mayim Bialik) gets her period in the second episode of Blossom in 1991. That was also the year that _My Girl_ was released in theaters, and it showed the main character Vada getting her first period, so I guess that was a breakthrough year for it. I believe the first film to portray menstrual blood on screen was _Carrie_ from 1976. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/6 "2024-12-02T21:32:16Z")
I found an earlier example, but not by much: Darlene on Roseanne got her period in a 1989 episode. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/7 "2024-12-02T23:49:38Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I believe the first film to portray menstrual blood on screen was _Carrie_ from 1976. That’s the first one I thought of as well. When an unsuspecting Carrie gets her first period in the locker room, the other girls throw tampons and sanitary napkins at her. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/8 "2024-12-03T00:29:44Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > I remember an episode of All in the Family that talked about it, but perhaps didn’t actually use the word menstruation. That was in 1973. The episode was called “The Battle of the Month". I can’t remember if they used the word, but it was very clear throughout what they were talking about. Tweenage me understood. Archie, for example, was explaining that instead of referring to it directly, Gloria should use a euphemism like “my friend is visiting me this month”. I would say that episode counts as openly discussing it. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/9 "2024-12-03T00:33:08Z")
So does that make it the first time on TV, not counting an ad, or was there something earlier? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/10 "2024-12-03T00:36:11Z")
> [@JacobSwan](#): > > The film version of ‘to sir with love’ alludes to them when sanitary pads are thrown in a fireplace. That was 1967. I remember being very confused by that scene when I saw it as a 13 year old boy. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/11 "2024-12-03T00:37:59Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > I found an earlier example, but not by much: Darlene on Roseanne got her period in a 1989 episode. Married With Children, 1988. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/12 "2024-12-03T00:56:55Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I can’t remember if they used the word, but it was very clear throughout what they were talking about. Tweenage me understood. Archie, for example, was explaining that instead of referring to it directly, Gloria should use a euphemism like “my friend is visiting me this month”. Was that the episode? I was thinking it was one where Edith went through menopause, although they may have only referred to it as “the change”. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/13 "2024-12-03T01:51:29Z")
Dave Foley discussed his “good attitude towards menstruation” in a 1989 episode of the epic comedy show _The Kids In The Hall_. _Hi, my name’s Dave Foley, and, uh, something you might not know about me is that … I have a good attitude towards menstruation. That’s right, I’m the guy! The guy with a good attitude towards menstruation!_\* _Oh, I know a lot of men are made uncomfortable by this monthly miracle. But not me. No, I embrace it. Embrace it the way the way some men embrace the weekend! Why I anticipate it the way a child anticipates Christmas!_ _Did you know that, uh, in alot of native Indian cultures, menstruating woman were forced to leave the village, lest their powerful magic should overwhelm the Shaman? If I were Shaman, I wouldn’t be so competitive. I’d be more open and giving. I’d be a shaman with… a good attitude towards menstruation!_\* ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/14 "2024-12-03T03:03:56Z")
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was mentioned on “Maude”, from the early 1970s. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/15 "2024-12-03T03:22:08Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I wouldn’t be surprised if it was mentioned on “Maude”, from the early 1970s. I don’t know about that — but Bea Arthur was still at work in 1986, when they were openly discussing it on [THE GOLDEN GIRLS](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0589742/). ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/16 "2024-12-03T04:14:52Z")
I’ll wager a thousand quatloos that the first American TV show to discuss menstruation was a daytime soap opera. No, I don’t know which one, or what year, but if it hit prime time with _All in the Family_ in 1973, it was probably somewhere on daytime TV by 1969. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/17 "2024-12-03T06:18:29Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > it was probably somewhere on daytime TV by 1969. Hopefully not _Dark Shadows._😬 ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/18 "2024-12-03T07:10:09Z")
Borderline but early - The Rolling Stones’ _(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction_ contains the verse: _When I’m ridin’ 'round the world_ _And I’m doin’ this and I’m signing that_ _And I’m tryin’ to make some girl_ _Who tells me baby better come back, maybe next week_ _'Cause you see I’m on a losing streak_ Jagger and Richards wrote it as a veiled reference to menstruation, and were surprised that it was so readily missed. Anyway, they played the song on the Ed Sullivan Show on 13 Feb 1966, and it slipped through then as well. Because it wasn’t openly mentioned it doesn’t meet the OP’s criteria. But I win regardless, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/19 "2024-12-03T18:12:28Z")
i think the All in the Family episode is “The Battle of the Month”. I don’t remember how it was discussed. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2024, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084/20 "2024-12-03T21:13:24Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > Jagger and Richards wrote it as a veiled reference to menstruation, and were surprised that it was so readily missed. Maybe they did, but seriously, no one can be faulted for missing it. Those words can mean anything. Including that she’s giving him the brush off simply because she’s not impressed. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-tv-show-to-openly-mention-discuss-menstruation/1011084.md?page=2)