# How do women who are completely grossed out by blood deal with their periods? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 24, 2011, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-women-who-are-completely-grossed-out-by-blood-deal-with-their-periods/603953 "2011-11-24T04:02:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![spunkymuzicnote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@spunkymuzicnote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spunkymuzicnote)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-women-who-are-completely-grossed-out-by-blood-deal-with-their-periods/603953/1 "2011-11-24T04:02:31Z")
It seems like you would get used to blood if you have to deal with a bunch of it every month but that’s just me. What do you think? Are you (or do you know) a woman who is grossed out by blood? How do you handle it and what is so gross about blood in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-women-who-are-completely-grossed-out-by-blood-deal-with-their-periods/603953/2 "2011-11-24T05:23:08Z")
As has been mentioned in recent threads about periods, it’s one thing when blood is an expected and normal occurrence, and something else entirely when blood is resulting from something gone wrong, like an injury. The fear and danger aspect of it changes the psychological reaction greatly. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-women-who-are-completely-grossed-out-by-blood-deal-with-their-periods/603953/3 "2011-11-24T11:45:14Z")
We all cope well with our own bodily fluids when we find other people’s nausea inducing. I don’t mind my own spit, but a big gob on a pavement will make me want to heave. Also, as OpalCat says, the blood from an open wound is pretty specific stuff - just the sight of an open wound wil make many people swoon, as we see these things so little and their implications are so scary. I really don’t properly equate the stuff that comes out of me with the stuff that pours from an open wound. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-women-who-are-completely-grossed-out-by-blood-deal-with-their-periods/603953/4 "2011-11-24T12:37:30Z")
I’ve never had a cut which bled anywhere near as profusely as my period blood flows–and based on what little I know about other women’s periods, I’m somewhere in the middle of the road. But I agree with the others that handling period blood doesn’t go in the same mental space as handling other sorts of blood. And, for that matter, blood when I’ve cut my finger doesn’t bother me as much as blood on someone else’s finger from a similar cut. Although, even in the case of someone else’s blood, I’m not sure I’m “completely grossed out” enough to be the kind of person you are looking for. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-women-who-are-completely-grossed-out-by-blood-deal-with-their-periods/603953/5 "2011-11-24T16:33:38Z")
Sometimes you don’t think of period blood as blood. It’s just a gross natural secretion. It also helps that depending on how heavy your flow is, it might not look like blood. When you see blood, it’s this bright red stuff, but period blood can be more brownish. Oh, and it often clots more. Gross-ish: I didn’t know I had my first period because it was brown spotting, not red gushing! ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-women-who-are-completely-grossed-out-by-blood-deal-with-their-periods/603953/6 "2011-11-24T22:43:06Z")
Hannelore says [they don’t talk about that day](http://questionablecontent.net./view.php?comic=1209). ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-women-who-are-completely-grossed-out-by-blood-deal-with-their-periods/603953/7 "2011-11-24T23:35:59Z")
::shrugs:: It’s still disgusting and I really hate getting any on my fingers, but it does happen and I scrub my hands afterwards. It’s just not disgusting _and_ scary like unanticipated blood is. ---
**Author:** ![FlyByNight512](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/82dd89/32.png) [@FlyByNight512](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyByNight512)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-women-who-are-completely-grossed-out-by-blood-deal-with-their-periods/603953/8 "2011-11-25T06:23:58Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > Sometimes you don’t think of period blood as blood. It’s just a gross natural secretion. It also helps that depending on how heavy your flow is, it might not look like blood. When you see blood, it’s this bright red stuff, but period blood can be more brownish. Oh, and it often clots more. This. I have strong emotional reactions to blood, _especially_ my own, but menstrual blood doesn’t trigger that at all. It’s a bit gross, but so is everything else that makes its appearance down there. It helps that it’s usually a different color and texture from conventional bleeding. (If you really want a visual, I can’t wear clothes [this color](http://www.discountdressshop.com/iridescent-raspberry-cocktail-dress-strapless-flower-detail-ruched-skirt-short-dress-gathered-bubble.html?utm_source=iridescent-raspberry-cocktail-dress-strapless-flower-detail-ruched-skirt-short-dress-gathered-bubble&utm_medium=shopping%2Bengine&utm_campaign=FEEDWIZARDGOOGLE). To me it looks like that dress was dyed in menstrual blood. Blech.) In my mind it’s completely different from the stuff that shows up when skin is broken.