# What do prostitutes do during their period? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 21, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262 "2004-05-21T00:07:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/41 "2004-05-25T15:21:36Z")
> [@AndrewT](#): > > What I wanna know is, how did they stop getting pregnant before practical contraception was available? I mean did they make every john wear a canvas condom? Ouch! Post-coital douches were also employed by some women as a birth-control measure. Believe it or not, Lysol was once marketed as such. (We have a glass Lysol bottle in the museum in which I work which gives directions for dilution and use.) As you can imagine, many women were horribly burned. There’s a great book on this subject called _Devices and Desires_ by Andrea Tone. I recommend it highly as not only informative, but a very entertaining read. Since birth control was illegal, women’s magazines and other such information outlets used euphamisms in order to inform their readers. Douches were for “killing germs” and condoms were for “preventing disease”. Folk medicines, and herbs such as Queen Anne’s Lace were also used as contraceptives, with varying degrees of success. In cases such as for these herbal contraceptives or abortificatient medicines, the ostensible purpose was to keep menstruation regular, or to “restore” it. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/42 "2004-05-25T18:36:28Z")
> [@](#): > > Pull it out , rinse thoroughly, squeeze as dry as possible, and **reinsert**. Ewwwwww. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/43 "2004-05-25T18:51:19Z")
Don’t sponges breed bacteria-constant moisture and all those little crevices? And WHY was birth control illegal? ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/44 "2004-05-25T18:56:30Z")
Because they thought of non-procreative sex as a sin: ([cite](http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1982/6/82.06.03.x.html)) > [@](#): > > Those who saw fit to define contraceptive information as obscene opposed birth control, citing the following objections: birth control practice is sinful; the nation needs a growing population of large, stable families (and indeed some of them feared that “Yankee” stock would be overcome by immigrants, non-whites and the poor); and birth control represented a rebellion of women against their primary social duty—motherhood. > > A. Comstock, who was born in New Canaan, Connecticut, was responsible for the federal law banning birth control and for the passage of similar laws in twenty two states. The strictest laws were passed in Connecticut and Massachusetts. > 1879 General Statutes of Connecticut, Section 6246: Use of drugs or instruments to prevent conception. Any person who will use any drug, medicinal article or instrument for the purpose of preventing conception shall be fined not less than fifty dollars or imprisoned not less than sixty days nor more than one year or be both fined and imprisoned. > Accessories. Section 54-196: Any person who assists, abets, councils, causes, hires or commands another to commit any offense may be prosecuted and punished as if he were the principal offender. > Comstock worked as a special federal agent charged with the responsibility of enforcing laws aimed at stopping proliferation, distribution and use of “obscene” articles. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/45 "2004-05-25T21:39:40Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > Comstock, who was born in New Canaan, Connecticut, was responsible for the federal law banning birth control and for the passage of similar laws in twenty two states. The strictest laws were passed in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Don’t you admire someone who thinks through his zipper? It makes me wonder what large wet rock Comstock crawled out from under. I guess that is what happens when first cousins intermarry. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Yamirskoonir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/c0e974/32.png) [@Yamirskoonir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yamirskoonir)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/46 "2004-05-25T22:21:20Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > No shit. Oh yeah…I just LOOOOOVE getting my period. The high point of my month! > > I’m from the “olden days” when you still got the period every month. But I have to ask…do you still go psycho if you don’t get your period every month? > > Anyone? Nope. I was on depo provera for a year and a half, then went off for 9 months, and now I’m back on (it’s been another 4 months). I laugh in my friend’s faces as they haul off to the store to buy necessary feminine products and smelly rubber contraceptives, while I frolic worry-free in swimming pools and in bed with the live-in SO. :eek: Why did I ever go off it, you ask? My previous SO and I of 5 years broke up, and I didn’t see a need to continue the shots at the time. I was quickly reminded how god-awful my periods used to be - (TMI, here it comes) ridiculous flow, crippling headaches, cramps that had me curled fetal for 6 hours at a time and made me miss work. Funny though, never had PMS. Anyhow, after tiring of aunt flo’s visit and moving in with the SO, it seemed natural and reasonable to go back on it. Besides, condoms were getting expensive (yes I know they can be had for free in sondry places, but they smell funny). Long story short - _birth control keeps me SANE_. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/47 "2004-05-25T23:59:02Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Don’t you admire someone who thinks through his zipper? It makes me wonder what large wet rock Comstock crawled out from under. I guess that is what happens when first cousins intermarry. :mad: Certainly not one of those things that makes me proud to be from Connecticut. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/48 "2004-05-26T12:39:32Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Don’t you admire someone who thinks through his zipper? It makes me wonder what large wet rock Comstock crawled out from under. Comstock was quite an interesting character. He used to go to burlesque shows and the like and bust them–after watching the show. And in another example of birth control being marketed as something other than birth control–in the late 1900s, many doctors prescribed devices to “support a weak uterus.” They were basically diaphragms. There are actually a number of great books on the history of birth control. One of my favorite profs at Rutgers, James Reed, was quite the expert. [From Private Vice to Public Virtue](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/046502582X/qid=1085574734/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-4662772-6743351?v=glance&s=books) is probably his best known book. (He was from Louisiana, and I just loved how he would pronounce “coitus.” He would say “co-eye-tus.”) I’d also recommend [The Pill: A Biography of the Drug That Changed the World](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0679435557/qid=1085574948/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-4662772-6743351?v=glance&s=books) by Bernard Asbell. There are a number of good biographies of Margaret Sanger out there. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/49 "2004-05-26T14:05:09Z")
> [@Green Bean](#): > > \…in the late 1900s, many doctors prescribed devices to “support a weak uterus.” They were basically diaphragms. Would that be the 1980s, or 90s? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RitzyRae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@RitzyRae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitzyRae)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/50 "2004-05-26T14:25:08Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > No shit. Oh yeah…I just LOOOOOVE getting my period. The high point of my month! > > I’m from the “olden days” when you still got the period every month. But I have to ask…do you still go psycho if you don’t get your period every month? > > Anyone? Uh… I would like to think that I’m not psycho. I’ve been on depo for almost 2 years and have had one period during that time. Of course, there are side effects associated with any kind of drug, but I haven’t experienced any with depo. Not to mention, I have adored not having a period every month. I didn’t realize how much it used to wear me down until it stopped happening. Now, a nurse friend of mine was telling that there is a new trend in medicine concerning women’s cycles. Doctors are discovering the possibility that women maybe weren’t really designed to bleed every month, and that it’s not necessary to do so. Your uterus will be fine, and you get the added benefit of not risking anemia. They may begin suggesting that women only have a period 4 times a year, instead of every month, or, like me, no period at all. Back to the Ladies of the Evening, yes there are fetishes that include having intercourse with menstruating women. You can learn much from pornographic spam… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/51 "2004-05-26T17:21:31Z")
My wife recently went to the gynecologist and got Seasonale, which is a relatively new pill regimen where you take active pills every day for … I think it’s 83 days, and then have seven days on placebo pills so you menstruate. The idea is that you only have to menstruate four times a year. It’s basically just regular BCPs without the monthly break. Unfortunately, shortly after she finished the second month’s pill regimen and started on the third month’s, she started bleeding, and the amount of blood increased slowly until after a week she was bleeding heavily, significantly more than she does with a normal period. This heavy bleeding lasted another week or so, and then eventually faded out like menstruation usually does. So she’s pretty much soured on Seasonale now – it may prevent her menstruation for a bit, but it doesn’t seem to do so for as long as it should, and the resulting period is a lot worse than usual. She _does_ have a pretty harsh case of endometriosis, which may be why the Seasonale isn’t working as well as it should – it makes menstruation painful and irregular. She’s already had surgery once for it, two years ago, but apparently it has come back since then. She was really excited to only have to go through the hideously painful experience of menstruation every three months instead of every month, but alas, it looks like that is not to be. But anyway, hopefully Seasonale works better for most women, and it does show that medical science is beginning to realize that monthly menstruation may not be necessary. ---
**Author:** ![RitzyRae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@RitzyRae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitzyRae)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/52 "2004-05-26T18:46:40Z")
> [@chorpler](#): > > She _does_ have a pretty harsh case of endometriosis, which may be why the Seasonale isn’t working as well as it should – it makes menstruation painful and irregular. She’s already had surgery once for it, two years ago, but apparently it has come back since then. She was really excited to only have to go through the hideously painful experience of menstruation every three months instead of every month, but alas, it looks like that is not to be. > > But anyway, hopefully Seasonale works better for most women, and it does show that medical science is beginning to realize that monthly menstruation may not be necessary. Ah. My best friend is in the same boat as your wife. She was practically living on Vicodin. I’m so terribly sorry for any woman that has to deal with that kind of pain. And yes, if your wife continues to suffer from endo, then of course any menstruation could have the same or increased effects. If Seasonale caused her to have 4 painful periods a year, maybe Depo would cause one or none? But I’m sure you guys have been exploring anything that might help. Hang in there. Has this thread been hijacked? I’m sure your wife isn’t a prostitute! ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/53 "2004-05-26T20:31:54Z")
Heh, it wasn’t an anecdote, it was **primary source material!** And has since been supported by **astro’s** cite. So now it’s official- sex workers use sponges! ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/54 "2004-05-26T22:33:52Z")
> [@RitzyRae](#): > > If Seasonale caused her to have 4 painful periods a year, maybe Depo would cause one or none? But I’m sure you guys have been exploring anything that might help. Hang in there. She’s actually afraid to try Depo-Provera because of the reported side effects that some women experience. She says at this point she’s more keen on just having them perform a hysterectomy … but I don’t know how serious she is. Last time she had surgery, the doctor said that one of the endometriosis … fibroids? tumors? whatever they’re called … had very nearly eaten clear through her uterus, and she thinks that it may have succeeded by now. I’m not sure if a uterus with an opening into your abdominal cavity is dangerous or not, or if it can support a pregnancy. Seems unlikely. > [@RitzyRae](#): > > Has this thread been hijacked? I’m sure your wife isn’t a prostitute! Heh heh … yes, somewhat of a hijack, I guess. So to bring it back on topic, I’ll say that Seasonale, or other menstruation-stopping hormone regimens, could be a big advantage for prostitutes everywhere. They wouldn’t have to rely on sponges anymore! ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/55 "2004-05-27T00:57:56Z")
> [@chorpler](#): > > She’s actually afraid to try Depo-Provera because of the reported side effects that some women experience. I have endometriosis, too. Every period was hell on earth-- I’m talking writhing-on-the-floor-screaming-and-puking-and-wishing-I-was-dead kind of pain. My doctor put me on Depo and it was the best thing that ever happend to me. I had no side effects other than a temporary weight gain of a couple of pounds. I’ve been on it for almost five years now. Tell your wife it’s worth the risk, in my opinion. I know several other women on Depo, and none have reported any significant side effects. They happen, of course, but everyone I know has had a positive experience on it. > [@](#): > > She says at this point she’s more keen on just having them perform a hysterectomy … Wow, if she’s worried about the side effects of Depo, she should really stop to think about this one. A hysterectomy is pretty nasty. It’s painful, takes a while to recover, and then there are all of the hormonal aspects. I think that the side effects of Depo are pretty mild in comparison. I know how she feels. I wanted one, too, before I was able to find a doctor who understood my illness and was able to treat it. There were a few tries before we finally found something that worked for me. You wife needs to find a better doctor, first of all. I went through over a dozen doctors before I found someone who understood endometriosis. Really, it’s a poorly understood condition, and most doctors are a bit baffled by it. I had doctors tell me that it was “all in my head.” One doctor even suggested that I have a baby to “clear it out.” I was fourteen at the time! Other doctors just wrote out a pain prescription and told me just to live with it. If you’re lucky enough to live in a large city, you might be near a clinic which exclusively treats endometriosis. Even if you’re not, you need to find someone who can give your wife more options than surgery. ---
**Author:** ![RitzyRae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@RitzyRae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitzyRae)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/56 "2004-05-27T01:26:49Z")
\*\*Lissa \*\* said everything I was going to say. Thank you. And I find it strange that almost every woman I’ve ever talked about Depo is afraid of it, and has heard horror stories. I would really like to know what the statistics actually are. Anyway, let me just say again, I have loved Depo. Loved, loved, loved it. I really hope your wife could benefit from it. It just seems that a hysterectomy would be 10 times harder on her body than any Depo shot could be… Again, my best to your wife. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/57 "2004-05-27T06:03:40Z")
Schoolchild’s boner in essay about American history: “When a Northern soldier could not go to the Civil War he sent a prostitute.” ---
**Author:** ![Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eada6e/32.png) [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/58 "2004-05-27T10:44:58Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > Heh, it wasn’t an anecdote, it was **primary source material!** > > And has since been supported by **astro’s** cite. > > So now it’s official- sex workers use sponges! Since you seem to not be a prostitute, it was second hand information, in fact maybe even third hand, since you watched it and didn’t actually talk to a prostitute. And the only reason I point this out, is because you said we were all “way off” when you did not have enough just evidence to prove so. Next time, stick to, this is what I saw on a documentary. Yes it has been supported, and only now does it gain creedence. What do they do if a client wants more than an hour? Bleach and vinegar in the vagina? I remember watching a doco on Catalyst about how using lemon juice (it kills AIDS) or some spermicides up there, actually increases your chances of getting AIDS and other diseases because it’s abrasive. It seems something strange to do, but then again, people still use douches even though they make thrush worse. :rolleyes: And on the hijacked note… I mentioned this early and I want to give another shout out, to the new Implanon. A three year implant, I barely have periods, a 99.97%(?) [theoretical] failure rate, although it has never failed in clinical trials. I have experienced no side affects, no weight gain, no migraines, no acne. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/59 "2004-05-27T18:26:43Z")
> [@Go You Big Red Fire Engine](#): > > I remember watching a doco on Catalyst about how using lemon juice (it kills AIDS) or some spermicides up there, actually increases your chances of getting AIDS and other diseases because it’s abrasive. > It seems something strange to do, but then again, people still use douches even though they make thrush worse. :rolleyes: That sounds like something Dr. Bronner (he of the weird messages on the soap containers) thought up. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262/60 "2004-05-27T19:53:19Z")
I read a book called “Storeyville” that was a history of New Orleans brothels. I recall it being mentioned that many women did take some time off during their periods. Regarding todays “crack addicts” that someone mentioned above, I would guess that a crack addict would have some plan to ensure future crack during a dry (or too wet, ha ha) spell such as setting some crack or cash aside, leaving some hidden or with a trusted coworker or pimp, etc. Perhaps a pimp would be inclined to keep a woman supplied or indebted to ensure future work from her. Surely today’s crack addict is not really too far removed from yesterdays opium addict. Just a couple of WAG’s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-prostitutes-do-during-their-period/246262.md?page=4)