“Free bleeding” might not be a new trend, but it’s one enjoying a resurgence in popularity among Gen Z.
According to reports, the “free bleeding” movement – that is to say the practice of menstruating without using menstrual products – initially gained momentum as far back as the 1970s. Now, fifty years later, it’s benefitting from the interconnectivity gifted unto the world via the internet.
TikTok, in particular, is said to have elevated the practise back to the big time, with content generators championing the positive effects it can have and why more women should be ditching the tampons, pads, or cups in favor of going “free”.
Yet while there are supposed benefits to “free bleeding”, experts have weighed in to warn that it’s not entirely without its pitfalls.
To rewind the tape a little, the practise originated as a form of protest against things like the price of period products, as well as the discomfort sometimes caused by them.
While many women across the globe have the access to and the financial means of buying products such as tampons and pads, there are also many who don’t. Period poverty is a phrase that has been used to refer to women who have no choice but to bleed freely.
Others, meanwhile, come at it from a more ecological standpoint, not wanting disposable products to contribute to harming the environment.
A recent trend has seen thousands of TikTokers publish videos detailing just why they’re opting to live their lives without using period products.
As reported by UK health and beauty retailer Superdrug, a woman may spend as much as £5000 (around $6,700 US) on period products during their lifetime on average.
As stated above, however, there are reports suggesting that the act of “free bleeding” isn’t as entirely harmless as simply reverting to a more natural state of living as might be assumed.
A report by Healthline outlined that period blood can carry bloodborne viruses such as Hepatitis C, able to live outside of the body for as long as three weeks.
Hepatitis B, meanwhile, can exist outside of the body for seven days.
As a result, medical experts are warning that anyone opting to “free bleed” should be mindful of potential “through-the-skin exposure” to viruses. Put simply, don’t allow people to come into contact with your blood after it leaves your body.
It might sound like a turn of events that ranks low on the list of eventualities likely to come to fruition, but certainly something that bears thinking about.
What do you make of the “free bleeding” movement? Let us know in the comments.
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