Here are some of the people trying to fix period education across North America
CBC
True or false? People who get periods can sync up their menstrual cycles with their friends.
"True," said Toronto resident Sarah Hall.
"I think that's false," said Tovan Lew, another Torontonian.
Period syncing isn't real. Experts have pointed out for years that there's no biological evidence for it.
"If it were true, I would tell you," says Dr. Jen Gunter, a Canadian American gynecologist whose recent book Blood looks at the myths and shame around menstruation. "That's something that really rocks a lot of people's worlds."
In fact, anecdotal experiences of cycle-syncing likely boil down to math: If one person gets their period every three weeks, while another gets theirs every five weeks, there will eventually be overlap in the cycles.
It's just one of dozens of period myths circulating online. Many such myths have been around for ages. But platforms like TikTok and Instagram are causing them to spread faster and reach a wider audience. A quick scan on the app will pull up videos of young women telling their audiences that papayas induce periods — one video has over three million views — even though there's no evidence backing that claim.
Or that organic tampons, while pricey, are safer than regular tampons. (Experts say they are about the same, safety-wise.)
From new books to university groups and OB-GYNs appearing on social media, a movement of people is trying to change how we talk — and learn — about our periods.
"Why are our schools not teaching people basic biology? We need to do a better job at a public health level, teaching people the basics," said Gunter.
Another corner of social media advocates for "free bleeding," where people toss away their period products — tampons, pads, menstrual cups — and let the blood flow. Some influencers say free bleeding lessens cramps and can shorten periods.
"We have no data to say that menstrual products cause pain or cramping, or they increase your flow. That is all completely made up," Gunter said.
"The harm is people thinking that if they don't use menstrual products, that their terrible cramps are going to go away, and so they sit at home bleeding as opposed to getting medical care," she said.
Women's health research has long been underfunded, and the science behind periods can seem particularly thin. Leah Hazard, midwife and author of the book Womb, told the New Yorker that during a review of scientific studies she found about 400 studies on menstrual fluid — compared to more than 15,000 about semen. She blamed the period "yuck factor" for dissuading related research.
With the B.C. NDP and B.C. Conservatives neck and neck heading into election day on Saturday, there are also a record number of Independent candidates who — if voted in — could hold the balance of power in a minority government scenario. British Columbians have only elected one Independent MLA in the last 60 years. Vicki Huntington won a seat in 2009 and was re-elected in 2013. But University of the Fraser Valley political scientist Hamish Telford said the situation could be different this election cycle. Of the 40 Independent candidates running, six of them are incumbent MLAs, who carry the benefit of name recognition in their community. "So we've got Independents in this election who I think we could deem to be viable shots at actually winning a riding, which is not normal," Telford said. "They're still long shots, but they are certainly plausible candidates."
Though Bill C-282 has received cross-party federal support in Ottawa, Alberta's provincial government says it's not a backer of the Bloc Québécois legislation that aims to prevent Canada's supply-managed sectors — dairy, poultry and eggs — from being included in future international trade negotiations.
A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder and 15 others are facing criminal charges for allegedly running a drug-trafficking operation that shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Canada and used violence — including murder — to achieve the group's goals, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday.