Educational Media Reviews Online

Period: The End of Menstruation? takes a timely look at the issue of menstruation suppression. Increasing numbers of women are opting for medical prescriptions that can either stop or decrease the number of their menstrual cycles. What does menstruation mean to women? What does stopping it mean to them? Is it a monthly inconvenience? What are the biological and physical consequences of suppression? Does it define one as a woman? These are some of the questions the documentary seeks to answer.

Experts argue both for and against the practice of menstrual suppression. Some believe that there is valid cause for suppressing or limiting periods. Others think differently. According to at least one doctor interviewed for the film, there are medical risks involved. This is most effectively demonstrated by the documentary’s interviews with a 28-year-old woman who suffers from dysmenorrhea (severe and painful menstruation). For her receiving Depo Provera shots has offered her tremendous relief. At the end of the film, we learn that her new doctor has taken her off the drug do to bone loss—a risk of menstrual suppression.

The sociological attitudes of women are also explored. Interviews with women of all ages show that these are widely varied. Grade school students learning about puberty are just as curious, giggly, and awkward with the subject as might be expected. Three sisters sit around talking about their first periods. On and on it goes. All have different opinions. Asked if given the choice, would they have stopped their periods, a group of older menopausal women respond as if the answer could not be more obvious—with a resounding yes. At the same time some of the interviewees feel that menstruation partly defines them as women. For at least one woman, her period is integral to her identity. One artist even uses her menstrual blood as a medium in her paintings.

Aside from some difficulties with the sound syncing properly, the production values are very good. The film’s director, Giovanna Chesler, does an excellent job of presenting a spectrum of opinions and subjects to discuss the implications of menstrual suppression. Period: The End of Menstruation? focuses more on the sociological than the medical, but has value for collections supporting women’s studies and health sciences. It is recommended.