New this week: "Sanitary Tampon Panty" (U.S.A., from Pursettes,
with a box of three free Pursettes tampons, 1968) - Lil-lets
tampon (South Africa, 1978)
You are possibly more susceptible to heart attacks in the low-estrogen
time of the menstrual cycle
"Everything fits together" the American
weekly Science News (December 2, 2000 edition, p. 366) quoted Norman Chan
of University College London as saying, to suggest that "the menstrual cycle helps trigger heart attacks among
women with other risk factors." He added
that low estrogen concentrations in the blood create stiff vessels, based
on his own unpublished data.
That was a comment about a study presented at
a recent meeting of the American Heart Association, in New Orleans, which
reported that in a small group of women having heart attacks at a young
age (35 - 47 years old), the attack happened
within five days of the start of their periods.
The women had other risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood
pressure. Estrogen is low at this time.
Bettina Hamelin, of Laval University, Quebec,
did the study, which I read about in the above edition of Science News.
SN also said Hamelin warned that women with these risk factors should pay
attention to back pain,
which may be heart related rather than menstrual
pain symptoms.
Letters to your MUM
Toilet paper as tampon
Dear Harry,
I loved your Web site. It is the best! [Many
thanks!]
I do have question, however. What about women
who use toilet paper as tampons? I have been doing this for years, in order
to save the cost of commercial tampons and trips to the store. There must
be many others than I out there. Stuff works great and must have been used
since toilet paper was invented, whenever that was. I
guess we're the underground of tampon users.
All you have to do is fold up about 18" in length (depending on thickness)
into a 3" length and then twist and insert. Real easy. Works everywhere.
Ever received an e-mail on this one? [Never!
But I know women who use them in emergencies.]
I think it deserves a page.
Take care and good luck and have a great day.
[I knew of women who did this in emergencies,
but not consistently, as you do. These might
be problems:
Leaving pieces of paper in the vagina
Difficulty in inserting the paper and taking
it out
Dyes, perfumes and other chemicals, like dioxin,
in the paper]
She likes the site!
Harry,
I'm . . . speechless! I've forwarded your site
address to all of my women relatives and my best (male and female) friends.
To say it's "comprehensive" is an understatement. I've been reading
through it for over two hours now and will have to come back to it later
to finish seeing it all.
I'm totally impressed.
P.S. I still miss "Confidets"; makes me nostalgic when I think of them.
Click on the links
I just wanted to suggest a few links for the Museum of Menstruation
site:
Urban Armor: http://www.urbanarmor.org
- they sell funky reusable pads, underwear, t-shirts, and Keepers (a menstrual cup).
Cheers
Pap art exhibit starts 21 September in
Delray Beach, Florida
I am writing to request your participation and assistance in an exciting
and important project regarding women's health issues.
The world-renowned scientist and lover of the arts Dr.
George Papanicolaou, better known as Dr. Pap, inventor of the Pap smear
test, will be the subject of a special exhibition at the Cornell Museum
of Art in Delray Beach, Florida, beginning September 21, 2000. The
gala opening and artist's reception will be held on Thursday evening September
28, 2000. The foremost patient advocate and director of the Center For
Cervical Health in the United States, Carol Ann Armenti, will be the keynote
speaker.
The exhibition will run through November 12, 2000, and will feature
recent works by international artist Olga Stamatiou,
Dr. Papanicolaou's niece. Stamatiou's works will be available for
acquisition and the profits will go toward:
1. The creation of "PAP MOBILES," vehicles that would be
used to provide testing for under-served women in areas, with the highest
incidence of cervical cancer.
2. The creation of a traveling multimedia art exhibition.
3. The production of a documentary film based on the life, work and
scientific legacy of Dr. Papanicolaou and his wife Mary.
4. The Center for Cervical Health.
5. The Papanicolaou Woman's Corp.
Our organization "PAP" - Prevention and Protection - will
have as its goal to raise awareness about women's health issues, including
the importance of having regular Pap smears and the provision of information
on new and existing methods for detecting cervical cancer.
The traveling exhibition, to be viewed in public spaces and museums,
will be a multimedia environment drawing on and inspired by Dr. Pap's love
of the arts and sciences. This environment will include permanent built-in
units that will provide creative spaces for national and local women's
health organizations to inform women on what is available involving health
care.
The September 28th opening reception will also include international
guest artists and feature a wide range of styles and media. A percentage
of their work will benefit the above-mentioned projects.
Olympus Corporation of America will provide working microscopes and
monitors along with technicians on opening night to demonstrate how Pap
smears are read.
Washable-pad company for sale
Gayle Adams, owner of Feminine Options, wants
to sell the company to someone willing to put time and energy into it.
The Food and Drug Administration has already approved its products.
Call Gayle at (715) 455-1652 (Wisconsin, U.S.A.).
Money and this site
I, Harry Finley, creator of the museum and site and the "I"
of the narrative here, receive no money for any products or services on
this site. Sometimes people donate items to the museum.
All expenses for the site come out of my pocket, where my salary from
my job as a graphic designer is deposited.
You have privacy
here
What happens when you visit this site?
Nothing.
I get no information about you from any
source when you visit, and I have no idea who you
are, before, during or after your visit.
This is private - period.
Is this the new
millennium or even century?
You can get the correct information
if you go to these pages published by the U S Naval Observatory:
"whenIs")
A comprehensive site from the Royal Observatory, Greenwich will put right any doubts:
Help Wanted: This Museum Needs a
Public Official For Its Board of Directors
Your MUM is doing the paper work necessary to become eligible to receive
support from foundations as a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. To achieve
this status, it helps to have a American public official - an elected or
appointed official of the government, federal, state or local - on its board of directors.
What public official out there
will support a museum for the worldwide culture of
women's health and menstruation?
Eventually I would also like to entice people experienced in the law,
finances and fund raising to the board.
Do You Have Irregular Menses?
If so, you may have polycystic ovary syndrome
[and here's a support association for it].
Jane Newman, Clinical Research Coordinator at Brigham
and Women's Hospital, Harvard University School of Medicine, asked
me to tell you that
Irregular menses identify women at high risk for polycystic ovary syndrome
(PCOS), which exists in 6-10% of women of
reproductive age. PCOS is a major cause of infertility
and is linked to diabetes.
Learn more about current
research on PCOS at Brigham and Women's
Hospital, the University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State University
- or contact Jane Newman.
If you have fewer than six
periods a year, you may be eligible to participate
in the study!
New this week: "Sanitary Tampon Panty" (U.S.A., from Pursettes,
with a box of three free Pursettes tampons, 1968) - Lil-lets
tampon (South Africa, 1978)
© 2000 Harry Finley. It is illegal
to reproduce or distribute work on this Web site in any manner or medium
without written permission of the author. Please report suspected violations
to hfinley@mum.org