covid made me bleed!
Written By Nikki Scott
So here I am, minding my own business, on day 7 of covid isolation (kinda starting to get cabin fever tbh). When I pop to the bathroom only to notice that telltale pink stain on the toilet paper. I quickly do the maths and I’m not due to bleed for another 4 days. So in my signature calm and measured way, I shriek ‘what the fuck is that?’. I run through a mental checklist of things it could be; an STI, UTI, a friction tear, a miscellaneous sex injury? I manage to rule most of these out, (due to the lack of sex I am currently having…). But then I remembered a girlfriend of mine had mentioned something about covid causing her an undue period on our girl gang WhatsApp group. A comment that, in a group of 15 grown-ass women, prompted no insight or tangible response. I finished wiping and instantly knew who to call in the time of a bodily crisis. “Hiya Mum, just a quickie…” After explaining the situation to my dear Mother, the woman who almost always knows the answers to my personage related queries, went on to describe basic evolution. It went a little something like this
Mum: Mammals who give birth live young
Me: Ooh that me!
Mum: Yes darling, said mammal would need to be in tip-top condition to incubate and support the development of healthy babies, correct?
Me: Correct!
Mum: So, anything that might get in the way of that, say, like a virus would be a red flag to the process and therefore a reason to terminate a possible pregnancy.
Me: So everyone who gets covid has an early period? Why haven’t we heard more about this?
Mum: No, not quite, only the bodies whose conception window matches up with their covid window, would trigger an earlier than expected bleed.
Me: Jaw on the floor.
Mum: Arent womb bearing bodies amazing, now if only society would hurry the fuck up and realise it too!
Ok, that last bit was me. But isn’t it unbelievable that this virus has been in circulation for 2 years and this is the first I’m hearing of this?! How many millions of menstruators have been affected by this lack of information. Irregular bleeding patterns and the potential for miscarriage can be a serious business. The lack of knowledge around this highlights how alive and well the patriarchal system is within our medical sector. I believe knowledge is power and who doesn’t want to feel powerful!