It's Only Blood: Shattering the Taboo of Menstruation

Across the world, 2 billion people experience menstruation, yet menstruation is seen as a mark of shame. We are told not to discuss it in public, that tampons and sanitary pads should be hidden away, the blood rendered invisible. In many parts of the world, poverty, culture and religion collide causing the taboo around menstruation to have grave consequences. Younger people who menstruate are deterred from going to school, adults from work, infections are left untreated. The shame is universal and the silence a global rule.

In It's Only Blood Anna Dahlqvist tells the shocking but always moving stories of why and how people from Sweden to Bangladesh, from the United States to Uganda, are fighting back against the shame.

About the Author:

Anna Dahlqvist is a journalist specializing in women's and girls' rights. She is editor-in-chief of Ottar and the author of books on abortion rights. She lives in Sweden. Alice Olsson is a Swedish-English translator, writer, and editor specializing in human rights and literary translation.