This is a very interesting and informative post about menstruation in medieval times. This was posted by deadcatwithaflamethrower in response to the question, “How did people with a female body deal with menstruation in earlier centuries?” And there are many sources and more info posted in the links below:
Sources that are (Mostly) not bullshit and at least consider how the Real World bloody works:
The Lady in Red: Medieval Menstruation
To Bring on the Flowers: Medieval Women Menstruating
The History of the Sanitary Pad
Modern Period Commentary stumbled over in the process:
A Brief History of Your Period, and Why You Don’t Have to Have It
Around the World in 28 Periods
Some Cultures Treating Periods with Respect
Banished for Menstruating (focuses on India but the same sort of practice is also done in Nepal)
Source: deadcatwithaflamethrower
Makes me re-think the whole legend of the Selke wife