Have a Happy Period?

Hmmm . . . I've mixed feelings about this jokey rant:

An open letter written to the brand manager of Proctor andGamble - (Maker of Always Maxi Pads)

While I agree that the people marketing fem. products are off their rockers and deserve to be set straight, I really think the person who wrote this rant is a man trying to impress a woman, but doing a damned poor job of it; MENSTRUATION should not be confused with PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME.

All of those violent symptoms, mood swings, and bloating are things women experience BEFORE their periods start, and for me and every woman I've ever known, they pretty much disappear when our periods begin (making way for the cramps and sometimes fatigue).

It actually *is* possible to have a happy period. Most people who have bad PMS *do* have happy periods because they are relieved of all those bad PMS symptoms. It's a relief. A lot of us also use our periods as excuses to baby ourselves. We wear stained panties, lay in bed with our hot water bottles, permit ourselves extra sleep, and treat ourselves to red meat and spinach to replenish our iron stores. While I've had many painful periods, I don't know that they've ever been "unhappy".