When looking for a topic for my next blog post I googled “menstruation news” – first on the list was Menstruation News and Video – FOX News Topics.

Curious what conservative FOX News might post concerning menstruation I clicked on the link.

On the upper left in small print I found a brief definition of menstruation (via Wikipedia). In the center was a large picture of a woman’s mouth with an inhaler between her parted lips and below it was written “Asthma symptoms may vary during menstrual cycle.” And on the left in small print – a teaser for Endometriosis Marked by Pelvic Pain, Heavy Menstrual Bleeding.

So far, so good.

Below the teaser for the Endometriosis article was another teaser for…Belly Button Bacteria: What’s Living in Your Navel?

Now, I can understand the picture of the woman using the inhaler – the article deals with asthma and the menstrual cycle. It’s not about menstruation but does touch very briefly on something that happens to some women when menstruation begins.  But, the belly button biodiversity article (though extremely interesting) didn’t even mention menstruation – or women.

So…why was it on a page about menstruation?

As I paged down through the non menstruation articles offered I wondered who had tagged them “menstruation” and why.  And, I wondered if that individual simply didn’t understand that “women’s health” or “menstrual cycle” does not equate “menstruation.”

Hidden way down at the bottom of that first page was a teaser for a piece entitled: Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Aid Menopause and in that teaser, a statement:

All women after a certain age will experience menopause.

I clicked on the link and found a sufficient and positive overview of menopause – and as promised a brief list of suggested lifestyle changes (regular exercise, eating healthy foods, sleep, relaxation). But, I found not a word about menstruation, unless I consider the following mention of “periods”:

However, a hysterectomy that also removes the ovaries will cause menopause immediately. Once a woman’s ovaries are removed, her periods stop, and she will most likely experience the symptoms related to menopause.

Fact. If the uterus is removed (hysterectomy) a woman stops menstruating – no uterus, no menstruation (periods). When ovaries are removed (oophorectomy), the menstrual cycle stops – no ovaries, no menstrual cycle.

“Menstrual cycle” and “menstruation” are not interchangeable.

It’s no wonder so many girls and women are confused. Just the simple act of googling “menstruation” left me confused and scratching my head.