Podcast Summary: New Books Network | Princeton University Press Ideas Podcast Episode: Kate Clancy, "Period: The Real Story of Menstruation" (Princeton UP, 2023) Date: December 30, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Mark Clobus (A) interviews Kate Clancy (B), author and professor of anthropology, about her new book Period: The Real Story of Menstruation. The discussion centers on debunking persistent myths about menstruation, exploring the biological, cultural, and social dimensions of the topic, and considering how to create a more inclusive and just “period future.” Clancy draws on her research and personal experience to highlight how scientific biases, environmental and psychosocial factors, and lived realities intersect to shape our understanding—and misunderstanding—of menstruation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction and Personal Motivation

• Background: Kate Clancy introduces herself as a professor, parent, and weightlifter. Her interest in menstruation stems from both personal experience and academic curiosity (00:31–01:45).
• Quote:

  “From the moment I started menstruating, I was really struck by the way I was taught that that meant there was something wrong with me or that my body was broken.” —Kate Clancy (00:50)

• Early Experiences: Clancy recalls being told by a nurse practitioner to take iron supplements immediately after starting her period, which signaled to her that periods were viewed as a medical problem or deficiency.

2. Holistic, Anthropological Understanding of Menstruation

• Multidimensional View: Clancy emphasizes that menstruation should be understood in its full biological, social, cultural, and geographic contexts (02:20).
• Anthropological Lens:

  “We want to understand all of the really wild and interesting amounts of biological variation that exists in the world, but also context, cultural context, social context, geographic context...” —Kate Clancy (02:22)

• Evolution and Adaptation: Anthropologists explore how bodies and menstruation have adapted to environmental contexts throughout human history.

3. The Biology and Science of Menstruation

• Old Theories vs. Current Science:

  • Waste Removal Myth: The outdated view framed menstruation as the body's process for removing “waste” or “toxins.”
  • Healing Paradigm: Newer research, according to Clancy, shows menstruation is a complex process of healing and regeneration, necessary for healthy uterine function (03:18–05:13).
  • Quote:

    “It’s actually a process of healing and regeneration… menses itself is actually crucial for that process.” —Kate Clancy (03:51)

• Persistent Myths: Many misconceptions, such as the idea that menses is inherently toxic, persist due to long-standing misogynistic beliefs in medicine and society.

4. Impact of Culture and Science on Perceptions

• Science Is Not Isolated: Clancy insists scientific research is colored by human biases—including gendered assumptions—countering the view of science as fully objective (06:28).
• Quote:

  "Human beings are part of the practice and process of science. And therefore, we cannot detach science from the real world." —Kate Clancy (06:43)

• Cultural Baggage: False narratives about menstruation escalate societal stigma and prevent meaningful scientific investigation.

5. Environmental Factors Affecting Menstruation

• Three Key Environmental Stressors (08:38):
  • Energetics: Energy intake, expenditure, and nutritional status (10:38)
  • Immunological Factors: How inflammation and immune responses affect menstruation (13:40)
  • Psychosocial Stressors: Societal stigma, interpersonal microaggressions, and chronic stress (16:24)

a. Energetics (10:38–13:40)

• Reproductive Energy Needs:

  “Our understanding really of reproduction… is that resource allocation is one of the most important things we need to understand.” —Kate Clancy (10:41)

• Diet Culture & Fat Stigma: Mainstream advice often pressures women to “eat less,” which is bad science; being underweight is linked to more menstrual disruption than being larger-bodied (12:30).

b. Immunological Factors (13:40–16:24)

• The Uterus as an Immune Organ: Constant negotiation with immune system to balance protection and allow implantation.
• COVID Vaccines Example: Patients noticed period changes after vaccination—a predictable event, yet often dismissed by the medical community.
  • Quote:

    “The uterus is an immune organ. It's a bleeding organ… It should not have been surprising to us that this is a potential link.” —Kate Clancy (14:40)

c. Psychosocial Stress and Gaslighting (16:24–19:42)

• Medical Gaslighting: Patients’ concerns about their cycles are often dismissed, increasing stress and exacerbating physical symptoms.
• Fight, Flight, Freeze, Tend & Befriend: These responses are all relevant and can impact menstrual health, especially when support is lacking.
  • Quote:

    “The amount of gaslighting that people with uteruses experience in medical contexts, in interpersonal contexts… have really profound consequences for their bodies.” —Kate Clancy (17:23)

6. Rethinking “Health” and Bodily Variation

• Adaptive Menstruation: Variations in menstrual cycles are not inherently pathological; bodies adapt to circumstances (08:38–10:00).
• Broader Perspective: Clancy advocates against the medicalization and pathologizing of normal variation, especially in reproductive health.

7. The “Future of the Period” — Toward Bodily Justice

• Vision for the Future: Clancy calls for a society that truly accommodates all kinds of material bodies, emphasizing justice and community care over the expectation that bodies must hide or “fix” their natural processes (20:47–23:33).
  • Quote:

    “We should just be caring more about the material body, period, pun intended… my period future is one was where we actually care about each other.” —Kate Clancy (20:47)

• Link to Disability Justice: Inclusion and access for all bodily experiences—not just menstruation, but for those with disabilities, injuries, or illnesses.
• Accessibility Example: Clancy recounts her family’s experience navigating a sprained ankle and the realization of society’s inaccessibility until directly affected (23:33).

8. Everyday Implications & Societal Blind Spots

• Facilities Case Study: Clancy humorously describes workplace struggles to get trash cans in women’s restroom stalls, highlighting male facility managers’ lack of understanding (24:59–26:46).
  • Quote:

    “All of the facilities guys… in my building at work are men… and the women's bathroom has never had trash cans in the stalls… There are some little things you can do to make a restroom a little easier, a little more hygienic, a little safer for a menstruating person.” —Kate Clancy (24:59)

9. Looking Forward: Clancy’s Next Project

• Upcoming Book: Clancy is starting work on her next book with Princeton University Press, tentatively titled Pregnancy: The New Science of Miscarriage, which will examine miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion, and contraception, again challenging cultural and scientific misperceptions (27:13–27:56).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Internalized Stigma:

  "From the moment I started menstruating… I was really struck by the way that I was taught that that meant that there was something wrong with me…" —Kate Clancy (00:50)

• On the Science of Menstruation:

  "The process of menstruation is not a process of just simply waste removal… It's actually a process of healing and regeneration." —Kate Clancy (03:36)

• On Science and Bias:

  “We cannot detach science from the real world… human beings are scientists.” —Kate Clancy (06:43)

• On Adaptive Variation:

  "Having a slightly variable menstrual cycle does not mean there's anything wrong with you and that there's no need to regulate what is inherently adaptive and responsive." —Kate Clancy (09:47)

• On Fat Stigma and Menstruation:

  "It's bad science to say that obesity or living in a heavier body is the thing we should really be caring about here when it comes to energetics." —Kate Clancy (13:13)

• On Inclusion and Accessibility:

  “Why is it that we don't actually have more flex room around being ill from time to time? Why have we… decided we don't care if pregnant people get Covid? Why have we… accepted this world?” —Kate Clancy (22:13)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:31 — Clancy’s background and early motivation
• 02:20 — The anthropological approach to menstruation
• 03:18 — Biological basics and contested history of menstruation
• 06:28 — Science, culture, and persistent misconceptions
• 08:38 — The three key environmental stressors: energetics, immunology, psychosocial factors
• 10:38 — Energetics and reproductive biology
• 13:40 — Immune factors and menstruation (including COVID vaccine experiences)
• 16:24 — Psychosocial stressors and systemic gaslighting
• 20:47 — Vision for a more just “period future”
• 24:59 — Restroom facilities and everyday barriers
• 27:13 — Clancy’s next research project

Conclusion

Kate Clancy’s conversation with Mark Clobus delivers a timely, evidence-based, and deeply empathetic look at menstruation, exposing the layers of stigma and misinformation that still color both scientific study and everyday life. Clancy’s call is clear: understanding periods means centering lived experience, challenging old narratives, embracing variation, and working collectively for more caring, accessible, and just public spaces for everyone.