Skipping Your Period, The International Edition

Studies suggest you have a greater tolerance for long intervals of skipping your period if you're a woman residing in Western Europe rather than in Asia or Africa.

Prefer never to have a period

Netherlands, Germany and Scotland - over 35%

Hong Kong, Nigeria and Shanghai - 6%, 13% and 15%

South Africa - 29% (white), 9% (black)

From a social survey of 1207 healthy women from Campinas (Brazil), Heidelberg (Germany) and Ann Arbor (USA) (~400 women from each country):

Prefer never to have a period

- one-third of USA and Brazilian women [about 38% and 33%, respectively]

- less than 10% of German women

Prefer to have a monthly period

- 15% of USA women

- 25% of Brazilian women

- 30% of German women

Prefer to have a period every six months

- ~ 15% of women in all three countries

In response to the question “if you could change the way you menstruate, what single change would be most valuable to you?”, half of all German women and one-third of USA women listed “having more precise control over the timing of menses” as their highest priority. “Having less pain” was the highest priority for a quarter of Brazilian women.

German women, on average, mentioned three times more positive features of menstruation compared to USA or Brazilian women.

Most positive features of menstruation

- being assured of not being pregnant; feeling healthier; and feeling lighter.

Most common negative features of menstruation (across all three countries)

- inconvenience; cramps; bad mood and premenstrual syndrome.