It’s normal to talk about periods

At Clue, we believe period tracking and reproductive health are relevant to everyone — not just those with a menstrual cycle. That’s why we created Clue Connect, a feature that enables users to share their cycle information with their partners to open up the conversation and share the responsibility of understanding reproductive health.

Some people are surprised to hear that members of our team DON’T have a period, so last year we asked our XY employees why they work for a period tracking app. Now we’re asking them why they’re comfortable talking about periods and for any advice they have for people who aren’t open to the topic.

1. Jón, Director of Engineering

“I’ve had the good fortune to be surrounded by strong women throughout my life. In fact you could say I was raised by women. So I’ve really always seen it as a normal part of life, which is exactly what it is. That said, working at Clue has taught me a lot as well. I’ve learned so many things, both from the people here and the product, and I’ve realized how important it is to understand what the female cycle is about to feel comfortable discussing it.”

“Be curious. Learn about them. For me, any discomfort I used to feel when talking about periods came from being out of my comfort zone, because I didn’t feel like I knew what I was talking about. Inevitably, the female cycle is a part of our lives too, so it really is worth taking the time to understand it better.”

2. Florent, Backend Engineer

“They are part of everyday life for the majority of the population, and as such, **I don’t want to make it a taboo. **It’s not because you don’t have periods yourself that you can’t talk about it or ask questions.”

3. Sven, Data Scientist

“The more you talk about it, the more comfortable you get. Be bloody brave! It won’t hurt you to better understand 50% of the population.”

4. Jan, iOS Developer

“I don’t think periods are different from any other bodily fluids and I don’t have a problem talking about those either.”

5. Hans, COO & Co-Founder

“The female reproductive system is the basis for life. Periods are part of that system working. Life is beautiful, so there is no reason not to talk about periods.”

“If you have sex it’s already part of your reality. So you can also talk about it. If you don’t have sex, I am sorry.”

6. Mike, Product Owner and Co-Founder

“Are other people uncomfortable talking about it? It happens to half of the world’s population for half of their life. It’s absurd not to talk about it.”

“Be curious. Ask a friend a question. Get over it.”

7. Lorenzo, Lead Product Designer

“Periods are an actual thing. Reality is not just the glamorous, the happy, the pleasant. Reality is a whole spectrum of other equally, if not more, valuable things.”

“Grow up, it’s 2016. The will to understand is the basis for any emotional connection.”

8. Eugenio, Lead Android Engineer

“I am very curious by nature, and my family was always open about the topic (compensating the total lack of education at school). If you ever want to have an intimate/comfortable/happy relationship with a human being that menstruates, you would do that person (and yourself!) a great favor by just getting used to the idea that periods are as normal as eating or breathing.”

“You both do worse things in the toilet anyway. To recap.”

9. Daniel, Lead Data Scientist

“I don’t see a reason to be uncomfortable about it. It’s an important part of life for people with a uterus and by extension for most of us.”

“There is nothing to be afraid of. Just ask questions and listen, you will get over it.”

10. Moritz, Research & Development, Co-Founder

“Hey, this is a completely normal thing that happens to half of humanity and an invention by nature which prepares a nice & fresh uterine lining every month for the embryo. Nothing to worry or feel uncomfortable about.”

“When you were an embryo you profited from this invention by nature, so you should be grateful that it exists (otherwise you wouldn’t, probably).”

11. Marco, Director of Legal and Finance

“I realized in the last years how deeply periods influence the life of our partners. Talking about periods is the most normal thing in the world to improve the quality and deepness of any relationship.”

“Feel free to ask your female friends anything about their ovulation, period or PMS. You will see how many totally crazy and exciting processes are behind the first hurdle. And you will see how good it feels to have a better understanding of the female body. They deal with these topics all the time and they will probably love it to talk about.”

12. Walt, Android Developer

“The menstruation taboo (and not just that) survives nowadays as a legacy of an ignorant, masculine-centric and discriminative past. Since science and gender equality have made lots of progress since then our everyday culture should advance too and fit the modern world. Talking comfortably about periods as a male gender representative makes you feel proud (and not ashamed) for being part of this human revolution.”

“Tell me at least five good reasons for not talking about periods. You probably can’t get beyond ‘because it’s gross.’”

13. Venkat, Digital Marketing Intern

“If every woman in the world goes through this in their life, it shouldn’t be a strange thing to talk about! It’s global.”

14. Michał, iOS Developer

“I’ve spent enough time in hospitals to learn that there’s nothing abnormal about talking about your bodies and health.”

“Forget about stories you’ve heard from your male friends back in high school, and read up on the facts.”

15. Guillaume, VP Business Development

Hey, you wouldn’t be on this earth without periods… 50% of the population experience them. It’s simply part of human nature.