10 amazing cartoons that show the reality of periods

Periods. Menstruation. Being a woman. The rag.

A pretty large section of the population suffers from the interminable nightmare of periods. That's a few days of PMS, followed by the period, followed by a day or so recovery.

Up until this year, feminine hygiene products like tampons and sanitary pads were still taxed as 'luxury items', known as the 'tampon tax'.

Olympic swimmer Fu Yuanhui made headlines when she explained that her performance had been affected by menstrual cramps and period-related fatigue.

One so-called 'meninist' Twitter troll also made headlines when he appeared not to understand the basic biology of menstruation, prompting scorn and derision but also a serious discussion about the lack of proper menstrual education in schools.

However, many artists are taking to the internet to combat this ignorance with humour.

These witty, hearbreaking and hilarious comics go some way to expressing the reality of what periods can really be like.

1. The Hellish Nightmare

Picture: Lucy Bellwood

2. The Cruel Composite

3. The Outsider

4. The False Advertising

Picture: VulpineNinja

5. The Map...of Doom

6. The (Click Through To Find Out How) Psychotic

7. The Circle of Life

8. The Raging Fury

9. The Vengeful Samurai

And finally...

10. The Bright Side

Picture: Goncalo Alho

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