The Story of Menstruation (1946)

A basic explanation of the purpose and process of menstruation, told largely with diagrams (and completely avoiding the subject of sex).

Director:

Jack Kinney (uncredited)

Star:

Gloria Blondell

1 win.

Cast

Uncredited cast:
Gloria Blondell	...	Narrator (uncredited)

Storyline

The story of menstruation begins, as the motherly narrator informs us, with the pituitary gland - a gland at the base of the brain that sends hormones throughout the bloodstream that order growth. When a girl reaches an age somewhere between 11 and 17 - the average is 13 - the pituitary gland sends maturing orders to the ovaries, which in turn order the uterus to create a thickened lining, filled with watery fluids and blood. If an egg is fertilized it will remain within that thickened lining for nourishment. But if the egg is not fertilized, the body has no use for the extra nourishment, and it passes out of the body - which is the process called menstruation. The narrator proceeds to disprove taboos against bathing or exercise during menstruation. She advises that girls should keep a calendar that keeps track of the number days between periods. And she notes how good posture, healthy foods and positive attitudes can affect the menstruation cycle.

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Plot Keywords:

menstruation | adolescent girl | menstrual cycle | national film registry | looking at oneself in a mirror | 

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Genres:

Animation | Short | Documentary | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 October 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

История менструации

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions, International Cellucotton Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

10 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Story of Menstruation is believed to be the first film to use the word "vagina" in its screenplay.

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Connections

Featured in Honest Trailers: Cinderella (1950) (2015)

User Reviews

What's the big deal?

Oh no! A Disney film used the term "vagina" when talking about the menstrual cycle. It refers to ovaries and blood and the possibility of pregnancy. All healthy, normal, natural issues, yet for some reason The Story of Menstruation (1946) is infamous... for whatever reason.

It's just a little educational film, nothing problematic about it. It is dated in its presentation (though the facts still seem legit, but I'm no doctor).

I don't know. I feel like the only people who would be scandalized by this are immature twelve year old boys who find the idea of girls having periods gross or terrifying.