We have also learnt that people will attempt to reuse their tampon by rinsing out the tampon with water, to then reuse it again. Doing this drastically heightens the risk of developing ‘toxic shock syndrome’, a serious and sometimes fatal bacterial infection. In fact, even using a tampon once, as intended, carries risk which is why the recommended use time is strictly no more than 8 hours.
“ Just really quickly” my boss says, his eyes flicking to the clock “In a few weeks it’ll be International Women's Day”.
I sighed internally. I really didn't have the energy for what was coming next.
“ Jan, be a sweetheart and get some cupcakes organised again?” He says to me, “We’ve budgeted about $300 for the office.”
“Tell me," she continued, "what man needs to know when 28 days have passed? I suspect that this is woman's first attempt at a calendar.”
Referencing ‘The Ishango Bone’, the fibula of a baboon that is more than 22,000-28,000 years old. Discovered in the Congo region in 1957 it is something that historians and archaeologists can only really theorize on, as there is no conclusive way to prove which of the sexes created the calendar.
However there is something that tugs at my heartstrings at believing a Paleolithic woman was tracking her cycle in the same way as I do, centuries later.