So, apparently a quarter of all dudes believe they have ‘man periods’

When we hit you guys up with menstruation news, we’re often talking to the ladies out there (although, as period panties company Thinx recently reminded us, trans men and genderqueer individuals also can get periods). Point being, when we talk about periods, we’re usually NOT talking about cisgender men. But maybe we should be, because according to the Telegraph,a survey conducted in the UK found that a quarter of all the participating men claimed they experienced ‘man periods.’

Wait, wait, wait- WHAT? What in the name of all that is good and holy is a MAN PERIOD?

Obviously, cisgender men do not have ovaries, and so when they speak of ‘man periods’ they’re not talking about the shedding of uterus lining, because these men have, right, none of those body parts. No, what the 1,206 men asked revealed is that 26% of them experience symptoms like fatigue, increased sensitivity, constant hunger, and general irritability on a monthly basis, AKA a combo platter of symptoms typically associated with menstruation.

Of the men surveyed who experience PMS symptoms, 12% confessed they were more sensitive about their weight during their man periods, while 5% of even reported suffering from cramps. Yes, like, menstrual cramps.

A fifty-fifty split of women and men were surveyed for this study that explored menstrual symptoms across gender lines, and another fascinating stat that emerged is that 58% of the female partners of men who experience ‘man periods’ totally support the existence of the phenomenon. Of the women who don’t believe in ‘man periods,’ 33% report that they have told their partner to “man up,” ouch.

So how do the women who do believe in the man period interact with their male partners when they are experiencing their ‘time of the month’? A reported 44% of women try to cheer their dudes up, whereas 39% of women report that they “walk on eggshells” when their partner exhibits these symptoms

And yes, science HAS come up with a name for this mysterious phenomenon: “Irritable Male Syndrome.” Also, as it turns out, it’s actually not THAT mysterious. As the Guardian reports, Dr. Jed Diamond explains in his book The Irritable Male Syndrome,  “…men have a number of hormonal cycles and these affect their level of energy, anger, sex drive and irritability.”

Knowledge is power, and we hope that men get educated  about their bodies, recognize that they too have hormonal cycles, basically if you are a member of the human race, you have a hormonal cycle, and with hope, that sexist excuse that if someone is behaving a certain way, it must be “their time of the month” goes the way of the dinosaurs because, as it turns out, this is an experience that is spread across the gender spectrum.

Related reading:

Today in important: The makers of period panties created a version for trans men

Just some ways to make being on your period a little easier

(Image via Dreamworks)