Two young women were hospitalized after trying to end their menstruations early by using a vacuum hose.
A nurse said the women were aged 19 and 23 and both went into ‘shock’ after their strategy triggered a blood rush.
The so-called ‘Menstrual Extraction’ was first mentioned by feminist activists Carol Downer and Lorraine Rothman in the 1970s to perform a DIY abortion before the introduction of Roe v Wade.
They described how to make a contraption ‘Del Em’ using a speculum, a cannula, a jar, and a syringe.
After abortions became legal across the United States, the Del Em was sidelined.
The nurse wrote on Twitter: “I don’t know if it was Eureka, Dyson, Hoover or some Walmart brand, but yes… An actual vacuum cleaner.”
She continued: “Your period has a steady flow of it’s own that for all intents and purposes your body can tolerate. A vacuum increases that flow over a 1000 times which your body can’t tolerate, therefore sending you into shock.”
Dr. Adeeti Gupta, founder of Walk In GYN Care, said to DailyMail: “It’s a terrible unsafe idea. It can lead to severe vaginal injuries and infections.
“Menstrual bleeding is an active and natural process, it’s not just sitting in the uterus in a pool that can be sucked out. Please don’t even think about it.
“Thankfully we don’t see this often. Menstrual extraction via vacuum can definitely send you into shock. It’s very real and I have thankfully no seen this happen recently. But I have seen shock happen in similar situations before
“Shock can happen either due to severe vaginal injuries leading to blood loss, or just due to stimulation of the nerves in that region which can cause the body to go into a neurogenic shock.”
What’s your take on this? Let us know in the comments section and SHARE this with your friends and family!