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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (2 results)

  • Thesis
  • Peer Reviewed
UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2025)

Menstruation is a normal biological process yet remains heavily stigmatized in many societies. This dissertation aims to understand why menstruation is stigmatized and what influences attitudes toward women’s reproductive health in the U.S. Across a series of studies, the role of disgust sensitivity as a risk factor for menstrual stigma and broader reproductive health stigma was examined.

In Chapter 2, three surveys (Study 2.1: N = 475 undergraduates, Study 2.2: N = 720 adults from the Prolific platform, Study 2.3: N = 60 adults from a community sample) revealed that sexuality-related disgust – not pathogen or morality – was a key predictor of stigmatizing attitudes toward menstruation, suggesting that menstrual stigma is associated with sexual taboo and sexualization of female bodies. Chapter 3 extended this work by exploring the stigmatization of menstruation, breastfeeding, and abortion across two surveys (Study 3.1: N = 219 undergraduates, Study 3.2: N = 175 undergraduates). Menstrual blood elicited more negative reactions of disgust than blood in general, and menstrual stigma was associated with stigma toward breastfeeding and abortion, indicating that these issues are interconnected. Abortion emerged as more stigmatized than menstruation or breastfeeding; there were significant differences based on political ideology with the former and differences based on sex and political ideology with the latter. Sexuality-related disgust predicted stigmatizing attitudes toward breastfeeding, indicating that breastfeeding stigma is associated with taboos around sexuality.

Chapter 4 investigated behavioral reactions to new, unused menstrual products (N = 100 female and male participants) and found that participants were more reluctant to engage with menstrual pads and tampons than with objects like toilet paper or band-aids, reflecting disgust sensitivity toward menstruation. Although a messaging intervention was not effective, more physical engagement with menstrual products suggested more comfort with menstruation and was linked to lower menstrual stigma. Sentiment analysis of free responses uncovered negative menstrual attitudes and indicated enduring menstrual stigma.

Altogether, these findings demonstrate that social stigma around menstruation and women’s health issues is deeply entwined with sexual and political attitudes. This dissertation provides insights into menstrual stigma and highlights imperatives to improve menstrual attitudes and knowledge through health communication and education.

    Cover page: Taboo and Stigma: Understanding Attitudes Toward Women's Reproductive Health
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    UC Berkeley Previously Published Works (2020)
    Despite high metabolic activity, the retina and optic nerve head lack traditional lymphatic drainage. We here identified an ocular glymphatic clearance route for fluid and wastes via the proximal optic nerve in rodents. β-amyloid (Aβ) was cleared from the retina and vitreous via a pathway dependent on glial water channel aquaporin-4 (AQP4) and driven by the ocular-cranial pressure difference. After traversing the lamina barrier, intra-axonal Aβ was cleared via the perivenous space and subsequently drained to lymphatic vessels. Light-induced pupil constriction enhanced efflux, whereas atropine or raising intracranial pressure blocked efflux. In two distinct murine models of glaucoma, Aβ leaked from the eye via defects in the lamina barrier instead of directional axonal efflux. The results suggest that, in rodents, the removal of fluid and metabolites from the intraocular space occurs through a glymphatic pathway that might be impaired in glaucoma.
      Cover page: An ocular glymphatic clearance system removes β-amyloid from the rodent eye
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