Be honest: how openly do you talk about your periods? If you’re feeling under the weather, do you blame it on a headache or tell a concerned colleague that you’ve got cramps? If you’re talking to a partner about your cycle, do you use a nickname to tell them you’ve “got the painters in” or “Aunt Flo is in town”?

According to research by cycle tracking app Clue, there are over 5,000 euphemisms used around the world for being on your period.

From ‘time of the month’ and ‘shark week’ to ‘surfing the crimson wave’, these euphemisms may seem like harmless ways to take the awkwardness out of talking about menstruation, but according to intimate wellbeing brand Intimina, period euphemisms can often be offensive, problematic and contribute to the ongoing stigma around periods.

It starts early. Intimina’s research found that almost two in five girls use nicknames to describe menstruating when talking to friends or family, with almost two-thirds (65%) admitting to feeling shame and trying to hide that they’re menstruating at school. Even when at home, a quarter of girls claim that they feel shame and try to hide the fact that they’re on their period.

No more ‘time of the month’: why we need to stop using harmful period euphemisms and start talking about menstruation openly