Menstrual extraction

Menstrual extraction (ME) is a type of manual vacuum aspiration technique developed by feminist activists Lorraine Rothman and Carol Downer to pass the entire menses at once.

The non-medicalized technique has been used in small feminist self-help groups since 1971 and has a social role of allowing access to early abortion without needing medical assistance or legal approval.

[4] They took the thin, flexible plastic Karman cannula (about the size of a soda straw), and the syringe (50 or 60ml), and added a one-way bypass valve, to fix two main problems.

[5] Downer considers the teaching and usage of self-help groups to be a key radical feminist action to ensure women's reproductive sovereignty.

"[4] Since 1971, groups performing menstrual extractions have had an excellent safety record, obviating any opportunity for legal action culminating in the prosecution of any individual.

From the extensive mailing list collected during these demonstrations, Downer and Rothman began a national tour, going all over the country (to 23 cities on a Greyhound bus) teaching the new technique.

It did begin to regain its popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, which limited access to abortion by state of residence and type of medical insurance.

The Del Em was a do-it-yourself assembly consisting of three parts: a cannula with a one-way valve, a collection jar and a syringe, all connected with plastic tubing.

Meanwhile, menstrual regulation is performed with a commercially produced kit consisting of two parts: a cannula with a one-way valve and a directly connected syringe.

[2][9]: 169 According to the National Abortion Federation (NAF), "in the developing world, menstrual regulation is still a crucial strategy to circumvent anti-abortion laws."

[21] In Cuba, where abortion is legal, menstrual regulation is widely practiced—menstrual extraction is offered to everyone whose period is two weeks late, without a pregnancy test.