After decades of dangerous assumptions, adolescent health research is finally acknowledging a critical truth: 10-14-year-olds aren't just small versions of older teens. The World Health Organization has issued its first-ever research funding call specifically targeting "young adolescents under age 15," marking a revolutionary shift after years of extrapolating findings from 15-19 year olds to younger children.

From the red tents of ancient traditions to modern menstrual leave policies in Japan and India, cultures around the world have developed vastly different approaches to menstruation—some empowering, others restrictive, and many evolving in real-time. While some societies still enforce menstrual taboos that isolate women during their cycles, others are pioneering innovative solutions like Scotland's free period products legislation and Nepal's ongoing fight against deadly chhaupadi practices. By examining these diverse cultural responses to menstruation, we can identify both the harmful traditions that need dismantling and the progressive policies that deserve global adoption, ultimately learning that the path to menstrual equity requires both honoring cultural contexts and challenging harmful norms.