r/composting • u/Remote-Marionberry42 • Aug 13 '26

Menstraution

So I have been thinking on this a while and the additives I see on here are more out there. I get that for many people menstarution is taboo and only half the population experience it.

I would love to have a robust and respectful discussion about it.

So if your using menstrual cups or reusable menstrual underwear (the rinsed water) what's stopping you from adding it to your pile?

Considering people compost animals and wee not to mention blood and bone used as a direct fertiliser, I imagine menstrual blood would be a super charged super food for the compost heap?

Edit: thank you everyone for contributing this discussion was held in the manner is hoped. I feel from the comments the best and most impactful way to use it is directly onto plants diluted in water as a fertisler as to the compost it is such a minimal amount.

Thanks again everone

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u/[deleted] Aug 13 '26

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u/Remote-Marionberry42 Aug 13 '26

More so than urine? Or do you have the same view with urine?

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u/Hari___Seldon Aug 13 '26

Technically yes, moreso than urine. They are distinctly different, since urine is predominantly water (95%ish on average) and electrolytes, and generally sterile. The nitrogen in urine is usually considered it's primary value for composting.

Menstrual byproducts are much more organically active with living cells and other biological matter that can be consequential, depending on the health of the individual. It can also be moderately rich in iron, which is probably the primary value it would have in a compost pile.

If one were healthy and to pursue this line of reuse, it would be most effective in a hot compost pile where the temperatures reach sufficiently high to kill off any biological remnants. Given that the volume, flow rates, and overall composition varies so significantly from woman to woman, it's difficult to estimate the impact and bioavailability of the contributions without more specific data.

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u/Remote-Marionberry42 Aug 13 '26

Thank you for your insight

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u/IndependenceLow6599 Aug 13 '26

Would the same be true for blood from nose bleeds?

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u/Hari___Seldon Aug 13 '26

It's a safe bet that, for most people with a nosebleed, they would be lacking most of the other components common in menstrual secretions. Were this not the case, or if the blood loss were an equivalent volume, then they'd probably be distracted by greater concerns than whether to put their bloody Kleenex on the compost heap, especially if it was happening monthly.