During The Great Starvation from 1959-61, my grandma studied at Tsinghua University, among the most resourceful and well-protected groups in China. Back then, each student was allowed 29 pounds of food per month. Everyone saved one pound as emergency reserves, and on top of that, each girl donated 3 pounds to male students in the class. Even at the most resourceful university, there was no sign of menstrual products for months in women’s bathrooms. It turned out that all female faculty and students lost their periods.

My grandma and her friends were delighted to avoid period mess, yet the government was very concerned about the fertility of the most intelligent young women in the country. As such, the government convened conferences and ordered responsible parties to prioritize this issue. The new policy forbade female students from intense labor or giving food to male students. Each girl received 1 hormone pill per day, and the severely starved received additional soybean powder and sugar. While my grandma got her period back a month later under the new policy, it took 3 months for many others.