The male period is a thing, apparently.

Men, you can’t get menstrual cramps. That’s not how biology works.

There are lots of great things about being a woman. But I’ll go out on a limb and say having periods is not on the list.

It’s on my garbage list, along with getting paid less, doing most of the housework, getting harassed on the street and the many other joys of womanhood.

But now blokes are trying to muscle in on our garbage list. A quarter of British men surveyed for this new research, think they get a monthly mood change – which they consider to be the male version of a period.

“As part of a study of 2,412 people, male participants were asked if they frequently suffered the same common side effects of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) that women experience during their menstrual cycle, including tiredness, cramps and increased sensitivity,” London’s Telegraph reports.

Twenty six per cent said yes.

No bleeding, no additional laundry. Just feelings… and cramps.

That’s right. Five per cent of men think they actually suffer from menstrual cramps,  which I’m a little skeptical about because I’m pretty sure you need a uterus for that.

Maybe someone can mansplain it to me?

For those of you who say “periods aren’t that bad” but have never actually experienced menstruation… pic.twitter.com/GdQ7S6h1wH

— Sylva (@queenfeminist) November 18, 2015

The idea of male periods has been around for a while with psychotherapist Jed Diamond claiming men suffer from “irritable male syndrome”. “This is really based on 40 years of my own clinical research as well as responses from 10,000 men. We’ve discovered why millions of men are becoming angry and depressed, and why they so often vent their frustration on the women they love the most,” Diamond has said. Well sure, of course men get angry and depressed. men have ups and downs – just like women. They have mood swings and might feel more tired and irritable from time to time. But periods? No.

If men got periods, mine would be in sync with the liquor store manager’s. — HazmeCosquillas Elmò (@anglesnachez) November 12, 2015

One of the worst things about sexism is the stereotypes that pin women down as “weak and emotional” create a complimentary pressure on men to “be strong”. SO much so they have to link feeling to  physical condition to make it valid.

Screw that men of the world. Feelings don’t make you less “manly”, and you don’t need an excuse to have them. Especially if it’s not actually physically possible.