Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Social media has a habit of turning health topics into viral trends. The latest example is “period scooping”, a term circulating widely on TikTok that promises a way to manage or even shorten menstruation. The idea sounds intriguing, even empowering. In reality, it reveals how much confusion still surrounds periods. The term “period scooping” is being used to describe several different practices. One involves consciously contracting pelvic floor muscles while on the toilet or in the shower to push out menstrual fluid that has collected in the vaginal canal. This is not new and it is not dangerous. Many people have discovered it themselves over time. But it does not shorten a period, it merely reduces its flow for a short while. Menstruation is the shedding of the womb lining, a process driven by hormonal changes. What happens in the vaginal …