Does menstrual blood have healing powers?!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Special cells in period blood help rebuild uterine lining every month.
Could those cells repair other tissues, too?
Enter Gabija Kugaudaite and team at Kaunas University in Lithuania.
To test this hypothesis, they extracted particles from these cells containing “healing signals”. These were then tested on injured joints in mice.
Results?
The particles boosted collagen production and tissue repair! On top of that, they also reduced inflammation! And here’s the kicker…the source is renewable! It comes back every month!
So, could period blood become a treatment for your future achy joints?
Your monthly cycle might just be a re-cycle plan!
Kugaudaite, G., Bakutyte, I., Bagdonas, E. et al. Menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stromal cell extracellular vesicles stimulate chondrocytes and cartilage extracellular matrix synthesis in vitro. Sci Rep 16, 11059 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-40854-3