Olivia Cotes-James wants us to talk about menstrual health. Properly.

No more euphemisms, no more opaque marketing, no more superstitions, and no glossing over cramps, bleeding, or pain: Reframing current attitudes is vital for female empowerment and health, as well as the environment, says the 29-year-old founder of LUÜNA Naturals, which hails itself as Asia’s first period care company with an all-female leadership team.

She is not alone in wanting to change the conversation: Last year the UN warned that taboos around menstrual health were “disempowering” women worldwide, calling for action to end it.

“Period stigma is the biggest barrier to the global advancement of women,” agrees Cotes-James, adding: “Periods can still cause us to feel dirty, ashamed and frustrated. If menstrual taboos persist and society continues to devalue our fundamental female biology, what hopes do we have of ever being seen as equal?”

On average women will spend up to eight years of their lives on their period, according to UNICEF. They are vital to the continuity of the human race, but myths and misconceptions still dominate worldwide.

The arrival of menstrual cups, period underwear, which can remove the need for products entirely, and apps that track your cycle have led to a new culture of openness in a generation keen to verbalize the long-hidden realities of the female experience and reproductive rights — from #MeToo and #ShoutYourAbortion, to miscarriage awareness campaign #Iamthe1in4 and #Trustaftertrauma, where women share their stories of obstetric violence.

Bloggers and vloggers lay bare the realities of how period products work on social media. There is even a period emoji in the pipeline.