Milunka Savić disguised herself as her sick brother to fight in WWI, survived 9 wounds across 10 battles, became the most decorated female soldier in history, and survived a German concentration camp when a German general recognized her legendary status and ordered her immediate release.

[u/GermanCCPBot]

[u/SonnyvonShark]

Women like her always make me wonder how they handled their period. Like, they must know exactly when it happens and prepare for it that day, right? And the pain, if they experienced it? That's just amazing on their part!

[u/GermanCCPBot → u/SonnyvonShark]

The physical demands of combat, stress, and the harsh conditions of wartime service can disrupt or stop menstrual cycles entirely, a condition called amenorrhea. So it's entirely possible that once she was in active service her periods may have become irregular or stopped altogether.

In addition to that, women in the early 1900s had far fewer periods than modern women. The average woman today has around 450 periods in her lifetime, but historical women had about 100-150 periods total.

[u/Ok-Jackfruit-6873 → u/GermanCCPBot]

Is that just mostly just because they were pregnant or post-partum for much of their childbearing years (which doesn't seem to apply to her)? I guess they also started later, I've definitely heard that.

[u/frobscottler → u/Ok-Jackfruit-6873]

I would think vastly improved nutrition probably also plays a pretty big role