This story was originally published on Jun. 17, 2016.Periods are a totally normal part of human life. Yet, somewhere along the line, through centuries of stigma, we've forgotten that. Whether you think periods are gross, a painful nightmare , or a beautiful representation of what our bodies can do is completely up to you. But the one thing we can't stand any longer is being shamed for menstruating.For too long, that shame has kept women silent — and discouraged any innovation in making periods less of a hassle. Fortunately, that's beginning to change. We've seen a plethora of period-tracking apps , tampon-subscription boxes, and a variety of menstrual cups tampons , and gadgets become available in recent years. And that's just the beginning.Ahead, we talked to five women who are actively changing the way we deal with periods — both the actual physical experience and the stigma that comes with that — about their products and the challenges they faced in bringing their inventions to the world.