Vampires are shrouded in myth and legend, and it can be difficult to say for sure what vampires do and don’t do, and exactly how they live.
We are most familiar with the idea with vampires being undead, as creatures who feed off of the blood of humans to survive. There is debate whether or not a vampire can reproduce and fall pregnant, and in order to do so, they would need to follow reproductive cycles.
Do vampires have periods? Vampires most likely don’t have periods. Vampires are dead and do not experience the same bodily functions that living humans do. It would be safe then to assume that female vampires do not have their periods, but as they are creatures of lore, there is no simple answer to this.
There will never be a sure way to find out exactly whether or not female vampires have periods, but there is enough lore and myth to try and work it out on our own, to get the closest answer to the truth as possible.
The Fertility Of Vampires
There are stories of female vampires falling pregnant, and this is usually through union with a male human. This is an incredibly rare instance, but it is something that comes up now and then in vampire lore.
In order for a female vampire to fall pregnant, she would need to follow the same menstrual cycle as a female human. This would involve ovulation and then a period.
It can be difficult to imagine this, as vampires do not have blood in their veins as we humans do.
There are records of vampires bleeding, and sometimes crying tears of blood, so this could indicate that their veins are not completely shriveled up and dry and that they do enjoy some sort of circulatory system.
This could then lead us to assume that they do have enough blood to have a period and therefore be capable of creating life if they have fertile eggs.
A vampire who is capable of menstruating would need to follow a healthy diet, which would obviously include blood, either from a human or large animal, to have healthy bodily functions, and to not be dried out and dusty.
The timing would also have to be perfect for a female vampire to fall pregnant as well. As they do not follow the same bodily functions as us humans or if theirs are slower than ours, it could also be that their periods happen once a year or even longer.
The Age Of Vampires
One needs to consider the age of the female vampire as well, and there are two ways to do this.
One side of the argument could say that if a female was turned into a vampire during her prime reproductive years, she would still have her period once turned.
If a female hit menopause and her period had stopped before she was turned, she wouldn’t have her period as a vampire.
Then, you could also say that because vampires are usually hundreds of years old, they will not be having periods, as human females stop having their periods as they move out of their reproductive prime.
Either case could be true, but it does make sense that if age is a factor in whether or not a female human has a period, it would be right to consider the age of a vampire as well, whether it be before she was turned, or her vampire age well after.
Related Questions
Is menstruation mentioned in vampire stories?
Menstruation is mentioned in a few vampire stories, but it is not usually the vampire who is menstruating.
These stories, such as the work of Anne Rice, mention the victim of a vampire having her period, and the vampire being alerted to this by smelling the blood.
Is menstruation included in vampire symbolism?
Menstruation is found in vampire symbolisms if you look for it. Some lore explains that vampires are influenced by the moon, which is a symbol of menstruation.
The first menstruation, menarche, is also considered by some to be the origin of the vampire myth.
Vampires And Periods
There is no real way to find out whether or not vampires have their period, and there will be people sitting on both sides of the fence of whether it is possible or not.
In order to make your own decision, you need to look at all the different stories passed down, and what we know and understand about vampires, to decide whether or not it is possible that vampires do have their period!