Chinese has a few different ways to refer to a menstrual period, ranging from clinical to casual. 生理期 (shēnglǐqī) is the formal term. Among friends, people often soften it with 好朋友 (hǎo péngyǒu, “good friend”), 大姨媽 dà yímā / 大姨妈 dà yímā (“eldest aunt”), or simply say 那個 nàge / 那个 nàge (“that”) followed by 來了 lái le / 来了 lái le. In Taiwan, mentioning a period to male coworkers isn’t seen as awkward — it’s treated as an ordinary fact of life, similar to mentioning a headache, and colleagues may even offer painkillers or a hot drink.