You might be interested in some previous threads from the FAQ section on "How did women deal with menstruation" as well as from a recent search:

• How did ancient or old world women take care of their feminine needs during menstruation? - 67 comments, over 2 years old.
• The topmost comment here describes Ancient Egyptian, Israelite, and Medieval European methods used by menstruating women and comments below it talk about many others.
• What did women do when "on the rag" before there were rags (or humans used tools)? - 18 comments, over 2 years old.
• This thread links to a variety of web resources for further information on the topic.
• In "Day of Reflection | August 26th–September 1st" /u/caffarelli commented here - 23 comments, over 1 year old.
• This commenter talks about the first reactions to the introduction of tampons and similar products.
• How have women throughout history, and throughout different cultures dealt with their period? - 9 comments, over 2 years old.
• Not much in this thread besides a book recommendation as well as a link to a thread in /r/AskAnthropology with 16 comments.