Menstruation Is Normal…Period!

The dearth of knowledge about menstrual sanitation leads to a culture of constraints and taboos. Poor water, sanitation and hygiene amenities in schools, inadequate sex education and lack of hygiene cause girls to understand and perceive menstruation as shameful and uncomfortable. Research advocates girls’ dread and embarrassment from leaking of blood and body odour, preventing them from seeking help and enforce restrictions on their nutrition, lifestyle and activities when menstruating.

“Menstrual blood is the only source of blood that is not traumatically induced. Yet in modern society, this is the most hidden blood, the one so rarely spoken of and almost never seen, except privately by women”- Judy Grahn

India is a country of disparities, with affluence and scarcity and gender-related disparities, causing a substantial discrepancy with regard to health, wellbeing and societal indicators among women. The menstrual cycle is a natural and normal process. It is a global gauge of the woman’s health and reproductive system’s functionality.

The dearth of knowledge about menstrual sanitation leads to a culture of constraints and taboos. Poor water, sanitation and hygiene amenities in schools, inadequate sex education and lack of hygiene cause girls to understand and perceive menstruation as shameful and uncomfortable. Research advocates girls’ dread and embarrassment from leaking of blood and body odour, preventing them from seeking help and enforce restrictions on their nutrition, lifestyle and activities when menstruating. The prevalent traditional prohibitions against menstruation are considered to be obstructions to their school attendance. In a tragic case two years back, a 12-year-old girl in Tamil Nadu committed suicide after being scolded by her teacher when her menstrual blood stained her uniform and bench.

The Untouchables!

Regrettably, restrictions during menstruation are common. The most frequent are limitations in temples, mosques, fire-temples and touching holy objects or praying. The rest are diet related, or touching individuals. It is weaved in the fabric of our Indian culture that women are treated as “untouchables” during this time of the month.  Even in urban India, women testified sleeping in different quarters or sitting at a distance from other family members throughout the duration of their menstrual cycle. The women also face limitations when preparing food, doing household chores, exercising and playing, leaving the house and being present at social functions.

Required: Education and hygiene

Research proposes about half of Indian adolescent girls started menarche uninformed of its reason and purpose, with only a quarter knowing the cause of bleeding. Commercial sanitary napkins, menstrual cups and tampons are normally used in urban backgrounds, with girls in rural parts of India are primarily reliant on cloth. Most adolescent girls discarded their used sanitary pads in unsuitable places. Several girls reported that they did not attend school during menstruation. Absence in school on account of menstruation has not reduced over time.

Cloth is conventionally used to absorb menstrual blood; it is cost effective and more ecological, but are being steadily replaced by sanitary napkins, predominantly in metropolitan cities. Washing and drying pieces of cloths are problematic if there is an inadequate supply of water, a lack of privacy and space to dry them. Drying in the sun is suggested for its ‘microbicidal effect’, but women feel the need to hide cloths on account of embarrassment. This is because girls associate periods with emotions of shame and guilt and feelings of humiliation. However, menarche is celebrated in some parts of Sothern India.

Most women are of the opinion that menstruation is a huge physical and emotional load. While awareness and knowledge could dispel some limitations, deep-seated beliefs and negative automatic thoughts are deeply ingrained within the narrow mindset of individuals.

Awareness on Menstrual Hygiene

One of the key causes, why girls from rural areas have little awareness and knowledge about menstruation, is probably due to of the dearth of health education and awareness programs in schools and also due to the underprivileged backgrounds of the women.

Awareness programs on Menstrual Hygiene are the need of the hour. We need to be able to speak about menstruation without hesitation and feelings of shame. Women need to be psycho-educated and provided with the basic knowledge of menstruation. They must be briefed about the importance of menstrual hygiene and the consequences of possessing the traditional beliefs which are detrimental to them. Poor hygiene practices and lack of information can result in several reproductive diseases and infections. For instance, many are unaware of safer alternative and sustainable options such as using a menstrual cup instead of cloth, sanitary pads and/or tampons.

It is imperative to work on the competence and abilities’ of teachers and instructors to guarantee they are able to speak about this issue with their students without any fear or embarrassment.

Individuals need to understand and be able to educate themselves with the fact that menstruation is a biological process that women experience and to rejoice in the fact that their body is functioning as it was meant to!

“Silence todo against the stigma and shame relating to menstruation!”