We Still Need To Talk About It, Period!
Recently, a girl was killed in Maharashtra, India because her brother misunderstood menarche as a sign of sexual activity. The girl was questioned at home but couldn’t answer due to her lack of awareness and the brother found sex as a better explanation for the bloodstains than just understanding that her little 12-year-old sister might just be getting her period for the first time. While the UN focuses on the theme of “making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030”, we’re still here, supporting the stigmas and shame with our silence because it’s easier to avoid uncomfortable conversations than be a part of the change! 28th May is considered as the Menstrual Hygiene Day so let’s take a step closer to menstrual hygiene management by being better and aware individuals.
What’s menstruation? The reproductive cycle is repeated at an average interval of 28/29 days due to the breakdown of the endometrial lining of the uterus and its blood vessels, which forms a liquid that comes out of the vagina. It only occurs if the released ovum isn’t fertilized. That’s just the scientific definition of it and since we’re not in 8th standard anymore (if you’re, I’m glad that you’re reading about such topics), let’s take a closer look at some major aspects of menstruation and that is period poverty and hygiene, which affects the women of India to a great extent. Now, if you’re privileged, you might think that we’ve come a far way but that’s just the partial truth. You probably have access to your desired period products and a period care routine while there are people who never had proper menstrual awareness and don’t have the funds for maintenance of a menstrual cycle either.
When you are menstruating, your hormones start to act up and you feel like doing nothing more than just sitting with your bowl of ice cream, right? However, it is extremely important to maintain your hygiene better during this time because you’re literally releasing blood, tissues, and even decidual cast! It can be painful and scary but the foul smell and infections will only make it worse so maintenance is the key to avoiding it all. Now, as someone who can afford period products and even choose between the variety of them only wonders why would anyone want to stay unhygienic when they’re going through their cycle? Because it’s just a pad that you’ve to change every 5–6 hours so it must not be a hassle. But it is unattainable for a lot of people because:
- They are not aware of the methods to practice to maintain menstrual hygiene because we’re too ashamed to talk about it.
2. People lack the financial capacity to buy period products.
If you’re smart enough to find this article, you can find many such articles to help you build a period care routine that will help you understand yourself better and make decisions accordingly. But here’s why people fail to achieve a maintained period cycle: Period poverty! It restricts you from taking care of yourself. Now, we can understand it as just another process that our body goes through but it demands a lot from us so isn’t that a valid reason to at least make sure that everyone has access to period products?
Talking about just India, where the fifth biggest killer of women is menstrual hygiene and only 36 percent of women uses sanitary pads during their period — In 2018, on Womxn’s Day, the government of India launched 100% oxy-biodegradable sanitary napkins, ‘Suvidha’ in packs of four at 10. Also, Menstrual Health Management explained the importance of education on such topics by the schools still, 40% of schools lack this. No such initiatives gathered attention but why not though? Were they promoted rightfully? Now, don’t blame it on the mindset of people if you can’t bring some change as the government. Make it a law if required but save your people as you seem to be India’s only hope in the presence of so many taboos.
Another reason for period poverty is the costliness of period products because brands need to generate all their revenues out of women’s bodies, right? It gets so much easier for them because there’s no way you could avoid using these unless you want to switch to clothes, hash, used pads, and what not. After all, it’s a luxury that we all must try to achieve like it’s our sole purpose of earning. It just seems too funny to me that a thing as basic as a pad is so expensive even though it’s required literally every month. Now, I understand that the raw materials and manufacturing required need money but no one deserves to quit their education or not go to their day job (which actually affects their salary too as not every job offers paid menstrual leaves) only because they are on their period. According to the statistics, 1 out of 5 girls drop out of school after they start menstruating and 40% of students resort to missing school. So, this explains why and how a lot of girls are exposed to sexual and mental diseases but not exposed to the facts related to them till they experience it and that’s 71% of the girls. In addition to this, 70% of women develop reproductive diseases only due to a lack of menstrual hygiene. And the solution to it is just two things: Awareness about menstruation and the struggles related to it & better facilities to fight period poverty!
It’s easy to talk about it, right? But to actually contribute, I request you to engage in more conversations about periods around you. Initiate it, make the less privileged people more aware of their rights to health facilities, and encourage privileged people to make the most out of their sources to educate others, donate to legitimate organizations that focus on MHM, volunteer in campaigns or events that talk about menstruation in rural areas and most importantly, say no to myths that do nothing but just add to the pain that menstruation causes. Because lack of menstrual hygiene will be a public health crisis if the conditions don’t improve soon enough but we can move beyond the stigma by breaking the silence! So, do your part by looking over the wall that divides you and the less educated ones because so many of us are denied our basic necessities only because of the communication barrier caused by shame. Let’s normalize it together and make India rich in terms of menstrual awareness with one conversation and one period product at a time!
