Your Period as the 5th Vital Sign: The Importance of Menstrual Education in Ending Stigma
From our first periods, menstruators have been told that debilitating cramps and intense mood swings are all just a part of living in our bodies. I had grown up being taught that my period would be a bother; a natural process that I should hide. This left me with pits in my stomach as I feared the onset of my period and the five days every month when I would bleed. Later that fear turned to confusion, then morphed into frustration. Turns out periods aren’t meant to be excruciatingly unbearable. Just as the phases of the cycle fluctuate, our menstrual cyclescan vary in length and symptoms based on many lifestyle factors.
Our menstrual cycle is affected by our stress levels, diet, and exercise; and we can improve our menstrual health by altering these factors. For example, high levels of inflammation in the body worsen period pain and can be caused by high amounts of stress. Additionally, a diet high in processed foods, seed oils, red meats, and refined grains can lead to inflammation and period pain. Socioeconomic disparities can also affect an individual’s ability to regulate their diet, as choosing to eat a healthier diet is a privilege. As a result, taking control of one’s menstrual health can feel impossible and overwhelming. This is why menstrual equity is a social justice issue, as it is impacted by various other systems of oppression.
With the idea that menstrual health is impacted by various aspects of one’s identity, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recognizes periods as the fifth vital sign alongside the four universally accepted: pulse rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and temperature. Though we have been taught to disregard our period and mute its symptoms with painkillers, allowing our bodies to be heard can lead us to shift our lifestyle to improve our menstrual and overall health. Accepting our cycle as a core element of our health also allows us to shed the shame we associate with our period. A crucial aspect of this is increasing access to education on menstruation.
Young people rarely receive adequate education on their menstrual cycle as sexual education school instruction is only required in slightly greater than half of U.S. states. In many of those states, boys and girls are separated anc and further makes that education lacking and often not comprehensive. Only Washington, D.C. and Oregon have statewide menstrual health education and equity standards. Despite that good news, students want more.
85% of teens think everyone should learn about menstruation — not just people who experience periods. Menstrual health is not a one-gender topic, but rather something all individuals should be educated on in order to put inclusivity into practive and provide the most effective education. Menstrual education for all reduces the shame and stigma menstruators experience.
It is also important to remember that women are not the only people who menstruate, and not all women menstruate. The lack of inclusive language that exists in current sex ed programs is alarming, isolating trans, gender-fluid, and non-binary individuals. A lack of inclusivity harms the whole of society by enforcing gender stereotypes, the gender binary, and discrimination against the queer community.
Poor education has caused menstruators to endure painful periods under the guise of normalcy. It has also caused most connotations surrounding menstruation to be negative, described by the term ‘menstrual moaning’ discussed by Maureen C. McHugh in her book The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies. The term refers to how most menstruators talk down on their bodies due to their experience with periods. If you search period-related posts on social media sites such as TikTok, the vast majority of them will have a negative undertone, as menstruators are taught to dislike and dread their periods. However, utilizing a period as a fifth vital sign for menstruators is a powerful mechanism that can be useful in medical practice and life.
Rather than treating a period as one almost week-long segment of the month that exists in a vacuum, it is essential to examine the cycle as a whole and the hormone dances occurring body-wide. There is the menstrual phase, the first phase most are familiar with that involves bleeding while the uterine lining sheds, but there are also 3 more phases: the follicular, ovulation, and luteal phase, all of which are important in measuring and caring for one’s health. Most people know nothing of the other 3 stages of the cycle until they become concerned with their fertility.
Similar to many of my peers, I independently learned moreabout the menstrual cycle through the internet. We must remember that many do not have access to online resources and they often contains misinformation. Caretakers may also be unwilling or hesitant to discuss menstrual health with their children for various reasons such as cultural stigma or a lack of education themselves. These points stress the importance of menstrual health education in schools from a young age to empower menstruators in a safe and effective way. Comprehensive education should not induce shame or guilt, but infuses young menstruators with courage and confidence in their bodies and abilities to better their health.
Talking about periods is the easiest way any individual can make a difference as it creates a safe, period-friendly environment inour homes, schools, and places of work. We must also advocate for our state’s Board of Education to implement menstrual health equity standards (that states like Oregon have modeled) in order to increase access, remove barriers, and reduce disparities. Overall, it is critical to take an intersectional approach to menstrual equity advocacy, ensuring education is inclusive and available to all.
Once we are equipped with the knowledge and resources to prioritize our menstrual health, we can find control and land one step closer to a healthier relationship with ourselves and menstrual equity for all.
