Should We Teach Our Sons About Periods?

… and does it have to be awkward?

While walking into a grocery store with my parents when I first started menstruating, nobody asked any questions when the packet of pads we bought were wrapped in newspaper. My walk home was barely 5 minutes long. But despite the short duration the packet of pads needed to be covered to ensure its covert transportation. Over the years, the pads continued to arrive wrapped in newspaper without any questions asked.

The messaging was subtle but clear — pads and periods were not something you could talk about openly.

For most girls, the lesson that periods and menstruation are taboo and not to be talked about, especially with boys and men, is learned at a very young age. The lack of conversation around menstruation leads to confusion and ignorance, with consequences ranging from amusing to more devastating.

Around the world, misconceptions about menstruation, and shame associated with it, affect girls’ health and education outcomes. Negative cultural misconceptions about menstruation and the lack of access to menstrual hygiene products increases the risk of infections and lead to higher rates of cervical cancer in women. To combat this discrimination due to menstruation and raise awareness about female access to hygiene and sanitation, the UN declared menstrual hygiene a public health and human rights issue.

I wanted to learn about how open the women in my life were about menstruation, and particularly talking about it with the men in their lives — from fathers and siblings to partners.

“It was a completely different time. Periods were not something we could talk about with anyone,” said my mother while talking about her childhood. One friend said a PCOS diagnosis led to the only time she had a conversation on the subject with her father. Most of my friends said that they had talked about periods and menstruation with a partner. On the other hand, friends of friends insisted that periods were not a topic you raised with men, and had never spoken about it with male relatives or partners.

A few months ago, HowToTellYourChild launched the ‘Boys Talk’ campaign where we asked a dozen teenage boys their thoughts on whether it was important to teach boys about periods and menstruation as well. Every one of them answered that it is important that boys learn about menstruation as awareness is the ideal solution to beat the stigma around periods.

Others talked about how if they knew more about menstruation, they would better understand how they can help the women in their lives.

Changing attitudes about menstruation have already started to topple taboos around the subject. To continue this trend it is vital to start conversations around puberty and menstruation with your sons. When introducing the topic of puberty, talk to your son about the changes he can expect in his body. You can explain to him the stages of development of the penis and testicles. And that the shape of his body, musculature, sound of his voice may change as well. This conversation can then lead to the changes in an adolescent girl’s body including the biological factors that lead to menarche and menstruation.

It’s time to leave the awkwardness behind and make period taboos a thing of the past.