Anjanhadri

School Boys
English

BY ANUSHKA
A BRIEF ON PERIODS:
● Periods are a biological development that is part of puberty that females go
through at about 12 years old but this number can vary a lot.
● There are several different names for periods from menstruation to chums to
“that time of the month”.
● The menstrual cycle or periods is when women periodically bleed from the
vagina every month for about 5 to 7 days. This is out of their control.
● Each bleeding happens roughly about every 28 day but this number can vary a
lot.
● Periods stop after a certain age, around 48, when women hit menopause but this
number can also vary a lot.
● This process happens to all those who are biologically female.
● Girls need products like pads to stem the bleeding that happens during
periods.
WHY IS PERIOD SUCH A TABOO TOPIC?
Period are often seen as something dirty and wrong as many
people lack education about it. Since people don’t know much
about it they assume the worst and believe myths that are
harmful to women, myths that control women’s autonomy,
restricting where they go, what they eat, what they touch
and even the fact that they shower!
SOME COMMON MYTHS:
● Women shouldn’t enter the temple during menstruation: is a completely untrue myth.
There is nothing unholy about menstruation AT ALL. Calling menstruation unholy is
like calling respiration, another life process, unhealthy. There is even a goddess
in Assam who is known for menstruating (Kamakhya devi) so there is absolutely
nothing wrong with menstruating.
● Women’s emotions are dismissed because of their period: often women’s emotions and
valid concerns are dismissed as PMS, which commonly features mood swings but this
is also completely untrue. PMS (aka premenstrual syndrome), first of all, is not
experienced by all women and those who do experience PMS are not “hormonal” or
“emotional”. They may be a little volatile but that does not completely remove
their ability to think rationally so it is important to listen to their concern
without dismissing it as “PMS”. Moreover, men also experience mood swings and PMS-
like symptoms regularly due to hormones so this isn’t just a “women thing”.
SOME COMMON MYTHS:
● Period cramps are fake: as we have discussed, cramps are one of
the common symptoms of periods, and cramps can prevent women from
concentrating but often women’s pain is dismissed as “hysteria”,
so much so that women themselves dismiss their own pain. However,
it is important they take a break during your period and even
visit a gynecologist if the pain becomes too much.
● Pickles should not be touched or eaten by menstruating women:
while there are some dietary requirements and restrictions on
periods, not touching a food item or consuming it won’t make it
“impure” so don’t let anyone ever tell you any different!
SOME COMMON MYTHS:
● Women cannot go into the kitchen during menstruation:
while women should not be forced to cook, just because
there menstruating doesn’t mean they can’t cook.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HELP WOMEN?
Like we’ve discussed before several myths are debilitating and restricting for
women. Helping women in situations that they encounter during their period (e.g.
giving them a hot pack for period cramps, a condition experienced during periods)
and encouraging them to talk freely is imperative to their mental and physical
health!
SOME COMMON PROBLEMS:
● Period cramps: women often experience cramps during their period that can get
quite bad. These cramps are in the lower region of the abdomen. To help any women
near you experiencing this, give them a place to sit down, or even better lie down.
Give them a hot pack if needed.
● If a girl bleeds through a outfit: bleeding during periods can get quite heavy and
sometimes women cannot predict it. If you see a blood stain on a girl’s pants/skirts
please do not make fun of it by pointing it out to others. Instead give the girl a
jacket or just tell her that she has a stain on the back. It maybe awkward to do so,
but it’s much better than doing nothing!
● If a girl’s period starts early: as periods are unpredictable, girls might have to borrow
pads or other products from their friends so if you see a girl carrying a pad or
something similar, don’t smirk or make fun of it! This is a completely natural process
that already has a lot of stigma around it so don’t add to that.
SOME COMMON PROBLEM:
● Don’t dismiss period cramps: women experience period cramps which can be very
painful so if somebody around you like your sister or friend is complaining about
cramps try and help them by giving them their favorite food, a hot pack or
something like that. Please don’t dismiss their pain because it will be bad for their
health.
● Don’t dismiss a women’s emotions or concerns because of her periods: As we
discussed before, PMS is a conditions experienced by women during their period
where they have mood swings but just because a female is experiencing puberty
does not mean she isn’t rational. As we said before, men also experience more mood
swings during puberty yet it is women’s emotions and concerns that are dismissed.
This is because oftentimes men don’t know much about periods and think PMS is
something that happens all women all the time, but that is completely untrue.
WHAT DO GIRLS WANT YOU TO KNOW?
To recap, these are some of the things to keep in mind when dealing with periods:
● It is a normal biological process.
● It is not in our control.
● We cannot accurately predict it.
● Not everybody’s period is the same.
● Mood swings or cramps are also not in our control.
● Mood swings don’t render us completely incapable of rational thought.
● Pads or any other products are not illicit items. You can touch them and
nothing will happen to you.