Jaspreet kaur
THE MOMENT SOMEONE USE THIS WORD “MENSTRUATION” EVERYONE STARTS WHISPERING AND MURMURING.
LET’S TALK ABOUT PERIODS/MENSTRUATION!
First of all, let’s reform the language we use when we discuss about menstruation:
We should say “period products” instead of “feminine products” or “reproductive health” instead of women’s health.
•It is really crazy that there is still a stigma in today’s world in India and it is all because if lack if education, silence and discrimination.
•Some cultures perpetuate the idea that periods are ‘dirty’. It is neither a dirty word to use not the process is unnatural or dirty.
ON AN AVERAGE, A WOMAN LOSES ABOUT 60 MILLITERS,OR 2.7 OUNCES OF BLOOD DURING EACH PERIOD (THAT’S ALMOST TWO SHOT GLASSES)!!
•It is believed the food is sacred and menstruating woman is considered impure. So it is believed that a connection between the two can destroy what is holy at the time. In most hindu communities in India, menstruating women are not allow to enter any temple/holy place. They are also restricted from entering the kitchen, touching pickles etc. Women are even not allowed to wash her hair during the first three day of her periods.
•Most unmarried man are still not aware about menstruation facts because females are not allowed to talk about it with any male as it is considered shameful or female feel guilty talking about it.
•Many married Indian women wears toe rings, “BICHWA” or “BICHHIYA”. According to them wearing a toe rings can help in making periods regular and better reproductive health.
•Many women suffer from ANXIETY during periods, anxiety is one of the major symptoms of PMS. Reproductive hormones like progesterone and estrogen fluctuate drastically during the luteal phase of menstruation. This leads to mood swings and anxiety around the period dates.
HOW CAN WE CHANGE THE NEGATIVITY RELATED TO MENSTRUATION ?
- First of all we should start talking about menstruation openly.
- we should teach/learn more about menstruation.
- we should stop showing the period blood aa blue in commercials.
- parents/guardians should educate their children about periods.
- women should stop feeling guilty speaking on their periods.
- men should stop feeling ashamed to ask/talk about periods as humanity wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for menstruation
- stop wrapping period products with ” black” polyethene.
- men should take care of their female partners/mother/ daughters during periods
- Also break the myths about periods in society like touching pickles, entering temples as periods are not impure, it is a natural process.
Menstrual blood is the only source of blood that is not traumatically induced. Yet in modern society, this is most hidden blood, the one so rarely spoken of and almost never seen, except privately by women-JUDY GRAHN
In the earlier times it was believed that the energy of body and the energy that surrounds a sacred place like temple can hamper with a women’s energy and might cause problems in her menstruation or other bodily problems , that’s why it was done , but in today’s world people restrict women without proper knowledge and it looks like getting told “not to “rather than the facts being told and then telling them “that it will affect your ownself “. Today’s world is corrupted , even if I am being told that you can’t enter a place just because I am in my periods , I will be rebellious to them but people need to get educated about this too !