Despite thousands of years of human civilization, menstruation, commonly known as the period, is still taboo, inspiring misconceptions in many people. Just FYI, girls have their first biological cycle between ages 10-12, consisting of a monthly release of blood and mucus from the uterus. It is also one of the critical elements of female reproduction, making her uterus capable of carrying a fertile fetus. In a nutshell, menstruation is the major biological mechanism responsible for the conception of new human life.
Although, both men and women are vocal about rights and health awareness today, there still exist prevailing misconceptions regarding menstruation, making it more challenging to better understand this natural process. In most rural communities, women face unfair treatment regarding periods. It is unimaginable how inhuman their living conditions are. The education of males on periods is also very important because it would not be far-fetched despite it being a biological process in women’s bodies. It also has a significant impact on the entire human race.
It is brutal to treat a human to be profane.
Unfortunately, in some cultures and some communities, elderly women, even after experiencing this natural process, are involved in orthodox misconceptions and unhealthy beliefs about the menstrual cycle. Their thinking and attitude towards the subject gravely affect other women in the house, causing them to label women during their periods as dirty, mis-fortuitous, or even satanic for the well-being of the other family members. Women on their periods are treated as contagious diseases and kept away from touching.
There are thousands of episodes in which women are asked to stay out of the house and abstain from consuming healthy food during periods. Many people believe women might impair family members’ health by cooking and serving food during their period. Moreover, when they are deprived of loving comforts and care in addition to physical and emotional discomfort, the situation becomes even worse.
Sanitary napkins are not luxuries but a basic need.
Like every individual with basic food and shelter needs to sustain livelihoods, sanitary napkins are also an essential basic need for women during their periods.
Women living in rural areas or economically poor may not have access to sanitary napkins. There is a very unhealthy and harsh approach to force women to use old rags as tampons, and sanitary products are not prioritized. Even today, if a girl prefers to purchase a sanitary napkin, it is perceived as a shameful act; however, it is extremely important to empathize that women should not feel insecure when seeking medical care.
Period cramps have been clinically proven to be real trauma.
It is a common misconception that periods are abnormal or dirty, but there is another very critical problem: ignorance and being uninformed. Women are expected to endure severe pain during their periods and given zero importance when it comes to basic needs. Their periods are associated with severe physical discomfort and concerning mental restlessness. For women, hormonal changes result in massively traumatic experiences. Despite the fact that it is not considered a medical illness, it persists just as painfully even though it is not on the same level as medical conditions. The way a person feels exhausted and traumatized when they experience bleeding occurs pretty much for a woman during her period. The severity of cramps is unimaginable. In recent studies, some researchers suggest that cramps cause more pain than a clinical heart attack. A woman must be given full support during this time of the month every month.
Every woman goes through discomfort and pain during menstruation, and they are biologically formed to deal with this natural process. That doesn’t give the other people the right to treat her unfairly or ignore her need for care and comfort. Period.
