PERIOD TALKS - it's time to break the taboo

It was the time when I had just entered my teens.

An ordinary day, much like any other day in my life.

I felt weird,

Needles of pain in my lower abdomen,

An unnatural sensation in my vagina.

Scared and in pain, I sat at the corner of my bed, wondering!

What is happening to my body? Did I eat something wrong? Did I jump a lot in the sports class? Is this normal? Should I tell mom?

Somehow, I managed to get up and go to the washroom. I opened my panty to pee, only to realize a big red patch on it.

Yes, the unexpected visitor had knocked my innocence - MY FIRST PERIOD

The next thing I remember was a scream, 'Muuuummmmmaaaa'.

It's not that I did not know about periods. Being a girl, my mother did explain me about this phenomenon. I was also taught about this in the science class. (Yes, I was in a girl's boarding that time; so, no weird looks from boys)

But knowing about it and experiencing it for the first time were poles apart.

The transition from a girl to a woman was challenging. Going to school during those days meant navigating through multiple emotions, discreetly concealing sanitary pads in my backpack, and steering the awkwardness that seemed to linger in every corner.

The hushed conversations in the school restroom, the furtive glances exchanged with girlfriends, and the unspoken sisterhood among us marked the uncharted territory of menstruation.

The challenges were not just physical but also psychological, as we grappled with societal norms that deemed discussions about periods as taboo. But what is it about ‘PERIODS’ that makes us so uncomfortable?

Why are we scared of wearing light-coloured clothes due to stains? Why are we ashamed of talking about it? Why do we have short forms or nicknames for menstruation? Why are menstruating women not allowed to go to temples?

In fact, there are so many communities even the literate ones that don’t allow women to enter the kitchen or sleep with their husbands. Yes, you heard me right! The same husband who can have sex with the wife but during periods she is made to sleep separately on the floor, given food in separate utensils, and even refrained from taking God’s name.

Has anyone dared to test these theories? No, because these fads have been deep-rooted within us since our childhood. And it’s not just the society to be blamed, it is also the mothers who feel ashamed to talk about menstruation with their daughters.

And above all this, no one ever talks about ‘PERIOD PAIN’. Yes, an excruciating pain in your lower abdomen and pelvis that feels like being stabbed by a knife again and again. In a survey by the Global Journal of Health Sciences In 2015, it was stated that 70.2% of women suffer from severe period pain also called ‘dysmenorrhea’.

And it’s not just the pain. You go through hormonal disbalances that cause mood swings, back pain, lethargy, tiredness, nausea, headaches, muscle pains; and yes, menstrual migraines – something that I suffer from.

The feeling of not wanting to get out of bed, not eating food, not wanting to talk to anyone, being depressed, wanting to borrow your head in the pillow and cry – these are not excuses.

Many people call this irritability during periods as ‘PMSing’, especially the men. Why are you reacting like this? Why are you snapping? Are you PMSing?

I say, is there harm in being selfish and self-centered for two days? Eating before everyone else in the family, going to sleep before cleaning utensils or putting the kids to bed, saying no to extra work, leaving early from the office or even taking a leave, cuddling up in bed, watching a movie, throwing tantrums – We become men.

Isn’t it ironic that for two days ‘WOMEN’ become ‘MEN’ and there is a whole debate about it in the Rajya Sabha.

Mrs. Smriti Irani 'Paid Period Leaves' does not make us handicapped or hamper our equality.

Equality is not a physical comparison, men and women are different. Equality comes when we start accepting and respecting these differences.

Yes, WE (women) are different and we are proud of it. We are physically weak but emotionally strong, we are the best multitaskers, and we have the blessing of giving life.

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