Why are periods such a taboo??

As we stood in line for our school assembly, with the sun shining brightly in our faces, I heard a gasp.

"Oh no look at her dress. She's got “it” , said the girl standing in front of me. She very slowly pointed out to a girl who was a line or two ahead of us. Her friend leaned forward and also gasped. Suddenly everyone was whispering and pointing in that direction. Curiosity got the better of me and to gain a clear understanding of what was going on, I stood on my tiptoes. To my horror, this girl's white PE uniform had a big blotch of blood stain on it. Our seniors jumped into action and informed the teachers who promptly whisked the girl away. Over the next few days, this became a hot topic of conversation. This incident was my first introduction to periods. New to all this, I had no idea what had happened or what all the commotion was about but all I could think of was could this poor girl have been suffering from a deadly disease, would she die or would she be able to overcome it? When I saw her a few weeks later, all fit and fine, I breathed a sigh of relief!

I was only able to fully comprehend what had happened to her much later on in my life when I got my first period. That day as I embarked on this “journey”, and my mom handed me my very first sanitary napkin, I was reminded of the time I had stumbled upon her secret... her stash of sanitary napkins hidden under her clothes. While I was trying to make some sense of what it was, she quickly pulled it out of my hands and hurriedly put it away and firmly told me that it wasn’t something to play with or take outside the room.

A very tiny me failed to understand what my mother was shrouding away in secrecy. But now I had the freedom to ask her all the questions that I had tucked away for so long. And I did one after the other!

As my series of questions began, I was mortified when she told me that she, her mother, and all the other ladies used cotton cloths during their menses before the sanitary napkin was invented, and was widely available and affordable. After washing these cotton cloths, they were hung in special areas in the laundry rooms to dry. When I asked her what about the school, some trips or occasions?? She just smiled and simply said that they didn’t attend them during their periods. The taboo that comes with menstruation is something that is commonly witnessed even today. In some countries, women are prohibited from attending religious functions and entering places of worship, and others think that just by touching pickles they can contaminate them.

Its funny how a large number of women too consider periods as dirty and it comes as no surprise that from an early age, girls learn to live with the pain and fear and seldom do we see a girl seek help when in physical or mental discomfort due to periods. They may never have the luxury of having someone to explain to them what menstruation is and how their bodies will change during puberty. Rather, they will be met by someone who will tell them how impure and sinful they are etc. etc. There are some places in the world where a woman who is menstruating is supposed to move into a separate room for the duration of her cycle. A special meal devoid of any spices or salt will be given to her. So, it's not surprising that it's taboo to talk about periods in general, and they're called everything from chums to Auntie Flo to that time of the month or simply saying I have my P. The real challenge lies in fighting and overcoming the stigma that surrounds menstruation, and in making people understand that it is nothing shameful but just a natural biological process of the human body.

It is rightly said to make the change be the change. Hence when I became a mother to two boys, I firmly made up my mind that I would educate them about periods and never think of it as a topic of taboo. We discuss every doubt they have very openly and now they can understand why I feel so lethargic and moody on those days, and they don’t shy away from making me as comfortable as possible. During this time, I receive an extra pair of helping hands to finish my chores. If we provide long-term solutions proper education and a better understanding then it will be the key to enabling all to thrive and not just survive.