5 ridiculous myths about Menstruation

Using sand, paper and ash – women in India do not have it easy when it comes to their monthly menstrual cycle. A taboo topic, most girls hide themselves out of fear or embarrassment on their way to a medical store. Majority cannot afford hygienic sanitary pads, and a woman’s menstrual cycle remains a serious concern for half the population of India.

Aditi Gupta and her husband, Tuhin Paul, a young couple and both graduates of Ahmedabad’s National Institute of Design, set up a website called Menstrupedia. An light and entertaining one-stop-centre for everything related to periods, they are winning worldwide acclaim in their creative endeavours to break the menstrual taboo. Menstrupedia helps us bust five ridiculous myths related to menstruation.

1. A menstruating woman is impure, dirty or cursed

A menstruating woman is going through a natural and healthy biological process. She is shedding the egg that can result in the conception of a new life in her womb. It is a sign of a mature woman capable of reproduction.

Calling her dirty or cursed is bigoted and superstitious. All women go through their monthly cycles and there is no need for name-calling. A healthy society will accept it as a natural process and respect a woman experiencing menstruation.

2. A menstruating woman should not enter the temple

A menstruating woman will not "anger God" if she enters the temple. In olden days, when science had still not understood reproduction and the menstrual process, many myths and superstitions came about. They don’t hold any place today - menstruating woman is not “impure” - she is simply going through a normal bodily function.

3. A menstruating woman should not enter the kitchen

She can enter the kitchen on any given day, anything she touches will not "go bad" or rot. She can maintain hygiene and go about her day just like she does on any other day. Prohibiting her from the kitchen is discriminatory and actually in bad taste.

4. Nobody should touch a menstruating woman

This is again a discriminatory attitude. Touching a menstruating woman cannot harm you at all. Going through a natural hormonal cycle is not a negative thing. You cannot treat a woman, or a young girl like that – she and her bodily functions must be respected.

5. Virgins should not use tampons

There is a lot of preaching around the subject of virgins, without the understanding of what a 'virgin' really means. A virgin is someone who has not had sexual intercourse. The hymen of a woman could break even with sports or other activities, and the presence of a hymen is not a measure of a "virgin". Using a tampon is not related to virginity at all.