Monthly experiences that are too embarrassing to share

“Stop PMSing!”
“You and your mood swings!”

How many times have you said or heard these statements? Too often would be true. Our society tends to mask menstruation behind banal and trivial comments. Women on their period are stigmatised and are made to believe that talking about their menstrual cycles is embarrassing.

We collated a few comments often made with reference to menstrual cycle and asked women to respond with their monthly experiences and received comments that are usually not heard.

“The cramps can’t be that bad, you are just weak!”

Prachi, 25
As much as the process is natural and essential to a woman’s body, I find the pain part absolutely cruel and unnecessary. It’s extremely uncomfortable and my entire day is wasted as I isolate myself with hot water and force myself to sleep. The week preceding the onset of my period, I start to dread it which affects the efficiency of my work.

“Don’t talk about your period. It’s embarrassing!”

Nikita, 24
The first day is excruciating! I can't move, my back and hips hurt, I can’t sit or stand and all I want to do is lay down after taking pain killers. The worst part is when I have to go to work that day. If I have a meeting I need to sit in a room filled with men and put up a straight face when I can't even speak properly because the abdominal cramps are terrible. In our line of work, we have shoots, we travel and we can't afford to schedule our day to our cycle; we need to work our way around it. What if we need a restroom and we are in the middle of nowhere on a shoot? All I do is pray that it’s a weekend when my cycle begins, so I have the liberty to lay down practically 4-5 hours till the pain eventually subsides.

“All women go through this. You aren’t any different!”

Ru, 28
I have been suffering from PCOD(polycystic ovary syndrome) since 2008 and hence periods are a nightmare. I get really bad cramps which include lower back aches. I also feel tired and lethargic. There are the obvious mood swings which you cannot control and you are obviously bleeding as well which makes you feel weak.

“It’s a woman’s monthly excuse to get off from work!”

*Sanya, 26
I don’t always get cramps but when I do, needless to say, they are terrible. Working becomes difficult and I keep drinking warm liquids to make myself feel better. The first two days are highly uncomfortable but there is not much of a choice to do anything else about it.

“Don’t come into the kitchen, you are impure!”

*Smita, 23
I have always maintained that riding the red wave once a month does not (and should not) result in any loss of productivity. In fact, I sometimes go overboard during my period days and try to do more physically or mentally strenuous tasks just to prove that my periods do not deter me. I usually take an anti-spasm tablet on the first day and I'm sorted. If I don't, I tend to puke and then I'm tired and groggy for the rest of the day.

“Women aren’t as strong as men, they bleed every month!”

Clare, 24
My periods are usually okay, compared to many other women I know. I do get constant back, stomach, and headaches, but they don't incapacitate me. I feel tired and dehydrated on the first two days, and then it's fine.. When I was younger, I realized that physical work like playing sports pushes enough adrenaline in my body to not feel the pain, but many other girls cannot do this. On rare periods, I feel nauseated for days and tend to avoid solid food for at least 3 days - dangerous and reckless, but something I cannot help.

“You must stay indoors till your periods are over!”

Kavya, 23
I think over and above the physical pain of getting my period, I think what really bothers me is the inability to talk about it. It’s medical and happens every month but we still hide behind expressions like ‘not feeling well’ or ‘women’s problems’. I wish I could just say ‘I’m on my period’ when people ask why I look tired.

Going through the above experiences every month is difficult enough but to also not have proper sanitation in today’s day and age is unimaginable. 70% of Indian women do not even have access to proper sanitary napkins and rely on rags or stay indoors. In many rural areas, the stigma of “the period” makes many young girls drop out of schools, and this is aided by many superstitions and reluctance in discussing periods. Before making snide remarks or poking fun at the “monthly scene”, maybe we should try and talk more about menstruation and the taboos related to it.

What are your views on the article and the topic it discusses? Write to us at jaagorein@gmail.com or tweet to us @JaagoRe.

*Name changed on request

Sources:

Quartz