One of the most stigmatized topics in society today is menstruation, despite its essential role in women’s health. Menstruation is a natural biological process experienced by billions of people worldwide. However, limited awareness and education, access to menstrual products, and other burdens makes managing the menstrual cycle a challenge.
Poor menstrual health does not simply affect physical wellbeing. It can affect lifestyles, employment and mental health. In many communities, misconceptions continue to build feelings of shame. These factors make it difficult for women to appropriately care for their health. It is important to examine the challenges and gaps women face in their healthcare as the awareness surrounding menstruation slowly starts to grow.
Understanding Menstrual Health:
Promoting menstrual health awareness and supporting women begins with understanding the biological process of menstruation. Menstruation (also known as a period) is vaginal bleeding that occurs as a monthly cycle. The uterus (womb) sheds its lining when a pregnancy does not take place that month. The blood that comes out is a result of the shedding. This process takes place to prepare the body for pregnancy and tends to begin around the ages 9-15 and lasts 3-7 days. It may take years for menstruation to follow a regular pattern, but once they do become consistent they last till menopause (occurs between the ages of 45-55), only being interrupted by pregnancies.
Periods for most women tend to come with symptoms, some include:
- Cramping pain
- Lower back pain
- Bloating
- Sore breasts
- Food Cravings
- Mood Swings
- Headaches/Fatigue
Menstrual health is an extremely crucial aspect of women's healthcare. Maintaining the sanitation and taking care of your periods appropriately is a huge aid in the overall wellbeing of women. Reproductive and menstrual health are directly connected. Management of your menstruation can help prevent reproductive infections, boost fertility and more. Yet, despite its vitality, women face many challenges in taking care of their menstrual health.
Barriers Women Face:
1.8 billion people monthly go through their periods, and around the world, they face challenges and barriers that prevent them from being able to properly care for their periods. These barriers go beyond physical health and are rooted in social, educational, and economic factors. Between cultural taboos and a lack of resources, worldwide, women find it difficult to manage menstruation with confidence, safety and dignity.
Social Stigma and Taboos:
Menstruation is an extremely stigmatized topic, and the disdain towards women on their periods is a major problem for women. In southern asian countries, menstruating girls and women are considered to be impure. Women here face multiple restrictions and taboos in their daily life, such as restrictions on movement outside their home or the ability to bathe. Ideologies such as this can root shame in women and lead to negative results on their health.
Some of the many taboos that exist are:
- India - For certain temples, their regulations prohibit women from entering the space on their period as they are considered ritually impure.
- Global - In certain religions, women are restricted from performing certain religious activities while on their period.
- Parts of Eastern Europe - Some traditional beliefs falsely tell women to not bathe with hot water or wash their hair during their period as it may cause illness.
- Nepal - In some areas, women are forced to isolate in mud huts or cowsheds during their cycle as it is believed they bring impurity and bad luck to the home.
These negative perceptions force a biological process into shame and secrecy, while severely impacting health, education and equality for women.
Financial Constraints:
Financial constraints during periods are often referred to as ‘period poverty’ and force women to choose between menstrual health and basic essentials. In many countries and states, menstruation products are considered a luxury, and are hence not tax-exempt like other medical goods. This creates what many call ‘pink tax’ where the cost of the products increase, making it hard for many globally to afford. Due to these constraints, many women in rural areas or in low-income households ration their products and use them for longer or turn to unsafe alternatives that can heavily impact their health.
Lack of Resources:
Management of periods becomes increasingly hard when girls don’t have access to the necessary resources. Lack of menstrual supplies, inadequate bathrooms, lack of water and more in schools make it difficult for women to gain an education during their cycle. Education for women is crucial in fighting gender inequality and leading an independent lifestyle. These patterns bleed into work spaces as well, this forces women to take time off work consistently and may hinder their ability to get and stay employed. In order to effectively promote equality and the health of women, it is crucial for governments, schools and office spaces to provide the necessary resources for women.
Despite the progress that has been made in recent years, women around the world still struggle with managing their periods. Taboos still exist, resources are still sparse and the cost of period products continues to rise. Collective effort from communities, educators, and governments are crucial for improvement of the way periods are handled and viewed. Awareness does not only improve the well-being of women worldwide, but it also contributes to the age long effort to increase inclusivity and equality between people.
Sources:
- https://medlineplus.gov/menstruation.html
- https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/water/brief/menstrual-health-and-hygiene
- https://www.unicef.org/wash/menstrual-hygiene
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7175471/
- https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/explainer/period-poverty-why-millions-of-girls-and-women-cannot-afford-their-periods