Get Inspired, Be Empowered Forums Access to Healthcare Reproductive Health & Rights Is menstrual education a major concern?

26 replies, 26 voices Last updated by Manpreet Singh 3 years, 5 months ago
  • simran arora
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    @simran
    #31713
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    Indeed, menstrual education is a major concern for all the sexes in society. The situations are different in rural and urban areas. However, in both, the menstrual cycle is considered dirty and an unhealthy time of the month. In rural areas, the lack of education brings more myths and diseases for girls. At some places, they are not allowed to enter temples or leave their home when they are menstruating.

    Even today, more than 60% of the women in India use old cloth during periods. Here, one may not even consider a recyclable menstrual cup, so forget about using pads. Menstrual hygiene is compromised more than ever. It irritates as there are changes in the PH level that affects the entire health of a woman.

    On the other hand, in urban areas, despite education, women are reluctant to share ‘period education’ with their children, whether it is a girl or a boy. Until a girl gets her period, she is not informed about the hormonal changes. The education system at schools is even worse. When they educate girls at school, they forget to mention or discuss the same with boys. For example, mentioning one chapter in a science book would not help a boy to understand the hormonal changes during periods. All they know is that girls have menstrual cycles every month, and if they miss it, they may have a baby. There is no education on PCOS until the later years of life. And possibly one may never learn about PCOS.

    Contrarily, with proper education to the sexes in society, one can help the other. For example, if a family or any institution educates men too about periods, I think there would be fewer bullies about a red spot. There should be no shame in introducing the menstrual cycle concept as it is a part of biological life, and if boys understand it at a young age, they can help the girls of their age and beyond to cope with it. Of course, you would know about mood changes in periods, and a little support during this phase can make it easier.

    avanti
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    @avanti
    #31714
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    Since the dawn of society as we know it, the topic of menstruation has gone through many phases. Women being worshipped while they are menstruating to women being isolated and treated with contempt. What is common in between these phases is the fact that all of it was based on misinformation or lack of proper biological knowledge. This not only gave rise to plurality of myths, but also major discrimination against people who menstruate. Some of the myths we hear today tell the menstruators to avoid temples, not touch pickles, to not enter the kitchen, and so many more. These are just myths and only isolate the menstruators in a delicate time.

    All the misinformation and misconceptions about periods arise due to a simple lack of education. Menstruation is still a taboo topic in society and women dare not discuss it in front of men. But this thinking is extremely problematic and only leads to further stigmatization of the topic. Education is the key for all members of society to not only be empathetic with the concerns of menstruators but to also respect them for what they go through. In schools, the biology teacher either skips over topics of reproduction completely or barely teaches a small part of the material. This should stop and the students should be given a detailed lesson about human bodies and their basic reproductive systems. This will make them more vigilant and informed about the myths and silence surrounding menstruation.

    Lastly, all menstruators should come forward with their troubles and concerns and voice their experiences which will lead to de- stigmatization and normalization of the topic. Menstrual cramps are proven to be almost as painful as, if not more, giving birth which is the most painful thing a human body can endure. But despite this fact, women are expected to be silent about their struggles and endure the pain. Organizations like Boondh, The Project Amara, Allforasmile, EcoFemme, and so many more are working tirelessly towards normalizing the conversation about sustainable menstruation. It is all of our jobs to make use of all resources available to us and educate ourselves and then others about this topic.

    Dharani Sri
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    @u19mae026
    #31803
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    Yes, menstrual education is a major concern. Menstruation is just a biological sign that her sex hormones and physical growth are normal. Many girls think it as a problem because they are not educated enough about that biological factor.
    Menstrual education is not only important for girls but also for boys. Because they are the other sex who travels with a girl in all the stages of her life right from her birth to her death. The education about menstrual hygiene is an important issue worldwide. A research conducted in 2010 has revealed that girls who are using sanitary pads are only 18% and rest of them are using unhygienic clothes or products to absorb the menstrual flow. This is not only because of the lack of education on this factor but also the thought in their mind which makes them feel shy to buy the sanitary pads.
    In the ancient days they insisted the women to be separated from the house during her menstrual days. But this is the 21st century. We should wash out such a nasty myth. Using sanitary pads will protect them from being affected by cancer and other such bacterial infections in the vagina. In the places northern Uttar Pradesh, many girls bath less frequently and use unhygienic products which leads to many health issues including sexual problem.
    The other reason is many women are poor to buy sanitary products. To help these girls’ government offer sanitary pads in the government hospitals at the free of cost. They have pads in their hand but they don`t know how to use it. In schools’ girls should be taught about this in detail. In home the mother should feel free to talk about this with her daughter. But in most of the cases the mothers do not talk about this. And that’s why their daughters are also feel shy to speak about the menstruation and try to hide her menstruations from the elders and other men.
    I end up with a point that the education about menstruation and sex should be taught in schools and awareness should be made to abolish the rubbish thought about this BLOODY NATURE! At last, I request every man to watch PADMAN movie, in which they showed the concept that periods are just nature and using pads are not a sin!

    anshika agarwal
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    @anshika-2
    #31813
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    Definitely Yes! Menstrual education is a major concern. Girls should be taught about the onset of menstruation in their school and by their family members too. She must be properly educated before her first menstruation cycle.
    There are alot of things that girls should be aware of related to menstruation . The important one is Menstrual hygiene. It is a hygienic method that should be adopted during menstruation which can prevent them from the infection in reproductive and urinary area. There are a lot of do’s and don’ts related to menstruation. Still, there are alot of girls who don’t have even basic knowledge. Poor hygiene and lack of knowledge is the major reason of infections. There is a lot of issue related to quality of sanitary napkins, disposal of sanitary napkins, privacy which need attention. There must be education classes related to menstruation in school, so that girls can completely aware of all the things in a very younger age. Some basic education consists of changing of sanitary napkins in 4-5 hours. Throw the sanitary napkins properly in dustbin. Menstural education should be done properly in schools.
    Therefore, menstural education is a major concern. A woman’s menstrual health is crucial to her well-being. Menstrual education continues to be amongst the most challenging development issues in today’s society.

    Vivek Adatia
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    @vivek
    #31821
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    The process of education is way beyond the scope of certain books and curriculum of schools and university. But the irony here is we are not educated enough about the process of education itself. And this is one of the main reasons why people of our nation, once famous for its revolutionary and contemporary thought process, has reduced to a relatively narrow-minded and regressive mass of people. Probably as a result of this, a number of taboos still exist in our society in this modern era and one of these persistent taboos is regarding the process of menstruation.

    Menstruation is a natural, biological phenomenon that every female undergoes through. Yet, a large number of these female in our country are poorly educated about this very common phenomenon happening within their own physiology. The societal stigma attached to it plays a very big role in this. As a result of lack of awareness and information regarding menstruation, many women do not follow proper menstrual hygiene and succumb to period poverty as well. Moreover, it’s the poor menstrual educational of not only these women, who are the direct stake holders of the matter in consideration here, that contributes to it, but also of other people who are directly related to these women adds fuel to fire. These people include the family of these women, their friends and teachers and the societal bubble in which she lives. It is because, these people play an influential role in the state of their menstrual education.

    The fact that people can very comfortably go to a shop and buy a toothbrush but they tend to become quite awkward when they go to purchase sanitary pads for their wives, mothers or sisters as they wrap up their embarrassments in a newspaper and cover it with a black polythene, though they are items for equally common usage, is proof enough that still a lot is desired in this arena of menstrual education. Girls missing or dropping out of school altogether due to the stigma attached to menstruation is a subject of major concern. That’s because they already are in need of extra support during these times, when they cannot wrap their heads around what’s going on with their body, and it is during this very time they are compelled or even forced to part away with their right, will and probably the desire of getting education.

    The things mentioned here are just the tip of the iceberg and there are substantial issues in our society at the root of which is the lack of menstrual education. Thus we can say that menstrual education is indeed a major concern for our society as it plays a substantial role in the progress and flourish of any society.

    Mayuravarshini Mohana
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    @mayura
    #31878
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    Menarche, or the onset of menstruation, holds a significant importance in the life of a woman. Biologically, her body undergoes changes during puberty, such as pubic and underarm hair growth, breast development and hormonal changes. It can be an emotionally difficult period, for the body suddenly becomes a strange entity. It is a delicate phase of a woman’s life for she has to observe, understand her body and re-establish a relationship with it. What would otherwise be a beautiful opportunity for self-exploration, menstruation is turned into an event of disgrace and shame by cultural narratives and practices.

    It is really befuddling how menstruation came to be associated with ‘impurity’. It is nothing beyond an attempt to invalidate and discredit the female body. A lot of cultural discourses on women concern their body. Think of virginity and chastity that are deemed hallmarks of a fine woman. Apparently, those who transgress are ‘unwomanly’. At the heart of such beliefs is the conviction that controlling her body is to control woman. Not surprisingly, menstruation has a lot of such myths and beliefs surrounding it. The alleged ‘impurity’ of menstruating women prohibits them from cooking, cleaning, praying or entering a place of worship. They are socially ostracised and sequestered to a separate shed or a room, often in unsafe conditions. In rural areas, such huts are located at the outskirts, near the forest where it is not uncommon to encounter wild animals such as snakes. Such misconceptions not only endanger women’s lives but also hamper their social progress. A 2015 report by Dasra a Mumbai-based philanthropy foundation and the Bank of America stated that almost 23% girls dropped out of school on reaching puberty. While this problem owes significantly to poor infrastructure, a change in social perception of menstruation is of utmost necessity.
    Menstrual education still remains a major concern. It needs to be more intensive, comprehensive, inclusive and extensive. Most importantly, it must happen out in the open. Not behind closed doors and certainly not in hushed voices. Excluding men out of the conversation only widens the gender gap. By doing so, we are discouraging men from being empathetic and sensitive to what women undergo every month.

    Menstrual education facilitates proper menstrual management in addition to invalidating irrational taboos. Even India’s urban population has only a basic awareness of menstrual hygiene. Knowledge on allergies, vaginal infections, alternatives to sanitary pads, eco-friendly menstrual products is a rarity. The only way forward is to discuss menstruation openly and the process begins at schools. Teachers should teach menstruation and other aspects of adolescence as they would handle, say, photosynthesis or the digestive system. Why close the class room doors? Why lower your voices? Why the air of discomfort?

    Media too has a great role to play in misrepresenting menstruation as well as clearing the air around it. Many advertisements for sanitary pads contribute to the former, through their unrealistic portrayal of menstruation- a cramp free, painless period. It perpetrates the idea that women don’t face issues during periods, which a majority of women do. Also, do women bleed blue?

    On the bright side, there are indeed a lot of documentaries and films that address menstruation such as the Oscar winning ‘Period. End of Sentence’. Initiatives such as Pad for Pad by Ecofemme, Not Just a Piece of Cloth programme by Goonj and Menstrupedia Comic by Aditi Gupta, Tuhin Paul and Rajat Mittal which educate on menstruation as well as help alleviate period poverty.

    It is high time we normalise menstruation.

    Manpreet Singh
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    @manpreet
    #32878
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    The menstrual health of a woman is essential for the good of her family and community and for her well-being. But too often — in the poor world in particular — mentalities, customs, and institutional partialities hinder women from receiving the necessary menstruation treatment. Menstrual hygiene is one of today’s most demanding concerns in development. The message is linked to the beginning of puberty among females, and often brings rules, constraints, seclusion, and changed social expectations towards the girls. This changing attitude towards girls, for example, has great ramifications for self-exhibition, education, mobility, and independence.
    In Indian society, menstruation is still seen as taboo. Even today, cultural and societal pressures on individuals provide a major barrier for the adequate awareness of menstrual health among adolescent females. Moms are also reluctant to communicate with their daughters about this subject and many lack science regarding menstruation and puberty. High analphabet rates, particularly among girls, poverty, and a lack of awareness about menstrual health and hygiene are still key reasons for this tabu in Indian society. Fewer than 18% of Indian women use hygiene pads.
    In a recent National Family and Health Survey, 58 percent (15-24 years) of young Indian wives utilize a hygienic protection method (mainly hygienic pads), up from 12 percent in 2010 when pads were used. This is undoubtedly the result of a greater focus on the management of menstrual hygiene in India in recent years. It’s a global question, not merely in Indian society. At least 500 million women and girls worldwide lack sufficient facilities for managing menstruation hygiene. There can be a big hurdle to sufficient information about sanitary facilities and sanitary services, in particular in public locations such as schools, jobs, or health centers. Incorporated awareness, motivation, and meditation programs are the purpose of this holistic outreach plan. It gives them knowledge on menstrual management, improves awareness of personal cleanliness, and improves trust through interactive and engaging training method to address unanswered questions.

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