Menstruation- Physical and a Mental Change

Hey readers, must be thinking about this heading. Might sound weird but just for a moment think of the smallest girl in your house or neighborhood who might be 12-13 years old and suddenly comes up to you asking if she is going to die. There will be hundreds of questions in your mind, from where the girl got that, why she is saying that, and many more. To understand this I have a little story. Almost every girl reading this will agree with the fact of how quiet we are asked to be when it comes to menstruation, especially when we are in front of our brothers or fathers or any male human being. 

I heard this story from someone I know, and while I was listening to it I felt so weird that why would a mother do that? The story is about a little girl who must be 12 years old. A normal day in her life that turned out to be maybe a traumatic one. Why? Because her mother didn’t talk to her. That day she thought that she is going to die, she thought that she will not be able to survive anymore. Why?

Because she had no idea about what happens during periods. She had no idea that what was happening to her was normal and would have eventually happened to her, but why did she not know? Many of you must be thinking that her parents may be illiterate or from any rural area, but let me tell you something, both of them are doing well-respected jobs and live in Jaipur city.

The girl started bleeding so much that it made her think about her death and her neighbor the one who told me about this, helped her out. The one thing in every girl's life that is taught by her mother and eventually brings mothers and daughters close, this moment of the life-changing event was experienced by that girl with someone who she barely knew. 

The reason I am talking about this is because, just imagine the trauma and fear that developed in that little girl's mind, and in our country, it is so common for people to not talk. Still, the mother of that girl was okay that she was not there with her daughter. Feels super weird right? I felt that too. 

I have had my first experience of periods and I was small enough that I didn’t know about this process so when it happened I felt like I might have gotten hurt while playing. I didn't tell anyone but eventually, my mother got to know and we talked it through. I believe this is the one thing that makes me share a great bond with my mother and I feel free to talk to her. 

Periods/Menstruation is a talk that we all have to eventually do either with our daughters, our younger siblings, or maybe a stranger. I know things have changed, now when we go out and meet boys, they are free to talk. They know stuff, and they understand the things but isn't it important that the girls must know about it? Every girl who is above 10 or 12 years old, should have at least a basic idea that one day she might start bleeding and that will happen to her for the next probably 30m years every month for 4 to 6 days. 

I recently came across a really interesting idea through someone I know, that is, Menstru Pedia Comic, which was started in 2014 by Girl as an initiative to educate kids and people around the globe and India about this process and bust the myths that are joined with it. I will link the site Here: Menstrupedia. 

I went through this and it made me overwhelmed by the idea of an initiative that is so important and so less people know about it. It is we as youth who need to bring a change. Not only physically but menstruation changes a lot in a girl emotionally and mentally. If not observed girls can suffer a lot due to that. It can be a lifetime trauma for that little girl and it can make her feel vulnerable at all times. 

Menstruation is a time when a woman feels physical discomfort, distress, irritability, and decreased self-esteem. a week in every month where women go through a lot of changes that can be mood swings, breast tenderness, joint pains, cramps, and a lot more. the irregularity of a menstrual cycle is what every girl goes through, it seems very normal but can be unhealthy. It is important for a proper gynecologist to check up and look for any issues if the woman suffers a lot of irregularness in her periods. PCOS and PCOD are two common terms we all have heard about but it is important to learn more about them. For that, I will surely write something too.

We have to make it more casual and talk it out a little more. Understand the girls and listen to what they have to say. As parents, it is not only a mother's duty but a father's expression of care to know about the periods and the changes their daughter will go through. 

In the world of the internet, we have an ample amount of content to learn and understand about the periods. One must know and be aware of the fact that periods are normal and one should talk and tell their little girls about the fact of bleeding. 

Will you tell your daughter about this, or will you leave them till they start bleeding and feel like they will DIE?

Thank you for reading and do let me know what are your tales on this.