From taxing sanitary napkins, to discriminating against menstruating women, India is hardly kind to women about their periods. We are fed tonnes of myths about periods, to add to the pain and suffering we already go through during that time. Here, we bust some of them, so that everyone knows what is real, and what is a lie!
“Persistent pain during periods is normal.”
While some cramping is okay, excessive and continuous pain during your period is something you need to pay attention to. Serious reproductive illnesses like PCOS often go undiagnosed because women are under the impression that their period is supposed to hurt. It’s best to get yourself medically examined if you feel that your pain is a bit too much.
“You can’t get pregnant on your period.”
Periods are not birth control. Your ovulation cycle can be unpredictable, and you may still be ovulating when your period has started, because there is no way of knowing when your body passes out the egg during your period. So, be safe and go for birth control, because you can get pregnant during your period.
“Tampons will break your hymen.”
In India, tampons are anyway not available easily. To add to that, there are a billion myths about virgins not using tampons, because they apparently tear the hymen and break it. This is not true. Tampons are too small to do so, and the box they come in, specifies these things. If only our virginity-obsessed society would listen!
“Period blood is dirty.”
Unfortunately, even women themselves believe that period blood is dirty. This is not true. Blood is blood, no matter where it comes from. If you are a healthy person, with a healthy vagina, that blood will remain clean, and accompanied by bits of tissue, and the good bacteria which maintain your vagina’s ph. However, if your period blood smells strange, or is accompanied by stinky discharge, then you may need to dig in a little deeper by making an appointment with your gynaecologist and keeping a tab on your vaginal hygiene.
“PMS is not real.”
Men are quick to blame every outburst a woman has, on PMS, yet they are also the ones who say women pretend that PMS is painful and makes their mood go off-whack. Which one is true? We’d say the one backed by science, which says that PMS causes hormonal imbalance of various kinds, leading to hunger pangs, and mood swings, adding to the physical discomfort that women feel during this time.
“You can’t have sex during your period.”
People don’t have sex during their periods, not only because they consider it dirty, but also because they think it makes things even more painful for women. Both these things are untrue. Period blood is not any more unclean than the other fluids involved in sex. In addition to that, it acts as a lubricant, and makes it a lot more comfortable for women. The best part? It alleviates cramps, by improving blood flow and releasing pleasure-inducing hormones.
“Women on their period are crazy.”
If you tiptoe around a woman just because she is on her period, and act weird around her, calling her “crazy” just because she is upset about being in pain, then, my friend, the blame is on you. Many women don’t experience mood swings or crankiness on their period. Even if they were to, it doesn’t warrant the label of “crazy.”
