India is filled with menstruation related taboo and lack of education among women, trans, queer and non-binary people who menstruate. Educating them and removing the unnecessary taboo is very important now. It's high time and our generation can indeed make a change. 1.8 billion people menstruate every month across the world. I want to use the phrase "people who menstruate" instead of using the term "women," which is very gender-specific. Lots of things are there to discuss under this big umbrella called MENSTRUATION.
Menstrual Hygiene:
Hygiene means keeping good health with cleanliness around and good standards to prevent diseases. We all know what hygiene is, but only a few know about Menstrual hygiene. Using correct blood absorbent and sterile material is an essential factor. Cleaning the pubic area and cleaning the undergarments properly is also equally important. Almost all the girls/trans/queer face this problem of lack of knowledge. The elderly who menstruate won't speak up about important things. Cultural taboo and lack of sanitation facilities, especially in villages, no soap and no water, all these lead to poor hygiene. This can affect the health of young adults and may cause reproductive issues in the future. A common yeast infection called Candidiasis is caused due to poor menstrual hygiene. Vulvovaginal candidiasis is mostly asymptomatic found in 75% of women. Some people can't afford pads (sanitary napkins)/tampons, so they use washable clothes, which can have a harmful effect.
Once you take care of your health and hygiene, think about the surroundings because disposing of Menstrual waste properly and at the correct place is crucial. At home, we follow good disposal practices; we have bins in Toilets. Some people will just flush the Pads at public places, which can cause choking; throwing the sanitary products on the road is the best example of land pollution. Bins should be there in all public places, in washrooms, schools, restaurants etc. Modern practices like incinerators can be used for the proper burning of the used product.
Menstrual Hygiene day is celebrated on the 28th of May.
Pads Vs Tampons :
Tampons:
In India, only around 5% of people who menstruate are aware of tampons. There are both pros and cons of everything; you have to check your comfort level and use things accordingly. Tampons are small, so they can be carried everywhere easily in pockets (though there is nothing to be ashamed of about menstruation). Inserting them for the first time may be uncomfortable, and the size of the tampon can be decided with the trail and error method once you start using them. Removing it is easy as there is a string attached below. Use the lowest absorbency tampon to not be at risk of toxic shock syndrome (TTS). Some myths and taboos surround the usage of Tampons. Some people believe that the woman will break her hymen by inserting, and others feel that it is painful to wear a tampon. But these things have been declared as "not true" by the limited Indian users.
Pads:
Usage of pads differs from state to state. According to the National family health Survey, 62% of women use clothe and 41-42% use Pads. Various companies make pads in different sizes. Some people can't afford pads and opt to use washable clothes, which can be very unhygienic if not dried under the sun. Some problems are there, like rashes if you don't change them frequently. You can't wear them while swimming and also disposing of them should be in such a way that pollution is not a problem.
Taboo, Cultural belief and Kamakhya temple:
In some households, there are rules, and women are forced to follow those. They are restricted from cooking, they can't take a bath in the same washroom, can't touch new clothes without taking a bath, etc. Certain food like pickles cannot be consumed by the person who is menstruating. In schools and public places, there is a feeling of shame in people who menstruate. They have to hide the sanitary pads or tampons somehow till they reach the washroom. This whole thing gives a lot of stress which is not good. All because of a lack of awareness and education. What is so shameful about menstruation? It's a completely natural process.
 |
Kamakhya Temple, Assam (Original picture)
|
And obviously, the most common order followed is not being allowed inside a Temple. Though some individuals believe that there are scientific reasons behind everything, this excuse can't be applied to all faith-related things. There is this temple high up on the Nilachal Hill, in the West of Guwahati, Assam. This is the only temple in India where the goddess Kamakhya Devi is shown sitting in the menstruating position. Kamakhya's yoni or vagina are shown in the form of a sculpture. It is one of the 51 shakti peeths in India. The irony is, though People worship this menstruating idol, people who have periods are not allowed inside the temple. You can worship openly in this temple with these sculptures, but you can't talk about menstruation openly in this country. You have to carry a black bag or newspaper covering around the sanitary pads. It should not be visible. But no one gives a practical reason about this foolish thing of hiding the Pads.
There are a lot of questions which need to be answered. Proper education especially sex-education is important during school days itself. Teaching everyone about menstruation and related hygiene, be it a girl, boy or trans is important. Men can help and support the women at their homes during the time of need. Some girls who have lost their mother and are staying only with a male member face issues. Toilets should be there in all the houses. Urinating outside in the open is a call for infections.
Our education sector and teachers play a big role in any student's life. These things will help the adolescents to come out with their sexual identity. They should have a clear picture that along with women, trans and queer community go through this cycle of menses. Along with the chapter on waste disposal, syllabus should include the topic of menstrual waste disposal.
Parents and teacher can talk about other materials which are used as absorbents like, Menstrual cups, Banana fiber and bamboo fiber pads (environment-friendly). If we start using reusable sanitary pads, waste disposal will reduce.
Be careful about your health and hygiene.
Bahut sara information 🤗
ReplyDeleteThanks
DeleteThis blog is very informative a proper information should be given on topics like sex education menstruation to every gender from school only so that people should consider these things as to be sensitive part of life and help the people who indeed need help during difficult times we can help lgbt community and obviously we can help a girl also the first time if she is menstruating and does not know about that thing ....so it's a very informative blog and indeed you are doing great job by informing people about these topics which should be actually done by the schools.
ReplyDeleteThanks
DeleteVery well written 👏
ReplyDeleteThanks
DeleteAn interesting topic, I like the fact that some people can think straight.....this is not just in India, it happens in a lot of places and I hope that the foolish thinking, as you named it, would end one day.
ReplyDeleteThanks
DeleteNicely written 👍
ReplyDeleteThanks
DeleteWow.. Just great. I completely agree with you when you say "Proper education especially sex-education is important during school days itself". And with this we can change the mentality. I loved the way you used the references from Indian culture. A well written factual article.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Delete