EMOTIVE VOICE OF MENSTRUATING WOMEN

 

EMOTIVE VOICE OF MENSTRUATING WOMEN

Mugdha Badge

 

Dear men,

Congratulations for taking birth on this planet by using womb of a woman who bleeds for five days every month for about forty long years (from age 12 to 52). Every girl gets 480 menstrual cycles (twelve cycles per year multiplied by forty years) in her life, where she loses her precious blood. A menstrual period lasts for five days, which sums up to 2400 days (480 multiplied by 5) of her life, which equals to 6.5 years (2400 divided by 365). Therefore, 6.5 years of a woman’s life are spent bleeding and also hiding the same. That’s horrible!! You being born into the male gender have never experienced this bleeding coupled with body pain, severe in abdomen, mood swings, acne and hormonal imbalance for various reasons. Just put yourself into shoes of any female and imagine your body deteriorating just because of your existence as a homo sapient in form of a particular gender.

The reason we believe to be much more strong, brave and courageous is, we complete all the tasks with complete dedication and a smile on face in an elegant manner, which you boys can’t even sense. We have to meet deadlines, attend official meetings, give presentations, appear for exams and interviews, travel very long and complete various tasks with bravery. Girls are much stronger and braver than boys, not only because they undergo bleeding at regular intervals, but also because we complete all tasks sincerely without fail and simultaneously facing problems posed by the natural biological process. Neither asking for paid leaves, nor reservations in education or jobs, no need of big name and fame. We don’t want your sympathy, actually we don’t need it as we are strong enough. You should possess something to give, but you don’t possess physical and mental strength as we do. So don’t show sympathy and pretend to give strength, because you don’t possess it to give. Rather you can get inspired by our dedication to work when body doesn’t support. You all need to learn from a every woman how bravely she manages to smile in such immense perennial pain.

The situation is worse when we as school girls face the menarche (beginning of the menstrual cycle in life). Our hormones change frequently, first time experiencing blood loss, extreme weakness, muscle cramps, tired soul and much more. According to medical science, blood flow and pain are severe during first few years after menarche, because of hormonal changes occurring first time in life. Our pathetic condition is worsened by strict school rules, which are enacted for discipline but turn out to be huge hurdle for health of adolescent girls. Rules such as standing while interacting with teachers, carrying heavy baggage and mandatory sports activities, and scared of blood stains on skirt becomes a reason for absentia, sometimes even during exams. The condition is worse in rural areas due to poverty, lack of infrastructure and lack of awareness, which often leads to school dropouts, leaving girls educated and dependent on spouse, open to domestic violence worsening their lives.

Being a lady isn’t a simple assignment. Every girl has experienced those days of blood spurts, lying down on the bed with heavy pains and cramps, crying alone in despair. Missing out classes, checking out their dresses for blood stains and wearing dark coloured clothes to avoid visibility of stains which can bring her in situation where people will continuously look at her and talk about her saying ‘see she is bleeding’, ‘she’s having her periods and look her dress is stained.’ Since the time of her first periods the tedious struggle begins.

Menstruation is significant. It isn’t just blood, it is signature of life. Don’t be so uncomfortable about mention of periods. Earlier we were embarrassed, but now we have embraced. Boys exist because girls’ bleed. Now no more a social stigma, the topic of menstruation is openly discussed and men to participate in it.

It hurts us when you talk about periods in a wrong way with a sarcastic smile. Keep in mind, your fellow classmate, aged 12 is suffering from severe pain, hormonal imbalance, cognitive distortions, discomfort, weakness, nutrition deficit and much more on a very high level because it is the initial phrase of her reproductive life. You are not in a position to reduce this sorrow, kindly do not enhance the same. School rules are very challenging to follow, especially for a novice. Just imagine your body suddenly bleeds from intimate parts while attending a lecture!!

Let’s put India into perspective, where women are striving to achieve desired goals, competing men on every stage and also handling their monthly periods, for which men don’t even think of. Before labelling your colleague as lazy and sleepy when she stops working and keeps her head down, just remember she may be on her period. What hurts is your laugh and labelling us as lazy or hungry when we take rest or eat food only to reduce severe pain and stress. Let her confidently eat food before the lunch break as she needs medicines.

She fights every month with demon called menstruation. She pretends to smile whereas experiencing the pain of menstruation. She works when all her body aches during that cycle. It’s hard to feel her pain, it’s hard to guess her suffering. It’s hard to be like her for a day. When you disrespect women, think once how you came to this world. Only the female half of the humanity was seen to have the magical ability to bleed profusely and still rise.

Although we survive in presence of your hurting eyesight, disgusting comments and activities which increase our problems, still we never refuse a helping hand lent by you. Minute acts such as bringing a glass of water or carrying luggage, asking for something needed is like a heaven brought down for a menstruating woman. More important than this is strictly stop passing comments if you notice any one of us crying in pain or having a stain on her cloth. You can’t diminish our pain. What you can do is to lend an ear to our painful stories of menstruating. These are just glimpses of tremendous hardships faced and overcome by women, and at the same time far away from men’s sight.

Every woman carries with herself the womb of the universe. It’s the essence of continuation. A female body renders holy miracles. By bleeding, we create life, the most sacred of all. For a week, every month, we bleed rivers of red. Don’t let anyone of us feel shameful for our natural body function. Birth of a child is happiest moment in life of a man as he becomes father, bringing on a precious smile. All women bleed every month just for this smile. It’s the crimson red between her legs which brings life on this planet. Remember, it’s her bleeding, the pain, the weakness, muscle cramps, tiredness, nutrition deficiency and pretending to be happy while struggling inside which makes your existence certain. And you say ‘womanhood is easy!!’  Dear, just bleed for a day or few….’

 

From,

Every menstruating woman on this planet.