Period Pain points

Menstrual Health On average it takes 7.5 years from onset of symptoms to get a diagnosis. (Endometriosis UK, 2011) “Women were so scared that they would run out of sanitary napkins that they began to wash disposable sanitary pads and dry them under the sun in case they would have to reuse them next month.” - Ananya Chachhoria (Paint it red)

Sustainable periods Menstrual Health Alliance India, one sanitary pad could take 500 to 800 years, (n.d.)

48% of girls in Iran, 10% in India and 7% in Afghanistan believe menstruation is a disease (Plan International UK, 2018)

Unwanted periods “Most people deal with blood and tissue, And yet my body forces me to surrender, Cause every time I get my cycle, Is another day I shed my gender”(The Period Prince, 2017) Menstrual Hygiene COVID-19 Stigma and Shame

The prevalence of Reproductive Tract Infections (RTIs) and sexually transmitted infection (STIs) in women aged 15–44 years in Odisha, India was 35.2% in 2002–2004. (Desai and Patel, 2011)

Accessibility to menstrual products Among 78 women Women for refugee women (WRW) interviewed, 75% struggled to obtain period pads or tampons while destitute, forcing them to overuse a period product, improvise period wear or beg for money to buy a pad. (Bloody Good Period, 2019)

Period Pain Points

Menstrual Hygiene Rough sleepers and homeless people do not have access to clean bathrooms to wash themselves up when on their periods. They use public toilets which are a hotbed of infections. This puts them at a high risk of contracting urogenital infections.

Sustainable periods Used sanitary napkins add on to the plastic waste and are also a biohazard. More and more women are shifing to reusable menstrual products but there still is a lot of aversion from several communities. Even though sustainable menstrual products like menstrual cups, period panties and tampons are easily available, they are not accessible to everyone.

Accessibility to menstrual products Period poverty is the lack of access to menstrual products to manage monthly periods. Women across the globe are affected by period poverty- in developed and developing countries alike. It is common practice to use toilet paper, cardboard, old rags and some women are even forced to free-bleed. Not only is this unhygienic but it also makes menstruators feel undignified.

Unwanted periods Periods can be especially traumatic for transgenders and non-binary. “Not all women menstruate and not all menstruators are women”. Non-binary people are lef out from the menstruation conversation and this is proves as a large barrier. Non-binary or trans menstruators do not get the care for their periods and ofen do not have the liberty to go through hormonal treatments. Menstrual Health Menstrual disorders like Endometriosis, PCOS, Dysmenorrhea etc affect women all over the world. Most ofen women are not aware about these disorders. Some common symptoms like severe period pain are normalized by women and sometimes even by medical professionals. Menstrual disorders and poor menstrual health can disrupt women's lives, ofen preventing them from performing simple tasks like showering, cleaning and even working.

COVID-19 “Periods don’t stop in a pandemic” The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been grave on all communities across the world. During the pandemic, the government, charities and individuals set up mutual aid groups to help women across the country. Period products were not categorized as essential goods in the beginning of the lockdown in India and this led to further despair.

Stigma and Shame The shame and stigma around menstruation makes it extremely difficult for women and girls to communicate and clearly express their problems. Some women find it difficult to discuss their periods even with female member of the house. Myths and taboos are the primary reason for women to not receive the care that the deserve.

Some common myths and taboos are mentioned on the following page.

“Once I was on my period and could not attend a prayer meeting in my own house. It enraged me so much, I stuck posters all over the house saying things like “I’m not impure”, “Periods don’t make you bad.”. Even though it was very dramatic, I’m glad I spoke up for myself. My parents were so ashamed and perplexed. But it was worth it because later my grandmother told me she’s glad I’m standing up for myself because she couldn’t!” - Interviewee, 25

Image 7 Images 6 and 7 are screenshots from the authors personal Instagram account. The images are a result of a social media survey conducted by the author wherein women are mentioning some period taboos they have heard/been subjected to. Names have been anonymized for privacy reasons. Image 8: Common Myths in India(Myna Mahila Foundation 2015)

Shame and stigma is the primary reason for most problems around mesntruation that exist today. Since menstruation is not visible to everyone, shame makes it difficult even more difficult for people to accept periods are a natural bodily function.

Representation is the key to everything. It shapes what we think is normal and acceptable and what we find taboo. In culture, we find blood acceptable. It’s not shocking to see blood in coverage of live sport. Or in crime series. Or horror films. You see it all the time in video games and graphic novels. However, period blood is something completely different. It’s absent. It is euphemised. Or used to shame and humiliate women. This underrepresentation and misrepresentation has contributed to a world in which women feel disgusting and men feel disgusted. (Revol, Hulley and Lossgott, 2018)

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