Written by Joyoti Chowdhury
As menstruators, our experience in school plays a vital role in shaping our attitude and confidence. In India, the lack of a sensitive school environment leads to an increased dropout rate amongst girls as they reach puberty. The age group of children who experience menstruation for the first time ranges from the age group of 9-15 years.
So it is significant to introduce lessons around menstruation in schools during this age. Needless to say, one must begin by walking the students through the understanding of how menstruation is an absolutely normal process. Here are some of the key components of menstrual hygiene management, which are addressed by menstrual educators.
It Is Fine!
It is fine! If the period comes unannounced. There is nothing to be ashamed of about experiencing menstruation. Do try carrying an extra menstrual care product of your choice in your bag for your convenience.
It is important for such lessons to be conducted in a safe environment to ensure students do not feel shy to engage in this conversation. This process will also enable to dismantle the existing cultural barriers and taboos around menstruation. Having said that, schools must also be equipped with adequate access to menstrual care products, making students’ experience of menstruation more comfortable in the school environment.
Puberty And Menstruation
When we are talking about menstruation, it is not enough to talk about only the menstruation process. It is important to tell the students about various bodily changes like -the growth of the breast, the hair on the body and other hormonal changes. It is important to make sure you are neither scared nor ashamed of these changes. While menstruation is often talked about as a gendered experience, the intersectional understanding of it must never be overlooked while engaging in dialogues around menstruation.
What’s All The Hush-Hush About?
We often see young girls hiding about their periods as if it is their biggest secret. But it is important to remember there is nothing to be ashamed of about menstruation and thus requires no ‘hush-hush’ and no need of hiding it from any gender. Even in their homes, the students must not feel inhibited to express their various concerns around their experience of menstruation.
It is important to remember that the stigma around menstruation leads to misinformation, conflicting ideas, and exclusion. The students must be encouraged to engage in the conversation around menstrual health, but according to their comfort and space.
Menstruation And Pain
For many, this experience of menstruation can be extremely painful. This experience of pain can vary from person to person. So in order to ease the pain, here are a few things you can do:
- Go for a short walk.
- Get eight hours of sleep every night.
- Drink lots of water- this is the most important point to be remembered
- And lastly, of course, take some gentle pain medicines.
But in case the pain is extremely unbearable, and you also experience heavy bleeding for a long time, make sure to seek help from a community health worker or doctor. Make sure always to remember (what we need to keep telling our children), “Do Not be ashamed if something seems wrong. Get Help”
It is also important to have a well-balanced diet. It does not mean avoiding certain foods and drinks as instructed to you by your community or religion. You are experiencing menstruation, not diabetes, that you gotta stop eating your favourites! Exercise during this time can also help with the pain.
Hygiene Is Your Asset
Make sure to keep yourself clean, as unclean practices can expose you to the risk of infections. It is important to wash outside your genital area. In case you plan to skip a bath, make sure to wash your genital area using a small amount of plain water, soap and a soft cloth.
Disposal Techniques
Make sure to dispose of your used sanitary pads inside the bin and never down the toilet. Disposable pads must be changed every six hours or earlier (if there is a feeling of discomfort). The students must be made aware of the various cons of using disposable pads.
It is significant for educators to initiate a conversation around sustainable menstrual care products as it is a more healthy, eco-friendly and affordable option.
As educators, it is important to engage in conversation around the MHM program participants as it would enable them to address various neglected issues and understand their experience comprehensively. It is important to remember menstruators’ experience of menstruation must not be homogenized. In order to improve the experience of menstruation amongst school goers, one can not miss out infrastructural facilities of the schools themselves.
All this education will fall short to make a difference if the schools fail to create a menstruator friendly environment. It is significant for schools to have an adequate number of clean toilets with proper WASH facilities and lock systems. There must be buckets with lids for disposing of used pads. In order to maintain hygiene, hand washing facilities with soap is mandatory. And it is high time the schools should normalize the period talk!
References
- Suriyaarachchi Rashmi (2019), ‘Period Lesson Plan: Guide to menstruation for teachers‘
- ‘Menstrual Hygiene Matters: Training Guide for practitioners‘