World Menstrual Hygiene Day: Why do women really need to have the period?

By Dr. Prathima Reddy

It’s one of those days. You are on your period – and it is painful. You don’t feel like going to work, but have an important meeting you cannot miss. With a help of a few pain killers, you drag yourself out of bed and head to work. Minutes before the meeting you find out you have stained your dress. The day couldn’t get worse!

Sounds familiar? Welcome to the world of over 355 million menstruating women in India.


Why do women have period?
Imagine a life without period - no bleeding, no pain, no sanitary napkins/tampons. Hold that thought before you get too carried away. Every month, the womb prepares for a possible pregnancy when it sheds the lining of the womb, resulting in period or menses. This usually happens once a month and a woman bleeds on an average for five days. The normal cycle varies from 21 to 35 days and the bleeding can last from two to seven days. Having a regular period indicates that a woman is ovulating every month. It is like a monthly reminder that women are capable of having a baby.

Menstruation through the ages
Menarche and menopause mark the start and the end of period in a woman’s lifetime. Through the ages, menstruation has never been discussed openly. It has been associated with witches, magic, shame and taboo. It is not surprising that even today most women in our country do not talk freely about it. In some communities in India, women are not allowed to enter religious places, cook food or participate in socio-cultural activities during period. This revolves around the myth that menstruation is impure and the body is cursed during this time. However, this is rather contradictory because a girl is considered cursed and infertile if she does not have period. In many cultures, the onset of the first period is announced and celebrated.

Menstrual hygiene
Before sanitary pads/tampons were invented, it is believed (although this has not been proven) that the Egyptians and Greeks used papyrus and lint wrapped around a stick to use as a tampon. Over a period of time, women were known to use “rags”. The sanitary napkins were not invented until the late 19 th century and the tampon came into being only in the early 20 th century. However, many women in the developing world continue to use cloth or rags as they cannot afford menstrual hygiene products.

Around 15-40% of girls in the developing world do not attend school during their period. This is due to lack of access to sanitary napkins, toilets, sanitation and adequate privacy. In rural schools, even female teachers perform less efficiently during their period. In recent times, several NGOs have been working to spread awareness among women in rural areas.

Even in the cities and metros, access to clean toilets is a luxury. Most workplaces are not ‘period friendly’ and women find it challenging to step out of the comfort zone during this time.

Menstrual abnormalities
Some women may experience variations in their cycles. Bleeding may be heavy (changing 5-6 or more fully soaked pads every day), painful or irregular. These variations may be a result of a hormone imbalance, growths (non-cancerous) in the uterus called fibroids or polyps or occasionally a sign of cancer in older women. Most commonly, heavy and prolonged period can cause a low blood count otherwise known as anaemia. This can cause tiredness, weakness and an inability to perform day to day activities optimally. If you have problems with your period, go visit your gynaecologist.

- The author is senior obstetrician, gynaecologist, director of Fortis La Femme – Bangalore and chairperson of Medical Council Committee – Fortis La Femme.