Menstruation stigma

By Rabi Ummi Umar,

Nature bestows unique characteristics upon creatures of all species. One distinctive feature for humans, particularly women, is menstruation, otherwise known as periods. This menstrual cycle often comes with an enormous amount of pain and discomfort. 

Hence, I get aggravated when people, particularly men, downplay or dismiss the pain associated with periods. It has become all too common nowadays, and I often wonder, “What is their thought process behind such disregard?” This disregard is part of what we have come to know as period stigma—the social, cultural, and emotional shame or embarrassment associated with menstruation.

Women typically experience menstruation for two to seven days a month. Still, they also face a range of challenges, including premenstrual syndrome (PMS), sadness, menstrual pain, depression, and post-menstrual depression. For these reasons, we deserve sympathy and support.

Menstrual cramps are painful sensations that affect many individuals before and during their menstrual period. The pain typically targets the lower abdomen and lower back. Women often experience additional symptoms, such as loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhoea, and more. Depending on the individual, menstrual cramps may last for at least three days or even longer.

Reports have shown that approximately 5% to 15% of individuals experience period pain so severe that it impacts their daily activities. According to Cleveland Clinic, the figure could be higher due to underreported or unreported cases.

There are instances where I have witnessed men being insensitive towards the pain women experience during their periods. Sometimes, if the situation warrants it, I share my opinion; otherwise, my best option is to watch helplessly or move on.

Women are paradoxically both fragile and incredibly strong creatures, enduring immense physical and emotional challenges every month. This never-ending cycle, which results in the loss of an appreciable amount of blood, makes it particularly hurtful when someone dismisses or undermines the experiences we go through.

A genuine suggestion is that when it is that time of the month for your partner, sister, mother, or loved one, show your support with a thoughtful gesture. Be present for them, even if you cannot fully comprehend their experience. Make them feel seen and cared for. Do your research, take the necessary steps, and understand what works best for them. It makes a bigger difference than you might think.

Recently, there was a heated discussion on X (formerly Twitter) regarding PCOS—polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormonal disorder that causes enlarged ovaries—that left me stunned. Although I cannot recall the exact comment, it disregarded the severity of the condition and painted women as unhealthy, much like what happens with periods.

One piece of advice from that social media conversation resonated with me: “Review your partner’s Twitter to gain insight into their thoughts before committing to a relationship.” I cannot stress enough how important this advice is. It underscores the need to have people in our lives who will be there for us, especially in matters such as menstruation and PCOS, which are dictated by nature.

Imagine being with someone who does not understand or invalidates your experiences. I urge women to prioritise getting to know their partners well, particularly their emotional intelligence, before committing to a relationship.

Men should also show support during menstruation. Instead of making insensitive comments, they can educate themselves.

Learn about menstrual health and its effects to be a thoughtful brother, husband, father, or friend. Offer emotional support and empathy, help with household chores and errands if needed, and encourage open conversations to end the stigma associated with periods.

By doing so and being more considerate, men can create a more comfortable and supportive environment for women. The world can be kinder to women—we deserve it!

Rabi Ummi Umar is an intern at PRNigeria and a student at Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin. She can be reached via rabiumar058@gmail.com.

By Bilyaminu Idris Ndasadulau

I believe in collective action, responsibility and collaboration. That’s why I joined as a man to fight against period stigmatisation and period poverty. It’s everyone responsibility, not only the females.

Menstruation matters to me. Thus, I consider any form of stigma associated with menstruation a social abuse and crime against women. Unfortunately, millions of women and girls continue to live in period poverty around the world without any support from the government to end the problem. We need to address the issue collectively. That’s why in 2019, I started online research studies on health matters, and I found out many women and girls need pads, but they cannot afford them, which can often lead to girls not attending school and also unhygienic practices. 

So in 2020, we initiated the “Rescue A Girl” project, which aims to end the stigma and discrimination and focus on enhancing, from the grassroots, adequate education, health and gender equality, which is a key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals agenda. 

In the same year, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we launched the project on International Girl Day. We outreached to different schools and communities where we educated and impacted over 350 women and girls with free sanitary pads.

After our 2020 project report, we understand that sanitary pads are not the best solution to end period poverty and financial inequality worldwide. So we design a sustainable solution strategy to support these women and girls through reusable pads products. Which is very affordable and also help in economic empowerment to produce these materials and sell them. At the same time, our approach will be a sustainable solution to end period poverty and increase available good health hygiene aids for women and girls. 

In late 2021, we decided to push the sustainable solution to reality, where we visited and trained almost 1000 women and girls in different marginalised places. While we also raise awareness to improve knowledge and practices of menstrual hygiene management, especially for the local residents and school girls.

This effort was supported by Connected Development in collaboration with ShareYourself Organization from the USA. Through this project, we build transparency data of impact to ensure our partners and the public can see the sustainability of our work. So we can gain more support around the world. 

This project targets 2000 women and girls just for the 2021 goal. Still, it is a life continuation work to ensure we reduce the high rate of women and girls facing period poverty and lack of MHM knowledge. While we also empower them to become self economic independent and minimise environmental waste caused by sanitary pads. 

We will keep pushing the Rescue A Girl project as a movement to ensure policymakers, government, NGOs and individuals all play their role through taking it as a responsibility and commitment to change the policies and mindsets to support these vulnerable living survivors. 

The experience we gained throughout this health project was unique. We travelled to slums; we met a lot of young housewives and girls, and we built confidence brought hope and a smile on their faces.         

You can reach Idris Bilyaminu Ndasadu’Lau via bilyaminuidrisndasadulau@gmail.com.