By Juliana Vasquez | Staff Writer
Growing up, I had a really complex relationship with Aunt Flo.
Honestly, she terrified me. The idea of bleeding through my pants, having to ask for a pad in public, the implication that maybe I was acting more on edge than normal: no one should ever know that it was that time of the month.
It’s always been normal to be embarrassed by this bodily function that I had absolutely no control over. It wasn’t until this past summer that I realized this shouldn’t be the case.
This summer, I decided to start listening to podcasts, with the BBC podcast “28-ish Days Later” at the top of my list. “28-ish Days Later” explores the scientific 28-day cycle women experience each month, a cycle more commonly known as a period. From ovulation to menopause to birth control, the podcast addressed issues I didn’t even know happened.
I quickly learned that I knew absolutely nothing about what was happening in my body each month. There’s a scientific reason why I PMS before my period begins. I’m not insane for having certain days where I just feel unproductive and don’t know why. Missing my period isn’t really a flex, and it could actually be an indication that something is seriously wrong within my body.
I wondered why I didn’t already know this information, but realized that the answer is pretty much straightforward. My public middle school offered a health class for one semester in seventh grade. Over the course of that health class, we talked about obesity, dieting and sex, but we didn’t talk about periods. Following that very short health class, we never discussed anything health-related in class again. My exposure to periods, the remainder of my adolescence, consisted of snide comments asking if it was “that time of the month?”, whispered exchanges of pads and tampons and an overwhelming sense of embarrassment surrounding my “lady business.”
During my research, I learned that you can biohack your period cycle, tailoring your lifestyle choices to your period cycle in order to maximize your personal well-being. I also learned that depending on the type of birth control you take, you could be selling yourself short on the benefits that periods provide.
Our periods are not something that we should be afraid of, and period education does not only pertain to women. It’s essential for men to know about a woman’s cycle. You definitely have a woman in your life, whether it’s your mom, your girlfriend, your sister, your wife or your child; it’s important to understand what’s happening in their bodies because it also affects you. By understanding the why behind your girlfriend, sister or mom’s change in attitude or productivity at different points in the month, you can better understand the people most important to yourself. Additionally, by attempting to understand the woman in your life’s monthly cycle, you’re showing her that you care and taking that first step towards normalizing periods.
So let’s start talking about periods. Schools should educate pre-teens about what’s happening in women’s bodies.
Periods shouldn’t be embarrassing, but they are, so how do we change this?
First, we need to start talking openly about our periods. You bled through your bottoms? It happens. Did you forget a pad or a tampon? We’ve all been there; it’s okay. You’re low-key PMSing and don’t feel your best? We’re here for you; it’s natural.
Second, we need to actually educate ourselves about what happens during a period. Listen to a podcast, read a book or even ask the women around you about their personal experience with their periods. No two periods are the same, and you’d be shocked by the new information you learn.
Let’s take the first few steps together and destigmatize periods.
