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Men in Menstruation. Then why shy away?

Is it normal for girls to talk about their periods with boys? - Quora

How to talk to boys about periods - Betty

These are the questions on some popular sites. Sad, isn’t it?

Girls these days discuss travel plans, home issues, relationship problems, political debates, office work etc with their partners or guy-friends. That’s not an issue, ever. But just sometime back, a friend of mine thought that periods and PMS (Premenstrual syndrome) are the same concepts. (Uh, just no!) And when I tried to explain him, the reaction was ‘Why are you telling me all this!? It isn’t going to help me in any way.’

While having a period was gross, embarrassing, shameful and disgusting in the past, it is a widely spoken topic today. On one side, women are debating about the need of a sanitary napkin and discussing ‘periods’ openly, but on the other side, men are still shying away.

It’s time men should be more open to women’s problems and not be ignorant. Why aren’t they comfortable listening to period talks? Why not the sessions with your friends/partners where you tell them that you are regular (so that he can support you if you're late/irregular)? Why not discuss your symptoms (a reminder that women are different and need a massage probably)?

Be it Gloria Steinem's famous piece ‘If Men Could Menstruate’ or YRF’s digital series ‘A Man’s World’ — there is an imagination and a picture drawn about how menstruation would be if men experienced it.

Instead of running away from the topic, men even at work place should open up conversations about periods because this will eventually open up dialogues on menstrual health, hygiene, pregnancy, and disease. It is okay to say that I won’t be able to work because I am in severe pain because of periods. If men are shying away from even discussing this, women can change this mindset.

Take some time out to educate the men in your life — husband, brother, father, boyfriend or male-friends about what it is like every month. Discuss about your PMS moods, cramps, period cravings etc. We understand you may feel awkward in the beginning, but it will definitely help them be more understanding when you need their help.

Some men at workplace think that women use ‘period pain’ as an excuse to take time off from work! (Ya, right!!). Make a man go through the same intensity of pain and then he'll realise the gravity of the situation! While two companies in India have introduced FOP (First day of period leave) but it is still not widely accepted. It’s absolutely fine if you let your father, your brother or your male-colleague get you a packet of sanitary napkins when in need. Period.

The men should know that each girl's experience is different and every woman deals with their period differently. For those unaware, girls who live in a close proximity can also have their periods sync up with one another. High time we take the period discussion to our dining table and talk about it with our brother and father, and position menstrual cycle as a subject to discuss without any hesitation or prejudice. If we put in the right amount of effort from all the ends, we can envision an existence where periods would be esteemed no more than a basic viral. An ah-choo, and just get on with it!

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Why women shy away from period talks? Read more

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