Adolescent Menstruation

Written By: Sandy Saleh

What is a Menstrual Period?

The cessation of the menstrual cycle, where the female body prepares itself for a possible pregnancy in a monthly rhythmic cycle, is known as the menstrual period. The uterus creates a thick lining of tissue called the endometrium in order for the ovaries to release an egg that can possibly be fertilized by the male reproductive gamete, sperm. In the event that the egg isn’t fertilized, the endometrium sheds abreast changes in hormones lasting three to eight days, this causes vaginal bleeding. The normal age for a female’s first period is intervening ages 11 and 14 and will normally continue until menopause which, on average, starts at the age of  51. The symptoms vary on an individual basis with approximately 90 percent, of the 800 million women menstruating daily experiencing differing symptoms such as food cravings, breast tenderness, vomiting, dysmenorrhea (cramps), headaches, nausea, somnolence, and fatigue. 

The Problem

Frequently, the price of sanitary products or painkillers is one that is too expensive in addition to the pink tax, an upcharge for female-dominant products, for many young women in low-income countries/families to afford.  Between 32 to 40 percent of females who experience periods have admitted to absences from work or school. As Power to Decide, a nonprofit focused on addressing teenage pregnancies explains, as more than 19 million women live in contraceptive deserts, this is detrimental to their careers and educational competence. The grounds for the stigma surrounding the menstrual period, a normal biological occurrence, are cultural and religious associations that use shame tactics and attempt to embarrass their members. This bespeaks to the ostracization of young girls as a multitude of diverse cultures shame menstruation and sanitary products, a byproduct of which is talented students missing school and losing the opportunity to complete their education.

This has detrimental effects downhill as education often serves as a ticket to a stable career, socioeconomic mobility, and monetary freedom. If enrolled in school, young females are less likely to experience child marriage, labor, domestic abuse, and face underlying reproductive problems as they age. As mentioned by the Malala Fund, due to menstruation, over 130 million girls are missing schooling with 1 out of every 10 African girls missing school and it is evident that at the core of this issue is a neglect of the basic female necessities.  

Proposition + Solution

The first step towards solving this problem is to destigmatize and interpolate the menstrual cycle. This can initially be as simple as correcting commonly held misconceptions about the menstrual period to much more thoroughly government mandating policies to educate all, at a young age, about it in school in a way that presents no guise or desultory. Public health curricula within schools need to prioritize the relevance of menstruation-related content so adolescents don’t grow up in an environment where it is suppressed and considered by many to be inconsequential. Moreover, establishing initiatives that provide young girls with menstrual resources within school perimeters encourages them to continue their education as well as disburdening them of the responsibility of coming up with the money to buy products. Various organizations such as the MINA Foundation, Days for Girls, Dignity Period, Freedom4Girls, and PERIOD, have established many initiatives to help eliminate prejudice around menstruation as well as supply young girls with access to sanitary products so make sure to donate to their causes!

Bibliography

Holland, Kimberly. “Facts and Statistics About Your Period.” Healthline, 2018, https://www.healthline.com/health/facts-statistics-menstruation. Accessed 23 July 2021.

Kennedy, Shania. “Four Organizations Fighting Period Poverty.” Borgen Magazine, 2019, https://borgenproject.org/top-4-organizations-fighting-period-poverty/. Accessed 24 July 2021.

Power to Decide. “Birth Control Access 2021.” Power to Decide, 2021, https://powertodecide.org/what-we-do/access/birth-control-access. Accessed 23 July 2021.

Rueckert, Phineas. “Period Poverty, Stigma Are Keeping Girls Out of School.” Global Citizen, 2018, https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/menstrual-hygiene-day-education/?template=next. Accessed 23 July 2021.

Sánchez, Erica, and Leah Rodriguez. “Period Poverty: Everything You Need to Know.” Global Citizen, 2019, https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/period-poverty-everything-you-need-to-know/?template=next. Accessed 23 July 2021.

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