Born as a blessing, treated as a Taboo!

Hey Everyone!

It’s already the end of another *usual COVID-19 week*, and I hope you guys have been doing some thinking!

Well lazy heads! In my last Blog I wrote a tiny paragraph on Meditation benefits for Menstruation cycle, if you remember, that is =( Today I will highlight some facts and debunk some ancient myths devouring our thought process.

Menstruation Cycle: What Is It?

Menstruation Cycle, Sanitary napkins, taboo

We all have gone through this topic atleast once during our growth period with chor waali aankhen. That *hush-hush*, *sharmana*, *absent hi ho jana*, aur na jaane kon konse emotions jagrit hona! .....Sharmaao nahi, maine bhi ye sab experience kiya hai...ab insaan hu bhai! vo bhi ladki!

'When the Biology teacher used to call a student to draw the *Reproductive organs* on the black-board, main samajh sakti hu uss bechare ke dimag me kya bavandar mach rha hoga!'

Khair! Aaj baat karne waale hai ye aakhir hota ku hai bhai! Mera matlab hai saal me ek baar nahi ho sakta, kambakht har mahine aa jata hai... Periods nahi EMI lagne laga hai, pata nahi konsa aesa loan le liya ki khatam hone ka naam hi nahi le rha!

.....Ohoo!! Main bhi kin baaton me ulajh gyi? Aage badhte hai...

Menstruation Cycle start hone ka matlab hai ab tum bachchi nahi rhi- buddhi ho gyi ho, bol do gharwalon se ki byah krwa de!

Well this is not exactly wrong, why? Because first thing- yes, we become a woman, who is capable of forming a life out of her but, not right after we got it. It is a sign that the body has entered the stage where it will prepare to uphold a new life form inside of her (with some help *Of Course*)!

According to an XYZ Science book:

"The menstruation cycle in other words, period is the hormonal process a woman's body goes through each month to prepare for a possible pregnancy. During your menstrual cycle, hormones make the eggs in your ovaries mature (ready to be fertilized) and also make the lining (with lots of nutrients) of your uterus thick and spongy. This lining is made of tissue and blood, like almost everything else inside our bodies."

If you do get pregnant, your body needs the lining- that’s why your period stops during pregnancy. Your period comes back when you’re not pregnant anymore.
If pregnancy doesn’t happen, your body doesn’t need the thick lining in your uterus. Your lining breaks down, and the blood, nutrients, and tissue flow out of your body through your vagina. Voilà, it’s your period!
 
After all these knowledge, it is still a taboo to even take the name. Okay if not taboo, it is treated as an illness of a female's body in many parts of the world!

A Taboo! But Why?

"Matlab har mahine itna dard jhelne ke baad ab kuch padhe-likhe logo ke chochle bhi sehne padenge!"...Satiyanash! It's not new to hear this now, let's have a look at the ancient links.

Menstrual taboos are found in various holy books:

.....as in the Bible:

“…in her menstrual impurity; she is unclean… whoever or whatever touches the impurity of her monthly period …shall be unclean and shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean for seven days until evening” Leviticus 15

However, there are 3 bodily discharges mentioned other than the period (which we will discuss in details in the later blogs).

This leads us to the popular myths and facts related the Menstruation Cycle.

Myths vs Facts

 Myths

  • Hot showers increase the flow
  • Exercise is Bad for You During Your Period
  • Period Blood is Unclean Blood
  • Your periods can sync with your girl gang *kuch bhi*
  • Women Will Contaminate Food
  • Period blood has a bad smell

 Facts 

  • PMSing is real- Premenstrual Syndrome 
  • You don’t lose a lot of blood
  • Dark Chocolate helps
  • Breastfeeding your baby can affect your cycle
  • You can get pregnant if you are on your period
  • Stress can actually result in irregular periods

The superstitions followed not only in India but, across the world:

  • You can’t enter a kitchen or cook food for anyone else.
  • You can’t enter a place of worship.
  • You can only enter a place of prayer once you’ve washed your hair on or after the fourth day.
  • You must wash your hair on the first day of your period to clean yourself completely. On the contrary, if you wash your hair, your flow will be less and it will affect your fertility later in life.
  • You can’t touch flowers because they’ll die quicker.
  • You can’t cradle babies or you’ll cause them to get sick.
  • You can't make pickles or it will rot.
  • You can't touch flowers or it will wither.
  • You can't touch curd or it will go sour, and much more.....

A woman is said to be both physically and mentally weak during these days as she is losing an egg, i.e. a life form, which is why it is necessary to take ultra care of the body and soul. Few among the myths were created as to protect the women from hurting herself but then again some *dignified* and *educated* people molded those words according to their convenience and here we are!

People often talk about female rights and what not but, what are those rights? Do you really know what are your rights and how to implement them? Think about it and not in a Feminist way the *dignified* bunch has portrayed but keeping your female companions in mind.

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