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?
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.
