Menstruation, or the process of shedding the uterine lining, occurs on a monthly basis in women from the time they hit puberty to the time they go through menopause, with the exception of the months they are pregnant and/or breast-feeding. Though, it should be acknowledged that women are not the only ones who menstruate. Trans-men and people who are facing gender dysphoria—when a person is not content with the sex he or she was assigned at birth—also menstruate.
Every single day, people are menstruating all around the world, so you’d think that something so common would be discussed openly and honestly, but for whatever reason, it’s not. Menstruation has become a taboo topic of discussion and, if brought up, it is frequently followed by an echoing of disgusted “EWWWW.” So why is something so widespread and well known as menstruation a forbidden topic of discourse?
Perhaps ignorance really is bliss, and those who do not have to go through the monthly period of bleeding would rather pretend it doesn’t happen than acknowledge that menstruation is a natural occurrence. Menstruation is as common as sleeping, and yet it is rarely discussed; like pooping, menstruation seems to be a topic that people would rather not talk about, as if doing so would make it go away. Surprisingly, the average amount of blood emitted during a monthly cycle is a mere 2.4 tablespoons!
Men and women alike are responsible for menstruation being a “behind closed doors” topic, if that. That is not to say, however, that every man or every woman believes menstruation is a topic too taboo to be discussed openly and honestly. Many men and women frequently discuss menstruation, whether in public or in the privacy of their own homes.
When somebody is injured, oftentimes, bystanders want to know all of the gory details, even if it involves blood. It seems odd that people are able to talk openly about the bloody wounds of another person, yet the second somebody brings up period blood, a normal, natural cycle, it’s like there’s a bloody elephant in the room! If people are mature enough to discuss politics, religion, and sex, we should also be mature enough to discuss menstruation.
Menstruation has always been a sign of fertility, which should make it an acceptable, ordinary topic of discussion. Women, trans-men, and those with gender dysphoria are able to live their lives while simultaneously menstruating every month, so menstruation should be accepted and recognized as what it is: a normal, regular occurrence.
Unfortunately, most of the time, the topic of menstruation is swept under the discourse rug. When it is discussed, many times, those who are menstruating are criticized for doing so, as if it is a choice that they make each month. For instance, frequently someone will blame a woman’s bad mood on menstruation and say things like, “You must be PMS-ing” or “Is it that time of the month again?” While PMS causes mood swings in many people, it is not fair to blame menstruation every time someone gets upset. There are countless valid reasons that cause someone to become upset!
Menstruation is a normal occurrence, and although it has its downsides (cramps, fatigue, bloating, etc.) it is a welcome reminder of the fact that our bodies are capable of fertility and that we are alive. It’s a rare occurrence for a person to bleed for four days straight without dying of blood loss, so menstruation deserves to be acknowledged for more than just an inconvenient, bloody event.
Society has stigmatized menstruation to the point that women, trans-men, and people with gender dysphoria feel ashamed to discuss menstruation. We need to accept the fact that menstruation is a natural life cycle, just like the changing of the tides or the rising of the moon and sun. Period.
