Wednesday was my birthday, and I am still hungover from all the attention and love showered by my friends and family. Guys, you are my true cheerleaders, supporters, and motivators, always uplifting me in unimaginable ways. I hope everyone gets friends like you, and hey, if you don't, I hope you become a loving, caring, and supportive friend to someone. Becoming what you seek is the way to attract what you desire. It's the dance of energies!
Nevertheless, I am going to continue the discussion about periods as said in my last article. Before that, cheers to you beautiful, open-minded people who are my regular readers and appreciate open discussions around anything and everything while keeping your biases and judgments aside. Let me tell you, you are awesome—never let anyone tell you otherwise. Without transparency and open discussion, change is impossible. Only scared, insecure, fearful people cannot be bold and have open conversations. But you are a different breed. I am proud of you for collaborating with me on this tough journey.
With that lets understand, why don’t women talk about periods, or anything related to sexuality or even their emotions around these topics? The reason is, people start sexualizing them or even call them "too open," sometimes even questioning their character. That’s why your biology ma'am skipped this chapter in 9th grade. Girlies, if anyone starts sexualizing you or questioning your character when you are just having a mature talk about tough topics, just give them a look and walk away—make them question their own disgusting thought process. You don’t need to waste your energy explaining.
Major Reason Why We Don’t Discuss Periods
There’s a little history to it. During the medieval era, as societies transitioned from small tribal communities to larger religious communities. Major cultural shift started to happen; matriarchal societies started shifting to patriarchal ones. Religious leaders, who were mostly men, made all the rules. Lacking an understanding of menstruation, they condemned it as something unnatural, magical, unclean, sinful, evil, or impure.
Although this was not always the case in India, religions that associated women with "original sin" had a major effect condemning periods and also women as sinful. When outsiders began visiting India, some Indians adopted their practices, and period stigma was one of them. This is a common psychological response—when people don’t understand something, they tend to reject it.
Cultures that condemned menstruation as impure went as far as banning women from rituals, holy places, and certain activities. Anything they touched was deemed impure, and even their shadow was considered contaminating. But why are periods seen as a mark of impurity when, biologically, they signify health and vitality? It’s an age-old argument still in need of a fresh perspective.
Menstruation has often been ignored in religious teachings. Modern thinkers are now challenging these outdated beliefs, advocating for inclusivity, and urging religious leaders to rethink their stance. The goal isn't to disrespect tradition but to create a space where both men and women, with their unique biological experiences, are embraced equally.
Understanding the Biological Aspect of Periods
We were not taught about periods in school because the same reasons I explained above. That’s why discussing this is so important.
For those unfamiliar with the mechanics of periods, here are the details. The average menstrual cycle lasts between 23 and 35 days. While periods vary among women, they typically start between ages 11 and 14 and continue until menopause, around age 50. The average period lasts three to five days, though flow severity differs from woman to woman.
A woman’s monthly fertility cycle begins with her first period. During menstruation, the uterus sheds its nutrient-rich lining, renewing itself. Meanwhile, ovarian follicles develop, with one egg usually maturing. The body rebuilds the uterine lining in anticipation of a possible pregnancy. Mid-cycle, ovulation takes place-the mature egg is released from the ovaries and travels through the fallopian tubes. If fertilized by sperm it implants into the uterine lining and starts developing into a baby. If not, the egg dies within two days. Without implantation, hormone levels drop, causing the uterine lining to break down and shed-starting a new cycle. I hope you got the mechanics. Now we will discuss the hormonal effect of this.
How Hormonal cycle works?
The hormonal cycle refers to the cyclical behavior of hormones, which in turn affects emotions, mood, and behavior. Though the cycle of hormonal activities varies widely between the two sexes, it is not much talked about. This also remains a vital reason why most men often do not comprehend the nature of women and their nature. As a result, rejecting femineity completely which create imbalance in relationships and even in large society.
Let's first understand men hormonal cycle to get better understanding women's hormonal cycle. Men have daily or 24-hour hormonal cycle. So, the morning hours are peak and as the progress the energy level starts to go down and body, mind naturally goes into rest mode. This is the reason men might experience irritability during evening time just want to relax so they avoid making big decisions or do anything strenuous at night.
Whereas women have a monthly hormonal cycle, which makes things more complex. The first phase is the follicular phase, which occurs in the week after menstruation. During this time, energy levels are high, and women feel motivated, productive, and ready to take on new challenges or make important decisions. The second phase, ovulation, happens in the second week after menstruation. This is when the energy of attraction, socializing, and connecting is at its peak. Women feel more confident and outgoing during this phase.
The third week after menstruation is the luteal phase. This is when energy starts to dip, and women naturally feel the need to withdraw, become introspective, and seek emotional support. Mood swings, irritability, and cravings are common during this phase. After this comes the menstrual phase, where the body sheds the uterine lining which we call periods. Since blood loss does weaken the body physically, adequate nutrition, such as foods that are high in calcium, potassium, and iron, is also important. That is why women often crave sweets and carbs at this time.
Pro Tip from Fitness Trainer
As a fitness trainer, I’d advise gym-going women to refrain from intense workouts and strict dieting during their periods. Instead, focus on proper nutrition and rest. For men, a little softness, care, and words of affection during the luteal and menstrual phases can go a long way in strengthening relationships. Understanding these hormonal shifts can bring more empathy and balance into interactions between men and women.
I wanted to discuss one more aspect here in this article itself; however, I have to keep it for the next article. Modern society is only focused on three prominent aspects—mechanical (we can call it biological as well) psychological and hormonal. However, we also need to consider the spiritual aspect. For long enough, the spiritual aspect was not considered, and that has created today’s flawed society. However, confusing religion with spirituality is such misconception and wrong practice. In my next article we will discuss the differences between these two. Understanding spiritual aspect of periods can create more harmonious experience for every woman to process their periods experience without guilt shame and any other emotional discomfort. For now, bye and have amazing week ahead!
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