A wise man once rightly said — Myths are a waste of time. They prevent progression.
The onset of a female’s menstrual cycle is seen as a shock and shame by most of them in India. Menstrual myths and taboos associated with the process of menstruation exclude women from various aspects of socio-cultural life. They put menstruating women at a disadvantage and impacts women’s’ mental and emotional state. Not only this. Their lifestyle and health also take a toll.
Menstruation is a biological process unique to the female sex. Lack of knowledge and avoiding conversations related to menstruation are the major reasons for the existence of myths. In India, especially in the rural areas, even the mention of this topic is a taboo. Even to this date, rural women feel shy and avoid such conversations due to wrong social and cultural influences. This hurdles the advancement of knowledge and awareness on this subject.
Menstruation is considered dirty and impure in many parts of our country. This is one of the most common myths which had originated ages ago. However, scientifically it is now known that the actual cause of menstruation is ovulation due to a missed chance of pregnancy. This results in bleeding. Another myth is that menstruating women should not enter the kitchen and cook and certainly not touch milk or pickles. The contact is said to contaminate the food. This myth exists majorly due to cultural beliefs. However, it is proven by scientific tests that menstruating women in no way contaminate food unless they do not take the usual hygiene measures.
Moreover, in some areas in India, dietary restrictions are also followed by a few women. They avoid curd, citrus fruits, tamarind and other sour food items like pickles blindly believing that they, if ingested would stop or disturb the menstrual flow every month. Following certain fads and not knowing why and not knowing if they actually hold true is not correct. Some even believe that cold drinks freeze the blood flow!
Many adolescent girls believe that physical activity or strain like exercising or even going to the gym in urban areas during their menstruation increases menstrual cramps. However, this is also sadly a myth. In fact, scientific studies prove that exercising relieves pain and bloating. It helps in the release of serotonin which makes one feel much happier and also helps in relieving menstruating women from premenstrual syndrome.
Illogical beliefs like menstrual blood being dangerous and that a malevolent person is capable of harming a menstruating girl using black magic are still practiced not only in parts of India but also in other Asian regions. Some also say that a women’s menstrual blood can be used by her to impose her will on a man. All of these have no scientific explanation and are absurd.
Women are not allowed to touch cows or goats. This is due to a myth which states that a menstruating women’s touch would lead to their infertility. Certain villages are very strict as far as following such practices are concerned. Other such rules include: cleaning and washing utensils and used clothes only after periods for that month get over, not visiting places of worship and other social areas and not touching a pregnant woman while on their period.
Surveys have revealed that people of areas around Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh believe that “menstruation is a disease and not a normal biological process.” This is indeed shocking… Therefore, women here are prohibited from performing their daily chores and are not even allowed to sleep on beds during menstruation. Such taboos revolving around menstruation makes women ashamed which obstructs their progress.
There is an urgent requirement to address such social and cultural superstitions and myths in remote areas of India. Here the concept of the menstrual cycle is not taken seriously and is dangerously ignored. This is because people living in such rural areas have minimal or no access to important scientific information regarding menstruation to help them correctly understand this biological process. Furthermore, they are exposed to such unproven myths and get mentally affected.
Connecting Dreams Foundation, SRCC chapter has launched the Crowdfunding campaign for its PROJECT AAROGYA which involves distribution of sanitary napkins at subsidized rates in the urban slums and villages of Delhi-NCR.
You can be a part of our initiative by contributing to this noble cause by clicking here: bit.ly/CDFAarogya