J'ai grandi dans un foyer sud-asiatique musulman très conservateur, où les menstruations étaient un sujet profondément stigmatisé. Enfant, il m'était interdit d'assister aux cours d'éducation sexuelle, ou même de mentionner à mon père que j'avais mes règles. Ma toute première expérience, et celles qui ont suivi, a été particulièrement éprouvante : des douleurs constantes, des saignements abondants et des nuits de sommeil difficiles. De plus, en tant que femme musulmane, il m'était défendu de prier, d'entrer dans la mosquée ou même de lire le Coran. Lorsque quelqu'un me demandait pourquoi je n'allais pas à la mosquée un certain jour, je n'avais qu'une réponse permise : « Je suis malade. »
Cet article est un recueil de témoignages provenant de différentes cultures à travers le monde. En tant que défenseuse de la représentation et de la sensibilisation culturelle, j'ai voulu donner vie aux histoires de femmes qui, comme moi, ont vécu de véritables épreuves liées aux menstruations et à la façon dont elles sont perçues ailleurs dans le monde.
Un fil conducteur traverse l'ensemble de ces entretiens : les menstruations sont un sujet réduit au silence. Les femmes, quelle que soit leur culture, leur pays d'origine ou leur religion, ne sont souvent pas autorisées à parler de leurs règles, en aucune circonstance. On leur dit de souffrir en silence et d'endurer sans se plaindre toutes les douleurs qui accompagnent leurs cycles. Le manque d'éducation persiste dans de nombreuses écoles, et l'absence d'infrastructures adaptées reste criante dans de nombreuses zones rurales.
Dans les sociétés occidentales, le discours ambiant n'est guère plus honnête. En Europe, aux États-Unis ou au Canada, nous avons grandi avec des publicités représentant des femmes épanouies et sans douleur pendant leurs règles : faisant du sport avec entrain, se rendant au travail avec assurance, vaquant sereinement à leurs occupations quotidiennes. Ces publicités et ces campagnes n'étaient qu'un mensonge sur les menstruations, dépeignant une réalité bien éloignée de ce que les femmes vivent réellement durant cette semaine : sautes d'humeur, douleurs, fatigue, et bien plus encore. Les entreprises commerciales ont excellé dans l'art de nous vendre l'idée qu'avec leurs protections menstruelles « sans fuite », nous serions invincibles pendant nos règles.
Cela dit, il semble qu'une prise de conscience bien plus grande émerge aujourd'hui, portée par des femmes qui s'affirment et refusent ce qu'on leur a imposé ; nous disons enfin la vérité. Chacune des femmes que j'ai interrogées brûlait de partager son histoire. Nous sommes en train de construire un mouvement où l'on ne se cache plus pour passer une serviette à une amie dans le besoin, où l'on ne chuchote plus pour en demander une, où l'on ne « fait plus avec la douleur » en s'obligeant à rester au travail parce qu'il le faut.
Nombre de ces femmes font partie d'organisations qui amorcent une véritable révolution pour sensibiliser davantage aux enjeux liés aux règles : la nécessité de disposer de toilettes propres, d'éduquer les filles à l'école et dans les communautés sur les bases de la santé menstruelle, et de rendre les produits menstruels gratuits et accessibles. L'avenir est porteur d'espoir, et nos histoires ne seront plus réduites au silence.
Luana Escamilla
Founder, Fluxo Sem Tabu (Brazil)
1 | Can you walk me through what a girl’s or woman’s first experience with menstruation is typically like in your community?
In many communities in Brazil, a girl’s first experience with menstruation is often marked by a mixture of confusion, fear, and silence. Research from UNICEF et UNESCO shows that a significant number of girls reach menarche without prior education about what is happening to their bodies. This lack of preparation can turn what should be a natural biological milestone into a distressing moment. In lower-income contexts, especially, limited access to information and menstrual products intensifies this experience. Many girls report hiding their first period, feeling embarrassed, or not knowing how to manage it safely, which reinforces early feelings of shame around menstruation.
2 | What are the unspoken rules, taboos, or restrictions around menstruation that girls still grow up with?
Unspoken rules and taboos around menstruation remain deeply rooted in cultural and social norms, and in Brazil, they are often expressed through language, myths, and everyday behaviors. It is common to hear euphemisms like “I’m with Chico” (“tô de chico”), a widely used expression that indirectly associates menstruation with something dirty or undesirable, reinforcing stigma through humor. Other expressions, such as “those days” or “I’m not feeling well,” are also frequently used to avoid naming menstruation directly. Beyond language, there are persistent myths passed down informally, such as the belief that walking barefoot can worsen cramps, that washing one’s hair during menstruation is harmful, or that certain physical activities should be avoided. Although these claims lack a scientific basis, they continue to influence behavior and perceptions. These kinds of cultural narratives contribute to internalized shame and misinformation, especially among adolescents. Humor, euphemisms, and inherited myths together create a social environment where menstruation is trivialized on the surface but silenced at its core, making it harder for girls to access accurate information and feel comfortable with their own bodies.
3 | How do families, schools, or society usually respond when a girl gets her period for the first time?
When a girl gets her first period, the response she receives is often more symbolic than informative. In Brazil, it is very common to hear phrases like “you’ve become a young woman” (“você virou mocinha”), which can frame menstruation as the beginning of womanhood and even, indirectly, of sexual maturity. While this may be said with positive intentions, it places a heavy and often premature meaning on a biological event, without actually explaining what is happening in her body or how to manage it. This reflects a broader gap in menstrual education, where cultural messages are present, but practical guidance is missing.
4 | What are the biggest challenges women face around menstruation in daily life—whether physical, emotional, social, or financial?
The biggest challenges women and girls face around menstruation in Brazil are structural, and the scale of the problem is reflected in national data. According to UNICEF and UNFPA, 1 in 4 girls in Brazil has already missed school due to a lack of access to menstrual products, showing a direct impact on education. At the same time, over 4 million girls in the country face at least one form of menstrual hygiene deprivation in schools, including lack of toilets, water, soap, or privacy, which makes managing menstruation safely and consistently extremely difficult. The issue begins at home. The same report highlights that 713,000 girls in Brazil do not have access to a bathroom or shower in their own house, meaning they lack the most basic conditions to manage their period with dignity. This reflects a broader sanitation challenge in the country, where inequality in infrastructure directly translates into health and social consequences for those who menstruate. Beyond access to infrastructure, the financial barrier is also significant. Studies such as “Livre para Menstruar” estimate that menstruating costs around R$8,000 over a lifetime in Brazil, which becomes a heavy burden for low-income families and contributes to what is now widely recognized as period poverty. There is also a strong social dimension. According to data from UNICEF through U-Report, 73% of young people have already felt embarrassment related to menstruation in public or school spaces, reinforcing how stigma affects daily life. This shame often leads girls to avoid asking for help, skip school, or isolate themselves during their period.
5 | If you could change one thing about how menstruation is understood or talked about in your community, what would it be?
What is often missing is the understanding that menstruation is part of the life journey of very different women, across all contexts. It impacts a teenage girl going to school, a low-income woman without access to basic sanitation, a professional navigating her career, an athlete managing performance, or someone living with conditions like Endometriosis, which affects millions of women and can cause chronic pain. It also impacts neurodivergent individuals, such as girls with autism, who may face additional challenges in understanding and managing their cycles without proper support. Organizations like Fluxo Sem Tabu work precisely to shift this perspective, helping society understand that menstruation is not just a biological function, but a social, economic, and public health issue that intersects with dignity, opportunity, and equality. Changing this narrative means moving away from treating menstruation as something small or private, and recognizing it as a fundamental part of human experience that deserves visibility, education, and structural support.
6 | How are things changing around menstruation in your community going forward?
Things are gradually changing around menstruation in Brazil, particularly over the last few years, during which the topic has gained significantly more visibility in public policy, media, and civil society. A major milestone in this progress is the Federal Menstrual Dignity Program (Programa de Proteção e Promoção da Saúde e Dignidade Menstrual), which represents an important step by the Brazilian government in recognizing menstrual health as a matter of public health and social equity. Through this program, menstrual products are distributed for free to people in situations of vulnerability, including students in public schools and populations experiencing poverty, reinforcing the idea that access to basic menstrual care is a right, not a privilege.
In parallel, public discourse around menstruation has also expanded in the last three years, with more openness in schools, media campaigns, and advocacy movements working to break long-standing taboos.
However, despite these important advances, implementation is still uneven across Brazil. The country’s size and inequality mean that in many remote or underserved regions—especially in the North and Northeast—access to products, sanitation, and information is still limited. This creates a gap between policy at the federal level and lived reality on the ground.
So, while the Federal Menstrual Dignity Program marks a historic and necessary advancement, Brazil is still in a transition phase. There is real progress in visibility and policy, but a long journey remains to ensure that menstrual dignity is fully guaranteed for all girls and women, regardless of geography or socioeconomic condition.
Sia Towo
Managing Director, Femme International (East Africa)
1 | Can you walk me through what a girl’s or woman’s first experience with menstruation is typically like in your community?
A girl’s transition into womanhood is often marked by the beginning of her menstrual cycle, an occasion that is celebrated in many cultures as an important rite of passage. But in Tanzania and East Africa specifically, the first period marks the beginning of confusion, shame, discomfort, embarrassing health problems, and even harassment, especially because most of them weren’t prepared in advance. Again, it marks the beginning of bullying, missed days of school, and the start of a lifetime viewed as a sexual object. Some of the girls think maybe they are sick or injured, and this is because they lack the right information, and there hasn’t been an open discussion about menstruation. The first period in most cultures in Tanzania is mainly handled by either having an approachable mother, elder sister, or aunt who will be able to assist in explaining what is happening and even show the girl how to manage her period by using a cloth, or pad if available at the moment.
2 | What are the unspoken rules, taboos, or restrictions around menstruation that girls still grow up with?
Despite the increase in awareness and even the establishment of national menstrual health guidelines, the problem runs deeper than extreme poverty, as many girls in some parts of East Africa are still facing the harmful customs and traditions surrounding menstruation, which severely limit a woman’s daily life. Such examples are, in rural Maasai of Kenya, girls are forbidden from touching livestock, preparing food, or consuming animal products for fear of contamination. On the other hand, in Tanzania, the Maasai society, some beliefs are largely driven by patriarchy and traditional, negative norms. Such beliefs are that if a menstruating girl/woman touches the crops, vegetables, or even trees, they will wither, die, or turn rotten, and they have been told that if they don’t follow these instructions, they will never stop bleeding. The persistence of this stems from the fact that the Maasai are a pastoralist tribe.
In other societies, such as Muslim societies, there are restrictions, such as not being allowed to cook or dine on the same table with others during menses. In some, though it is decreasing, they perceive the first period as an immediate sign of maturity and readiness for marriage and sexual activities, which eventually leads to higher risks such as early marriages and pregnancies, even though it has been a purely biological event. Other examples of taboos and myths are that menstruation is a secret. It should be silenced and not spoken about at all. Menstruating women/girls are considered unclean and isolated. There is also a misconception that a blood-stained menstrual pad can be used for witchcraft and cause infertility, which creates a great fear in girls to hide, wash, and dry their used cloth pad secretly.
3 | How do families, schools, or society usually respond when a girl gets her period for the first time?
Families or schools may respond practically positively, however, in a quiet way, by providing the available menstrual products, and of course, the bare minimum basic instruction regarding menstruation. The big challenges also in schools and society aren’t just poverty, but rather a lack of health education, which makes a girl’s first impression that her period is dirty, unclean, and less confident, with a sense that the girl is now “grown”. In schools, the response varies. In East Africa, there is an advancement in menstrual health education, and the progress is really promising, because some schools and NGOs have introduced menstrual and sexual reproductive health education, but many girls still face shame and bullying if they stain their cloth or need to ask for help. Teachers may not always be trained or comfortable addressing the topic, which can leave girls feeling unsupported. At home, the response is better because of the awareness and advocacy, but in most households, the challenges are still unaddressed.
4 | What are the biggest challenges women face around menstruation in daily life—whether physical, emotional, social, or financial?
There are several reasons why menstruation has such a negative effect on women’s lives. First, there is the issue of poverty. In Tanzania, the cheapest package of disposable pads costs 2000 Tanzanian shillings, which equals to around $0.77*. This might not seem like a significant amount, but for a country where the average daily wage is just about double that, it isn’t that hard to understand why buying menstrual pads is a luxury for most women. In fact, 90% of women worldwide use some form of homemade pad, or an alternative method, because they are just too expensive to continually purchase. It does not end there; girls end up using unhygienic products such as dried cow dung, dirty old rags, leaves and twigs, mattresses, goatskin, newspapers, and tissue paper. But the problem runs deeper than extreme poverty; while menstruation is a shared experience among women worldwide, it is also an example of a globally stigmatised issue.
Second, access to affordable menstrual products. In most communities in Tanzania and Kenya, there is the shared experience of relying on the reusable cloth, which, in most cases, may not be hygienic or convenient, especially without access to clean water and private changing rooms during menses. But beyond that, there is the issue of bullying /shaming and stigma that keeps girls uncomfortable, feeling unclean, which can also lead to girls missing school during their period or even dropping out.
*This cost is from Sia Towo directly: “it is the actual reality on the market, which, again, with the rise of oil prices around the world and the war going on, currently, we are hitting fluctuation. Even the cost is higher for the pads. I went to buy a disposable pad from a very local manufacturer, it was last month, 3000TZS per package, and now it’s 4000TZS per package of 8 pads inside. Because the price also depends on the manufacturer/supplier, quality and number of pads in the package”
5 | If you could change one thing about how menstruation is understood or talked about in your community, what would it be?
The most important thing should be normalising menstruation conversation, community and schools’ dialogues on menstruation, and accurate information regarding the first period. If girls (and boys) understood that menstruation is a normal biological process, it would reduce fear, shame, and misinformation. It would also make it easier for girls to ask for what they need without shame. Available private changing rooms in schools/public, general improvement of WASH facilities within schools and public and private working spaces, free and available menstrual products (menstrual products booth) in schools and working spaces, the use of right language and words around menstruation, teaching puberty without leaving any information because of the myth that period is a secret, including men and boys in the conversation advocacy on tax free on menstrual products as it is not a luxury, and the list goes on and on. There is this famous quote that goes […] “African women in general need to know that it’s OK for them to be the way they are – to see the way they are as a strength, and to be liberated from fear and from silence” – Wangari Maathai
6 | How are things changing around menstruation in your community going forward?
There is a positive shift, and this is a great milestone for East African countries, though a lot remains to be done. The shift is happening from not only doing advocacy, access to products, and education, but also to doing research around menstrual health, changing policies, and establishing menstrual health coalitions regionally and globally. Kenya, for example, in 2017 signed a law to amend the Basic Education Act mandating the government to provide free menstrual products to all girls registered and enrolled in a public education institution. In Tanzania, people with disabilities are also no longer overlooked, as they too face a disproportionate lack of access to menstrual health education and accessible infrastructure. The advocacy around menstrual health has and still demystifies what menstruation means on a psychological level, and finding ways to erode that stepping stone, which is going a long way to helping women appreciate that stepping into womanhood does not diminish their value.
Quoted from a book “My First Time” by a Kenyan author, Janeth Mbugua, “Globally, menstrual health is now closely linked to six of the Sustainable Development Goals that organisations around the world are striving to achieve. Some of these include: the availability and sustainability of clean water and sanitation, and promotion of healthy living and well-being for all. Still, much needs to be done.”
Diana Palacios Diaz
Creator & Founder, Happy Periods (Montreal, Canada / Colombia)
1 | Can you walk me through what a girl’s or woman’s first experience with menstruation is typically like in your community?
These are experiences lived without information, both before and after the first period. Generally, you are accompanied by your mother or another close relative. She explains how to use a disposable pad or tampon and how to dispose of it properly. Disposable menstrual products are more widely known nowadays, so you can also explore those options if you have the resources to buy them. Often, the idea is imposed on you that menstruation makes you a woman, that you must now behave more maturely and be very careful around boys. The pain is generally normalized, and medication is often used. Sometimes, the girl’s privacy is not respected, and her menarche becomes a topic of family conversation, exposing her or making her feel uncomfortable.
2 | What are the unspoken rules, taboos, or restrictions around menstruation that girls still grow up with?
Latin American culture is heavily influenced by Catholicism, so menstruation is experienced in silence, with shame and guilt. We grow up with the idea that menstrual blood is dirty, disgusting, waste, and smells bad. We grow up with beliefs such as that menstruating women cannot touch plants because they will damage them, nor prepare certain foods because they will spoil them, nor participate in certain public activities, celebrations, or rituals because it brings bad luck. We are taught to menstruate without it being noticeable, to endure menstrual pain, and to continue working or taking care of the home and family. Menstruation is only discussed in private, not in public conversations or with other men.
3 | How do families, schools, or society usually respond when a girl gets her period for the first time?
In families, mothers or other women are usually the ones who bring up the topic with girls; it’s rare for fathers or men in general to get involved. Some schools address the topic in general biology or sex education classes. Sometimes, companies in the feminine hygiene sector donate menstrual hygiene products to schools, which are distributed without any information or education; it’s simply a marketing strategy to retain potential customers. Often, schools don’t have bins for disposable pads or tampons. Furthermore, bathroom hours are restricted. There are nurses at schools who girls or young women can go to if they have pain and receive pain medication.
Society in general doesn’t consider it an important issue. Although several groups of women activists, therapists, artists, educators, and menstrual health promoters have emerged since the 2000s, advocating for laws to eliminate taxes on menstrual products, grant menstrual leave, and recognize endometriosis as a public health issue, menstrual education networks have also been established in various countries, including Mexico, Chile, and Colombia. These networks aim to impact community and educational settings in both rural and urban areas, reaching girls, adolescents, and young women, as well as women in perimenopause and menopause. Furthermore, training schools on menstrual education and menstrual health have been created in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Costa Rica, which have strengthened the Latin American movement for menstrual education. This movement culminated in the organization of the Latin American Meeting on Education, Health, and Menstrual Activism, now in its seventh edition.
4 | What are the biggest challenges women face around menstruation in daily life—whether physical, emotional, social, or financial?
The biggest challenge women face is that, by not recognizing or understanding our menstrual experiences, we have low self-esteem and feel that our bodies are wrong and don’t fit into this system of constant production. We normalize all forms of violence related to menstruation, believing that our bodies don’t function correctly and that it’s our fault. We don’t recognize ourselves as beings with menstrual rights, to demand to menstruate with autonomy and dignity, both in the private and public spheres. We menstruate, feeling like we are a minority, when in reality, half the planet menstruates.
5 | If you could change one thing about how menstruation is understood or talked about in your community, what would it be?
Menstruation is not a punishment; it is part of the human experience for women and people who menstruate. In my opinion, the menstrual cycle and menstruation should be understood as a vital sign of health, inviting us to take care of our own health month after month through self-care and self-observation. Who knows our bodies better than ourselves?
6 | How are things changing around menstruation in your community going forward?
They are changing a lot, although not as quickly as we would like. More and more women want to talk about it; it is necessary, and our goal is to break the menstrual taboo so that new generations can experience their menstruation with pride, autonomy, and dignity. There are increasingly more spaces to talk, learn, and support each other about menarche, menstruation, perimenopause, and menopause. More and more mothers are learning about menstruation and supporting their daughters through this process with respect, health, and empathy. Increasingly, women from diverse professions are training as menstrual educators or menstrual health promoters. And more and more activists are pushing for laws that strengthen the menstrual rights of girls, adolescents, women, and menstruating people in Latin America.
Kalvi Karunanithy
Menstrual Health Educator, Eco Femme (India)
1 | Can you walk me through what a girl’s first experience with menstruation is typically like in your community?
In our community, more than 95% of girls don’t know why they get their period**. When a girl gets her first period, she is celebrated, but she is not told why it is happening.
The only information she receives is about do’s and don’ts—like not touching plants and other misconceptions. In schools, teachers often skip the topic because they feel uncomfortable or are not trained. So girls don’t really understand what is happening to them. When they get their period, they are given a product—usually disposable pads—based on their mother’s choice.
**“We have not created a database on this yet, but we may do so next year. My response is based on my direct interactions with girls during our field sessions, and I will keep in mind the importance of documenting this more systematically as evidence going forward.
From my experience, many girls in the communities we work with do not have adequate knowledge about menstruation or why they get their period. When a girl gets her first period, it may be celebrated, but she is often not told why it is happening or what it means.
Before our sessions, we often find that girls lack clear and accurate information about menstruation. Many have misconceptions or have received misinformation, rather than proper knowledge about what menstruation is.”
2 | What are the unspoken rules, taboos, or restrictions around menstruation?
Girls are given many restrictions.
Even before their first period, they develop fear based on what others tell them. They are told:
- not to play outside
- to dress modestly
- not to attract attention
- to avoid interacting with boys
During menstruation, they are told:
- not to do puja
- not to touch plants
- not to eat certain foods
- not to touch newborn babies
- that they are “impure.”
In some cases, they are isolated, asked to sleep separately, or not use the same bed. Some of this is slowly changing, but in many families, it still exists.
3 | How do families, schools, or society respond when a girl gets her first period?
When a girl gets her period, she is often celebrated with a ceremony, especially in rural areas. Some families even take loans to afford these celebrations due to social pressure.
During the celebration, girls receive attention, special food, clothes, jewelry, and sometimes even photoshoots. Many girls feel happy because it’s a moment when they feel special. However, some girls feel uncomfortable, especially knowing their family is struggling financially. Even though it is celebrated, girls still don’t receive proper information about menstruation or how to care for themselves.
4 | What are the biggest challenges women face around menstruation?
The biggest challenge is the lack of correct information and the presence of misconceptions.
Girls grow up hearing beliefs that create fear—for example, that going outside at certain times during menstruation can attract bad spirits. This creates negativity and discomfort around periods.
Many girls also experience pain or irregular periods, often due to malnutrition.
Women, especially in rural areas, work very hard physically and are not given the space to rest during their periods. Even if they want to rest, the family or system does not support them.
Another issue is healthcare. When women go to hospitals for pain or irregular periods, they are often given painkillers without addressing the root cause. Period pain is normalized, and there is a lack of deeper medical attention.
5 | If you could change one thing about how menstruation is understood, what would it be?
Menstruation is beautiful. It is part of a woman becoming fertile. The problem is that people are not given proper information. Society should understand what menstruation really is. Everyone—men, boys, and the whole community—should be educated. Menstruation is not impure. It is lifeblood and should be respected.
6 | How are things changing around menstruation in your community?
There is a shift happening. Social media is increasing awareness, and many organizations are working on menstrual education. The government is also recognizing the importance of including menstrual education in schools. Although it is not fully implemented, positive changes are happening.
Kadiatou Diallo
Administratrice, Vivre 100 Fibromes (Montréal, Canada / Guinée)
1 | Pourriez-vous me décrire comment se déroule généralement la première expérience des menstruations pour une jeune fille ou une femme dans votre communauté ?
En général, le sujet des menstruations est tabou dans ma communauté (peulh de la République de Guinée). Les règles sont considérées comme privées et de ce fait ne devraient pas être discutées en public par pudicité. Les jeunes filles vivent souvent leurs premières règles dans le silence.
2 | Quelles sont les règles non dites, les tabous ou les restrictions liés aux menstruations avec lesquels les filles grandissent encore aujourd’hui ?
Un des préjugés majeurs liés aux menstruations est que « les règles sont sales », ce qui engendre un sentiment de honte chez les jeunes filles lorsqu’elles ont leurs règles.
Une règle non dite est que la douleur liée aux règles est « normale », alors souffrir pendant ses menstrues est banalisé et s’en plaindre est considéré comme être faible (« ce sont juste des règles »).
3 | Comment les familles, les écoles ou la société réagissent-elles généralement lorsqu’une fille a ses premières règles ?
Étant donné que parler des menstruations est tabou, les premières règles sont souvent vécues en cachette. Beaucoup de jeunes filles entendent parler des règles à travers leurs amies ou leurs sœurs qui l’ont déjà vécu. La société en général n’est pas ouverte à aborder ce sujet.
4 | Quels sont les plus grands défis auxquels les femmes font face en matière de menstruation dans la vie quotidienne — qu’ils soient physiques, émotionnels, sociaux ou financiers ?
Comme mentionné précédemment, le silence et la honte qui entourent le sujet des menstruations, ainsi que la normalisation des douleurs menstruelles font que les femmes vivent beaucoup de difficultés allant parfois même jusqu’à la discrimination. Par exemple, des pathologies utérines affectant les menstruations (règles abondantes ou absence de règles) peuvent ne pas être détectées, notamment l’endométriose, l’adénomyose, le SOPK, ou encore les fibromes.
Par ailleurs, l’accès à des soins sanitaires peut être difficile pour certaines, particulièrement dans les zones rurales (coût élevé, indisponibilité des produits, etc.), les poussant ainsi à abandonner l’école ou le travail. Cette situation peut créer de l’isolement et impacter négativement l’autonomie financière des femmes.
De plus, vu que les règles peuvent être handicapantes chez certaines femmes, elles subissent des conséquences diverses et graves comme la perte d’emploi ou l’infertilité.
5 | Si vous pouviez changer une chose dans la manière dont les menstruations
Sont perçues ou abordées dans votre communauté, quelles seraient-elles ?
Je suis une fervente croyante que la connaissance est la clé du succès. De ce fait, je commencerais par apprendre aux jeunes filles et aux femmes à comprendre leur corps et le pouvoir magique que celui-ci renferme. J’introduirais des cours obligatoires pour tous les élèves (filles et garçons) qui abordent le sujet des menstruations afin qu’ils comprennent que c’est un phénomène naturel, normal et nécessaire à la pérennité de la vie humaine. J’inciterais les parents à parler ouvertement des règles (avantages et impacts) afin de préparer leurs enfants aux réalités de la puberté en toute confiance.
6 | Comment les choses évoluent-elles en matière de menstruation dans votre communauté?
Bien qu’il y ait eu des avancées en termes d’accessibilité aux soins sanitaires pour les jeunes filles et les femmes, il y a encore du travail à faire notamment en matière d’éducation et de sensibilisation. C’est pourquoi de mon côté, j’ai mis en place une initiative qui consiste à éduquer les filles et les garçons sur la compréhension de leur corps et de tous les phénomènes qu’ils peuvent subir, que ce soit mentalement ou physiquement. En collaboration avec des jeunes issus de la diaspora guinéenne au Canada, j’ai fondé l’ONG Force Citoyenne qui milite pour l’autonomisation des femmes et des jeunes. Récemment, nous avons lancé une série d’ateliers dédiée à la santé et au bien-être des jeunes, particulièrement auprès de la couche féminine. Le 1er module intitulé « Démystifier le corps humain » s’est tenu à l’Université Nongo Conakry le 14 décembre 2025. Des thématiques essentielles comme l’anatomie des organes sexuels, les IST, ainsi que l’excision et ses conséquences psychologiques ont été abordées, et il y a eu un panel d’experts (médecins spécialistes) pour discuter de ces sujets avec les jeunes. D’autres ateliers suivront à l’automne 2026 avec des thèmes différents, tels que la santé reproductive des hommes et des femmes, ou encore les pathologies utérines, etc.
Momoka Takami
Student at McGill University (Montreal, Canada / Japan)
1 | Can you walk me through what a girl’s or woman’s first experience with menstruation is typically like in your community?
- There is a tradition in Japan to celebrate a girl’s first menstruation with food, called Osekihan. It is a type of rice dish made with rice cake, rice, and red beans, and is often eaten on celebratory occasions. For a girl’s first menstruation, her mom or grandma makes this rice, if it is a traditional household, or buys it in a modern household. It is celebrated as it is considered a first step into adulthood. In my case, my grandma made Osekihan for me, and she made it a very big celebratory deal, which I was a little embarrassed to be openly talked about.
- In a micro scene, knowledge about menstruation is passed down from a mother, such as learning to use pads, disposing of them, and managing period cramps.
2 | What are the unspoken rules, taboos, or restrictions around menstruation that girls still grow up with?
- When I was a teenager, I was told by my mom to never show the garbage of period pads to men, my dad, in my case, because menstruation should only be visible to women. I found it was very weird, considering it is a biological thing that happens every month, and asked her why, but she told me that it is what it is. So in all my memories as a teenager, I told my dad once that I was on my period.
- In a similar case, in public, the words “menstruation” or “period” were not commonly used among young girls around me. We always referred to our period as “girl’s day,” such as “I just started my girl’s day,” or “my stomach hurts because it is a girl’s day.”
3 | How do families, schools, or society usually respond when a girl gets her period for the first time?
- At the family level, besides the Osekihan tradition, the beginning of menstruation is kept private, something that only women in the household share. At school, even though I went to an all-girls school, I do not remember anything specific about first period being discussed by teachers or in class. Getting the first period was a discrete experience that was not openly talked about.
4 | If you could change one thing about how menstruation is understood or talked about in your community, what would it be?
- A change I would like to see is talking about periods more openly and exploring diversity in experiences with periods. Growing up, talking about experiences during the period was minimized to whether you had a cramp or not. But then I came to realize, after coming to Montreal, listening to my friends openly talk about their periods, that cramps are not the only symptom during a period. I wish that I had learned about such diversity when I was a teenager in class or from other menstruators so that I would feel closer to my body and its differences.
5 | How are things changing around menstruation in your community going forward?
- I think in Japan, conversations about periods are getting more attention and becoming mainstream. In recent years, there have been films and shows that highlight women’s experiences with periods through animation or the adaptation of novels. Since I have not lived in Japan for 6 years, I am not sure about changes at the micro level, such as in schools and workplaces.
Anjali Padiyar
Équipe NJPC (Not Just a Piece of Cloth), Goonj (India)
1 | What are the unspoken rules, taboos, or restrictions around menstruation that girls still grow up with?
Menstrual taboos remain prevalent across different parts of India, though they may vary in form and intensity. These often include restrictions on entering kitchens or places of worship, limitations on food, and expectations around behavior and mobility. In many cases, menstruation is still treated as something to be hidden, with very little open conversation within families or communities. These taboos are deeply rooted in cultural and sometimes local/cultural beliefs, and they continue to reinforce silence and stigma around a natural biological process.
2 | What are the biggest challenges women face around menstruation in daily life?
The challenges are multi-layered and go far beyond access to menstrual products. A lack of awareness and open dialogue often leaves young girls unprepared and anxious about their first experiences. Accessibility and affordability of products remain significant barriers, particularly in marginalized communities. Additionally, inadequate infrastructure, such as a lack of clean water, private sanitation facilities, and safe disposal systems, further complicates menstrual hygiene management. Social stigma also plays a major role, limiting conversations and preventing women from seeking support or accurate information.
3 | If you could change one thing about how menstruation is understood or talked about in your community, what would it be?
We believe the most important change would be to normalize conversations around menstruation and break the long-standing culture of silence and shame. Menstruation needs to be recognized as a human issue rather than solely a woman’s issue. Encouraging open dialogue, especially at the community and family level, can help dismantle myths and promote better understanding of menstrual health as a natural and essential aspect of overall well-being.
Cet article a été écrit par Urmi Hossain, dans le cadre du groupe d'écriture La Plume Rouge créé par Dignité Mensuelle.
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