By Pamodi Galagoda.
‘Period Poverty’ refers to difficulties faced by women and girls in accessing Menstrual products and overall limitations in life for a girl specifically because of Menstruation. This results as a cycle as all of this will affect opportunities of women. Menstruation is natural. It is the way your body signals that you are healthy. However, this is not how people view Menstruation. Due to socially constructed concepts such as “kili” there is stigma around Menstruation. Many consider it to be impure and refer to menstrual blood as “dirty blood”. There are numerous traditions and practices such as not attending the temples, plucking curry leaves from the tree or limes during Menstruation. Some do not go to the temple, the “kiri amma Dhana” is prohibited for women during Menstruation in Sri Lanka.
it was 29th June 2012. I was 12 years old, the day I first began to Menstruate. It was also the day of “Lalitha ranga”. A dancing performance i was apart of at the time. The excitement for our performance or to wear the swan costume and all that makeup, I hurried and got changed early in the morning. I hopped on the car with my mother and father with full enthusiasm to do the dance routine well. We were to dance to “හංසා වන්නම” that day. 10 minutes before the performance I had to use the washroom, maybe due to the frills of the skirt or the rush of everything I could not see the small blood stain printed on my underwear. If I had, the story would be completely different.
Menstruation was not something that was talked about with me before that day. I had stayed with a cousin when she got her first Menstruation because that’s the Sri Lankan tradition. We are told to stay inside our rooms until we are allowed to come out. Unfortunately, we are just not told why.
After the show ended I felt very uncomfortable. It had been a long and tiring day. there was nothing else I wanted to do than removing my clothes. I ran to my room and pulled down my underwear not realizing that for one whole week I would have to live there. I yelled out for my mother. She hurried to the room and smiled beautifully as she saw my bloodstain. She kissed my cheek and caressed by hair. I felt proud. Ironically, the entire time I was inside the room I felt happy. Me being a feminist today and speaking on behalf of women’s rights, I still to this day don’t understand why I felt happy. Maybe it is because, I was given enough recognition and celebrated the entire time.
I come from an upper middle class, educated family. Through every piece of clothing we wear or food we eat, or relatives try to convince themselves they are progressive. But, in reality we are very conservative. Especially, women in our families receive very less comparing to what they give. And it is truly embarrassing that we are still engaged with these ridiculous traditions that benefit patriarchy and capitalism. A young girl get’s her first Menstruation and the entire village is invited to celebrate rather than SPEAKING TO THE CHILD on what she is experiencing.
The science of it
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Menstruation cycle.
Menstruation is the process in which the uterus sheds blood and tissue through the vagina. This is a natural and healthy process for girls and women of reproductive age. In Western communities, this is often called “the period.” It typically lasts 2 to 5 days, but this varies by individual. – UNFPA
Follicular phase The follicular phase starts on the first day of your period (and ends when you ovulate. It starts when the hypothalamus signals your pituitary gland to release follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). This hormone stimulates your ovaries to produce around 5 to 20 small sacs called follicles. Each follicle contains an immature egg. Only the healthiest egg will eventually mature. The rest of the follicles will be reabsorbed into your body. The maturing follicle sets off a surge in estrogen that thickens the lining of your uterus. This creates a environment for an embryo to grow. The average follicular phaseTrusted Source lasts for about 16 days. It can range from 11 to 27 days, depending on your cycle. Ovulation phase Rising estrogen levels during the follicular phase trigger your pituitary gland to release luteinizing hormone (LH). This is what starts the process of ovulation. Ovulation is when your ovary releases a mature egg. The egg travels down the fallopian tube toward the uterus to be fertilized by sperm. The ovulation phase is the time during your menstrual cycle when you can get pregnant. You can tell that you’re ovulating by symptoms like these:
Ovulation happens around day 14 if you have a 28-day cycle — right in the middle of your menstrual cycle. It lasts about 24 hours. After a day, the egg will die or dissolve if it isn’t fertilized. Luteal phase After the follicle releases its egg, it changes into the corpus luteum. This structure releases hormones, mainly progesterone and some estrogen. The rise in hormones keeps your uterine lining thick and ready for a fertilized egg to implant. If you do get pregnant, your body will produce human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This is the hormone pregnancy tests detect. It helps maintain the corpus luteum and keeps the uterine lining thick. If you don’t get pregnant, the corpus luteum will shrink away and be resorbed. This leads to decreased levels of estrogen and progesterone, which causes the onset of your period. The uterine lining will shed during your period. During this phase, if you don’t get pregnant, you may experience symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). These include:
The luteal phase lasts for 11 to 17 days. The average lengthTrusted Source is 14 days.
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Keep it clean
The most common Menstrual product in Sri Lanka is the sanitary pad. There are women who wear the sanitary pad for more than 6 hours. The cloth or the pad should only be worn for only 4 to 6 hours. The reason for this is the lack of air the pad will receive. As the pad becomes heavy with menstrual blood and there is no way of air supply, bacteria will grow.
There is no issue in wearing a cloth on your period. However, it needs to be done in a proper way so that it will not affect your physical health. This means washing it properly and drying it in direct sunlight. Proper washing and cleanliness should be applied for any product we use during our menstruation because as the vagina is sensitive and it is very easy for bacteria to be spread, we should always be careful.
The period cups
The period cup can last up to 12 hours. This is made with latex, or rubber materials. Baby bottle teats are also made from these materials. The same Menstrual cup can be used for 10 years. No more than 4 cups are required for lifetimes of aggregate durations. Therefore, the money that goes into buying sanitary napkins monthly is saved. If worn correctly, t’s easy to use and feels very comfortable. You won’t be bothered by thigh chafing, sweating between legs, frequent wetness, in the vaginal area as you feel while wearing the pad.
The Menstrual cup should be cleaned by warm water before using and kept in a dry area to dry. It should be covered by its own bag or similar small pouch for protection.
Some Menstrual Cups that are good in quality can cost up to 5000 in Sri Lanka. However, there are period cups that cost 2000 to 2500 rupees as well. Though it is sustainable, dedicating that amount of money for menstrual hygiene is not something that is taught to most women in Sri Lanka. Myths such as “virginity” can scare some girlsfrom the cup is immediately as well. Regardless of myths and ideas revolved around the cup, it is one of the best Menstrual products in the market.
How to insert the cup?
What type of period protection is right for you?
Free sanitary napkins for school girls from next year
“An average woman goes through 350 periods in her lifetime”
Only because women bleed and men don’t is that a reason for it to be neglected. As the above article convey, the minister of Education Susil Premajayantha has said they will provide free pads for school girls from the year 2024. The right for health, education and nutrition are basic rights of a human being. And are women being provided of their basic rights during Menstruation is at question.
There are various organizations that promote sewing reusable sanitary napkins by hand.
Pads are made up of up to 90% plastic!
Pack of menstrual pads is equivalent to 4 plastic bags
This is why the Lily pad packet should also be mentioned here as it is the first bio degradable pad produced in Sri Lanka. Tote bags, paper straws, paper cups are being used to promote eco-friendly strategies that protect the environment. Pads are made of synthetic products as well. We must pay attention to the amount of plastic we dispose to the ground through pads.
Why don’t we teach this?
The above image is from the health and physical text book of 7th grade in Sri Lanka. Not only the topic of Menstruation but also the concept of “kili” is mentioned here. There is enough information for a teacher to explore the topic of menstruation and provide proper knowledge. However, with what we have learned from the community in Ibbagamuwa the level of awareness regarding menstruation is low.
The importance of providing proper information about menstruation especially for both genders is high. Because it will help children understand it is nothing to be ashamed of or feared. Boys will not humiliate girls for carrying a pad hiding under their uniform. They will learn about it from their teacher and not from their peers who most often have no clue what they’re talking about. This will provide more space for everyone to grow through accurate information.
Period poverty is not a problem limited only to sanitary napkins. The question is why monthly menstrual hygiene is not considered as a basic need. As sanitary materials are a basic need for women, the taxes imposed on them should be cut. At least for the low income community. There can be places that provide free Menstrual products, or the midwife in the area can provide them to whom it is needed. Basic info such as the income of the family, how many women in the family can be provided by the grama Niladari. This can pave the way for a healthy society. The government must take steps to solve this problem.
Today, Period poverty has become a worldwide problem. Ignorance on Menstrual health and Hygiene practices and lack of access to quality health-friendly, affordable sanitary supplies are limited. This creates problems. To eliminate them, small steps should start. This is why the decision taken by the Sri Lankan government to distribute pads for school girls should be admired.
Due to poverty, most women and girls in Sri Lanka use cloth instead of sanitary napkins. This prevents girls’ school attendance and women’s daily activities. Avoiding these things can have a huge negative impact on the country’s future as well as the country’s economy.
As we all know this applies to all areas in Sri Lanka regardless of whether it is a rural village or a well-developed city. This will not only result in the economy and financial stability of women but Sri Lanka as a whole.