Why does the issue need to be
addressed?
The
biological process of menstruation begins at an average age of 13 and continues
roughly till the age of 51. So, for people who menstruate, that’s more than
half their lifetime spent having menstruation and dealing with other menstrual
symptoms.
There
is a lack of general awareness about menstruation and its effects on mental
health. Menstruation is still a very taboo and stigmatized topic and people
don’t generally talk about it. There is a lack of information and a lot of
misconceptions. So, for someone who is experiencing menstruation for the first
time, this could be a scary and lonely journey.
During
menstruation, the levels of various hormones change which leads to symptoms
like abdominal cramps, breakouts, troubled sleep and mood swings. Not only this,
people who menstruate might experience PMS and PMDD. Severe symptoms include
depression, hopelessness, anxiety, extreme irritability and anger. Some also
suffer from disorders like PCOS or endometriosis.
Mental
disorders have an effect on menstrual health. People suffering from mental
disorders like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance use and bipolar
disorders have irregular menstruation. Even disorders like PCOS and
endometriosis become a cause of the same.
Due
to lack of awareness, people who menstruate are often teased or labelled as
‘overreacting’ because of the problems they face during menstruation. Mostly
men and few women are not very supportive or even considerate about this issue.
Menstruation
is not just confined to women. The topic of queer menstruation is not
discussed. Transgender men, intersex, non-binary and gender queer people also
experience menstrual symptoms. Getting your menstruation as a person who
doesn’t identify as a woman can cause discomfort and anxiety, especially when
many people equate menstruation with femininity. Not all women menstruate, and
not all people who menstruate identify as women.
How does it affect people’s mental
health?
●
Premenstrual
syndrome (PMS): Most people show some symptoms of PMS in the week or 2 before
their menstruation. PMS can cause bloating, headaches, and moodiness. People
with depression or anxiety disorders may experience worse symptoms of PMS.
Also, many people seeking treatment for PMS have depression or anxiety.
Symptoms of these mental health conditions are similar to symptoms of PMS and
may get worse before or during menstruation.
●
Premenstrual
dysphoric disorder (PMDD): PMDD is a condition similar to PMS but with
severe symptoms, including severe depression, irritability, and tension.
Symptoms of PMDD can be so difficult to manage that your daily life is
disrupted. PMDD is more common in women with anxiety or depression.
●
Irregular
menstruation: Studies show that women with anxiety disorder or substance
use disorder are more likely to have shorter menstrual cycles (shorter than 24
days). Irregular cycles are also linked to eating disorders and depression.
Women with bipolar disorder are also twice as likely to have irregular
menstruation.
●
Work: Menstruation
and its symptoms cause major discomfort and adds on more tension and stress at
work.
●
Family and
relationships: In most families, especially conservative families,
menstruation is not a topic which is openly discussed. Girls and women are just
supposed to bear with it without expressing any discomfort. Because of the
stigma attached to it, they face many restrictions related to menstruation.
They are not supposed to enter the kitchen or the temple during this time. This
might make them feel unwanted, unheard and unloved. In relationships, your
partner not being able to understand or not being supportive could be lonely
and distressing.
●
Queer
menstruation: Many trans men, intersex, non-binary and gender queer people
also menstruate. They feel alienated, isolated and ignored because people still
associate menstruation to females and whatever resources are available, they
only cater/represent the female demographic. Many queer people have said that
they experience gender dysphoria when they menstruated for the first time.
The subject of menstruation should not be enclosed within
walls of orthodox ideology. It’s high time to break these walls and start a
healthy discussion for the progress of the society.