The Impact of Menstruation Across Life’s Phases: Challenges and Adaptations

• Menstruation is a constantly evolving aspect of a woman’s life that requires empathy and support to get through.
• Many women suffer in silence due to a lack of education and awareness related to the subject of menstruation.
• To stigmatize the issue of menstruation, society needs to make a collective effort to accommodate the life changes of women.

Menstruation is a fundamental biological process that has existed among texts and human understanding since the beginning. Despite its natural existence and importance to female health, it is still the most stigmatized and overlooked subject. It plays a dynamic and evolving role in shaping an individual, both physiologically and psychologically. Its evolving nature stems from the fact that its nature and effects are different at every phase of life. From the onset of menstruation to the state of menopause, each single phase presents unique challenges. These challenges, paired with societal expectations, financial means, and familial support, require ways of adaptation.

Grasping the reality of menstruation in different aspects of life allows the creation of more inclusive environments and policies. Let’s see how menstruation affects the phases of life and what can be done to accommodate the individuals experiencing it.

Adolescence: The First Cycle of Change

Adolescence is the life phase when girls start getting their periods. Despite this being widespread knowledge, girls are unprepared for their first period, also known as the menarche. Menarche happens during a time that is already riddled with physical, emotional, and psychological changes. It is a time that requires support and education, things that girls don’t get due to the shame propagated around the subject. Being unprepared for menarche can be bad. Not having basic knowledge about such a major part of life can be a breeding ground for confusion and misinformation. 

Supporting teens through their first menstruation is crucial for preventing negative body image issues and anxiety. This support can involve shame-free discussions, comprehensive health literacy at schools, and access to sanitary products. The first step to menstrual support and education should always start at home, as familial behaviours are easiest to soak up. Shame should be silenced and hidden around young girls to ensure a future where they don’t feel anxiety discussing it.

In addition to this, it should be ensured that educational institutions provide period awareness to both girls and boys. Inclusion of men in menstrual education destigmatises the subject.

Early Adulthood: Menstruation Meets Life’s Hustle

By late teens, everyone experiences menarche, and menstruation becomes a big part of life, and it stays the same through the 30s. While one gets used to menstruation, it hinders daily life as it coexists with education, career, and relationships. This is also the phase when people go through and identify issues related to menstruation. These issues include, but are not limited to, heavy bleeding, cramps, and irregular cycles. In addition to these issues, a large number of women also suffer from conditions like PCOS, PMDD, and Endometriosis. While these issues can exist since adolescence, their existence is revealed later in life due to a lack of awareness.

While women are suffering from any of the conditions mentioned above, they have to juggle relationships and work too. To make matters worse, if someone is stuck in a toxic workplace, things get harder. Despite the normalisation of menstruation-related discussions and the destigmatization of previously considered taboo subjects, women still struggle to discuss their condition. An unsupportive workplace might make female employees feel like the topic of menstruation is off limits. The fear of being seen as “overdramatic” and “incompetent” might make them suffer in silence. 

Here are some tips on combating stigma around menstruation for the women’s workforce:

• Implement workplace policies that allow for menstrual leave or flexible sick time.
  
• Create safe, inclusive spaces for women to talk openly.
  
• Offer sanitary products in restrooms.
  
• Normalize discussions about menstrual health in employee wellness programs.
  

A workplace that normalizes discussions related to menstruation fosters a culture where women can exist at ease.

Reproductive Years: Fertility, Motherhood, and Hormonal Shifts

For many people, menstruation is also an indication of fertility, a state they desire to have for plans related to pregnancy. People who are trying to conceive can see periods as a stress inducer, as it symbolizes another month without pregnancy. In addition to this, post-pregnancy menstruation is another source of stress as it is accompanied by intense hormonal changes.

Both these pregnancy-related phases also require resources, care, and familial support, the lack of which makes the process worse. Many individuals lack access to reproductive health services such as gynecological exams and contraceptive counseling. These issues can only be solved through education in cultural circles and promotion of maternal health policies.

Perimenopause and Menopause: The Gradual Goodbye

By the late 40s, most individuals begin transitioning into the perimenopause stage. It is a stage that lasts multiple years and hence causes intense changes that feel unending. The phase is accompanied by heavy irregular bleeding, mood swings, and other changes due to fluctuating hormone levels.
The phase of Perimenopause is an overwhelming one. The majority of the time, women, due to a lack of awareness, aren’t even aware of what is causing their physical changes. Navigating the journey becomes especially taxing when women fail to get any help from medical advisors and family.
Even the arrival of menopause isn’t easy for all. While some women view it as a relief from monthly bleeding, there are many who start another journey of struggle. The lack of discussions and seriousness towards menopausal healthcare makes women feel unseen and uncomfortable in the act of living.
Better education, employer awareness, and access to hormone therapies or alternatives can significantly improve the quality of life for those in this phase.

Adapting to Change and Breaking the Cycle of Stigma

Menstruation is not a static experience. Instead, it is a dynamic experience that changes as a person grows and adapts to new things. It is a process that is not only affected by age but also by dietary or stress changes. What remains consistent, however, is the need for empathy, accurate information, and support.

Throughout every life stage, the following things should stay consistent:

• Normalization of conversations around menstrual health in public and private spaces.
  
• Providing education to all genders about menstruation to reduce shame and stigma.
  
• Advocacy for equitable access to menstrual products.
  
• Encouragement of seriousness towards menstrual concerns by healthcare providers.

Whether the person experiencing menstruation is a young girl of 13 or an aged woman of 40. Navigating the unpredictability of period cycles and complications is a struggle that is shared by all. It is a major struggle that, due to its widespread nature, isn’t a female issue but a societal one.  

Every person in society, regardless of their sex, plays a role in ensuring a normal life for those who menstruate. It is by education and awareness that we can truly change how women live and adapt in the modern world.