Why We Need to Start Talking More About Our Periods

We need to start talking more about our periods.

I can still vividly remember my trip to the drugstore to buy my first box of tampons. Barely understanding what I was doing because my mother had told me tampons shouldn’t be used until marriage (I wish I were kidding), I hurriedly walked to the checkout line, concealing the small, colorful box under my coat. A flash of panic overcame me as I realized that the cashier was a middle-aged man who would soon know the horribly embarrassing fact that I was on my period. Face down, avoiding eye contact, I quickly made my purchase and practically ran out of the store.

Perhaps not everyone has felt the same way I did, though I doubt my experience is unique. The stigma and social taboos associated with menstruation have long been ingrained into many of us. Subliminal messaging through popular media and societal norms has contributed significantly to this, creating a culture in which nearly half of the population is made to feel embarrassed simply because they have or will bleed.

Consider the common comedic trope of menstrual humor used in movies. In the 2005 film “Dirty Love,” Jenny McCarthy’s character starts bleeding heavily in a drugstore, in a scene apparently intended to invoke disgust.

The cult classic “Mean Girls,” too, delivers a punchline involving “super-jumbo tampons” and “heavy flow.” While some might interpret these only as harmless jokes, the clear implication is that our periods are something so awkward they need to be laughed at.

For years, pad commercials have featured blue dye to represent menstrual blood, seemingly to mitigate the risk of offending the general public with more realistic red dye. This, too, implies that this normal physiologic process requires censorship and discretion.

A large part of what drove me to become a gynecologist was my determination to normalize the dialogue around reproductive and menstrual health. Our society’s problem with talking about periods isn’t just an affront to social justice — it’s also potentially dangerous.

Our periods are often a reflection of our overall state of health. From my experiences with both patients and peers, I have come to see that poor health literacy surrounding menstruation is a common issue spanning different cultures and age groups. Without engaging in discourse with others about our bodies, it can often be difficult to parse out what is considered ‘normal.’

There are some who experience debilitatingly painful periods, needing to take days off of work or school each month. Meanwhile, some stop having periods altogether before the expected age of menopause, unaware that they need to seek medical help. And then there are some who bleed so heavily each month that they become anemic, not realizing the severity of their condition until they present with a critically low blood count.

By normalizing conversations around periods, we can help reduce the number of those who suffer in silence.

When it comes to menstrual justice, students at Harvard are among the lucky ones. Free tampons and menstrual pads are provided in restrooms all across campus, and Harvard University Health Services provides widespread coverage for gynecologic and reproductive health services. In considering the importance of this issue, we should acknowledge our positions of privilege compared to many others.

The time has come to lift the curtain on menstruation. We just need to talk about it. Period.

Angela Li is a graduate of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.