For many children, losing their first tooth is a rite of passage. But what if we never talk to them about this normal part of childhood? Imagine if they didn’t know what was going on and were afraid of the newfound gaps in their mouths. Imagine if, instead of rewarding our children with a dollar bill, our silence and shame caused them to hide this experience out of embarrassment. Imagine if we didn’t tell them how to keep their new smile.
This lack of knowledge, lack of support and shame is exactly what many people experience when it comes to their period.The Harris Poll and CVS Health recently found 33% of people are ashamed of menstruation.
Menstruation is part of overall health; our periods reflect and influence our wider state of well-being. However, many people have historically viewed menstruation as something shameful, embarrassing, or something to be hidden and not discussed. Stigma makes it difficult for caregivers, clinicians, and educators to implement adequate menstrual health education.Nursing staff often feel uncomfortable Discuss menstruation with your children. In the 2023 YouGov survey, 37% of Americans say they don’t get enough education in school.
As two women’s health professionals, we find that many young girls (or anyone who menstruates) do not receive high-quality menstrual health education before their first period.The average age at which girls have their first period has dropped to under 12 years old, usually in fifth grade. YouGov also found 48% of American adult women are “not ready or not ready at all” for their first period. Faced with this lack of knowledge, some girls are left to deal with it on their own or turn to peers and social media, which can exacerbate misinformation. Girls should prepare for their periods—and not be shocked or embarrassed by normal menstrual bleeding.
If we want to give girls a fair chance at overall health, we need to reach them before and around their first period.
Menstruation education affects our health
Understanding menstruation can help girls reach their full health potential.Knowing what to expect and how to get through your period can empower you and help prevent it negative health outcomes or complications. Menstrual education can also help girls understand what is normal and abnormal about their periods (such as pain levels, amount and frequency of bleeding), which can help them and their doctors detect menstrual irregularities earlier.it can take Year Helping women come to terms with a diagnosis of conditions such as endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). If people were more aware of menstruation and the spectrum of normal experiences, it could save time, medical bills, and years of physical pain, discomfort, and life disruption.
Without menstrual health education, people may not know how to manage their symptoms or what they can and cannot do during their period, which can lead to negative social or emotional impacts…
- destroyed school participation.
- skip activity or sporty.
- Feeling anxious, embarrassed, or otherwise affected psychosocial health.
Education can help improve menstrual health Comfort and confidence for young people About menstruation. A young girl shares how her mother’s messages about body changes made her feel anxious, but after learning more about periods from educational books, A Guide to Puberty and Menstruation for Girlsshe was no longer so worried.
The future of menstrual education
Silence perpetuates shame and a lack of understanding about periods. As two health professionals who have worked in the women’s health field for over 20 years, we have seen increased coverage of menstruation in the media. But this also needs to translate into better menstrual health education, which will require a concerted effort from all of us.
personal Discussions can be had with their children, friends or students. Although it may feel uncomfortable, it’s important not to shy away from natural parts of your health. People who don’t menstruate can help reduce stigma by learning about the experiences of those who menstruate.
Policy makers Changes can continue to be driven by supporting affordable, accessible menstrual care and creating enabling social and physical environments that make it an important component of health.
healthcare system able Better equip clinicians Provides anticipatory guidance and education on menstrual health and menstrual disorders.
company Those who sell menstrual products have a responsibility to make menstrual health education and products more accessible. For example, CVS Health lowered prices on store-brand menstrual products; worked with policy groups to help eliminate state taxes on menstrual products; paid that tax on behalf of customers in states where it is legal; and expanded MinuteClinic menstrual services. All companies The stigma associated with menstruation can be reduced by normalizing periods and supporting women’s health needs.
On the one-year anniversary of CVS Health’s HERe — Healthier Happens Together initiative, the organization is also offering free period education go online, start First phase kit Helping girls get through their menstrual cramps and get started “Buy one, get two free” program During October, the goal is to donate up to 1 million menstrual products to people facing period poverty.
By working together to improve menstrual health education, we can build a better future for the next generation of women.
Joanne Armstrong, MD, MPH, is Vice President, Women’s Health and Genomics and Chief Medical Officer CVS Healthand Marni Sommer, DrPH, MSN, RN, a professor at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and author of A Guide to Puberty and Menstruation for Girls. CVS Health is a sponsor of wealth Excellent.
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