The first period experience is different for different women. This is particularly true because every female's body functions differently. However, one thing is common among all the women who are first timers with their periods - they expect empathy, support, and understanding. 

Unfortunately, in most cases, this is not how the first time experience turns out. From all the groundwork that we have done at Brand Avni, we have understood that even today there is a lot of stigma and stereotypes that are being observed not just in rural households but also in the educated, urban society. All of these reasons put together make having a happy and healthy first period a challenge for women. Let us try to decode the causes.

Menarche - The first Menstrual Occurrence

Statistics suggest that the mean age for menarche is 13.4 years, which clearly shows that mothers, elderly women in the family, and teachers know exactly when to bring up this conversation. Despite that, about 30 to 40% of young girls have no information about menstruation before they get their menarche. 

Reasons why girls have a “TOUGH” first period:

• Poor Education and Awareness:

To make the first period experience comfortable for every young girl, it is necessary to educate and prepare her for her menarche. However, this subject often remains untouched, which leads to girls being completely naïve about what menstruation is, how to manage it, and the hygiene concerns associated with the same. 

The need of the hour is to beat cultural taboos, break the silence and elaborate limited discussions around this otherwise life-changing moment in the life of a woman. Young girls need to be educated about the action that needs to be taken when they experience their first period. Information that needs to be highlighted to them includes menstruation is not a sickness, it is normal to have irregular cycles during the initial period, and of course, offer reassurance about the hormonal changes the body is likely to experience. 

Brand Avni has always been ambitious about contributing to this issue, which is why our Founder, Ms. Sujata Pawar has initiated Menstruation Awareness Sessions, where she visits schools and colleges to address concerns and answer questions about menstruation. After all, education and awareness are indispensable.

• Lack of Free Conversations:

In the current scenario, there are limited and in some cases zero conversations about menarche with young girls. This makes it difficult for girls to understand their bodies and ultimately have a healthy period. One of the best ways of reversing this situation is by parents, guardians, teachers, and other trusted adults switching to open dialogue about menarche and menstruation. 

In cases where there is a lack of free conversations, there are chances of girls being misled and learning all the wrong information about periods. Early learning is difficult to eradicate, which is why doing it right the first time becomes vital.

• Absence of Emotional Support:

Young girls get all finicky about their first period primarily because it gets difficult for them to deal with the bleeding, cramping, and mood swings. Amidst this, all they seek is emotional support, something they fail to receive in most cases.

Proactive steps need to be taken in this regard, as young girls experience a sea of emotions with menarche, which in no time transitions between feelings of excitement and feelings of confusion and anxiousness. Emotional support helps with empowering young girls, who eventually go on to accept that menstruation is a natural process that needs to be seen in good light as it influences reproduction.

How to make the first period comfortable for young girls?

Reproductive Health Education in Schools: 

Presently, the education system does not fuel a culture where emphasis is given to sexual and reproductive health education. This leads to zero or inconsistent menstruation-related information flow. To curb the impact of this, schools and colleges must partner with genuine and credible bodies and individuals, who can come on board to raise awareness about this topic. Brand Avni has conducted 15 such sessions to date and looks forward to conducting many more in the future.

The “Not a Disease” Awareness: 

Apart from this, it is necessary to underline before girl children that menstruation is not a disease. It is not like they need to keep a certain number of days every month aside to “recover” from their periods. This block can be cleared by letting girls know that they can lead a normal life during their periods and perform all the activities just like any other normal day.

“Losing a lot of Blood?”: 

Blood scares young children, which is another reason why girls detest their periods. Girls need to be explained that during their periods it is the lining of old blood and tissue on the inside of the uterus that comes out, which only equals about three tablespoons of blood. This information helps girls understand that it is not like a lot of blood that they are losing.

Use of Period Supplies: 

In other cases, girls are made to carry their period supplies be it sanitary pads or tampons. However, the problem lies in not knowing how to use these supplies. For starters, to create an optimum first period experience, girls must know how to use these period supplies, know when to change, and of course observe overall hygiene.

With these basics in place, it should not be difficult for your girl to manage her first period without an iota of hassle. If you haven’t yet spoken about menarche with your girl, now is the right time to do so. If you need help with this, you can sign up for the Rutu Workshop, which is a mother-daughter workshop to initiate conversations around menarche. Alternatively, you can get your girl the Rutu Book, which acts as a visual aid for your girl to understand puberty and periods. Now is the time to embrace the available help.