"The Curse"

 

Women don’t talk about their periods to men if they can help it. There’s something vaguely shameful about the “woman’s curse”. Even if you have major cramps, you would not think about blurting to a male co-worker: “I’m in pain from my period” even though the pain can be extreme. Among ourselves, we are a little more open. We will mention it to each other once in a while. But I found out there must be no mention of blood or bleeding. This is thought to be in poor taste. Yet this is what periods are: sometimes pain, from discomfort to extreme, always bleeding, from moderate to near-hemorrhage.

 

Well the truth is I have been bleeding for 12 days in a row now (!!!) and the 3 last days, drenching every precaution I take, changing every hour,  soaking my clothes, even staining my chair. I’m supposed to lead a normal life, I’m at the office, I just have the tiny difficulty of bleeding all over the place. But even to my female co-workers, I’m not expected to really mention it.

 

I find that strange. Why is there a residue of shame or “things-better-not-mentioned” as far as periods are concerned? It is clearly a remnant of the prevalent men attitude about it for thousands of years. In this as in many other things, I want to be free of the men-imposed stigma. So when asked what’s the matter, I try not to use the phrase “I have my period”, instead I’d rather shock with  “I’m bloody”. I don’t like vulgarity, I don’t like being coarse. But I won’t tip toe around the fact that what “the matter” is with me is that I’m nearly swimming in blood. So there.