Whether in films, series, or in real life, there are several and repeated sexist jokes about the menstrual cycle and its effect on women’s mood and behavior, describing them as temperamental and irrational, and making comments such as “You are very irritable today , you must have your period.” The image that has been created and fed about the natural processes of the female body increases and maintains a very harmful stigma for women and society in general.
Tomi-Ann Roberts, professor of Psychology at the College of Colorado, and her collaborators investigated the opinions of university students towards a woman in two conditions: 1) she drops a tampon from her suitcase, and 2) she drops it a hairpin. In the first condition, by students of both sexes, the woman was considered less competent, less friendly and the participants tried to distance themselves and avoid her more (sitting further away from her), compared to the second condition.
Other studies show that menstruating women tend to be seen as less attractive, more impure, unstable and aggressive. Furthermore, beliefs about negative implications for women’s capabilities during menstruation can lead to self-confirming prophecies that affect your career. The stigma and taboo associated with the presence of a menstrual period often forces women to feel compelled to hide its existence, increasing their discomfort and discomfort.
According to psychologist, researcher and assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Tory Eisenlohr-Moul, who studies the psychological effects of menstruation, these stereotypes are wrong for several reasons. Contrary to popular belief, for the majority of menstruating people the menstrual cycle does not cause significant changes in mood and behavior. Although the idea is common that all women suffer from Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), marked by the presence of premenstrual symptoms (for example, headache or body aches) that affect the person’s functioning, when a careful monitoring of symptoms, it is clear that the syndrome does not affect all women.
When these symptoms are present in a more severe form, something that occurs in around 6% of females, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder may be present. This disorder is characterized by severe changes:
1) Of humorsuch as emotional instability, irritability or increased conflicts, markedly depressed mood and/or marked anxiety.
two) Physiological and behavioralsuch as decreased interest in usual activities, difficulty concentrating, marked lack of energy, significant change in appetite, sleep changes, feeling overwhelmed and physical symptoms (such as tenderness or swelling of the breasts, joint or muscle pain, feeling of swelling or weight gain).
For this diagnosis, these symptoms must be present in the week before the start of menstruation, with improvements a few days after its start, becoming minimal or even absent in the post-menstrual week, and causing clinically significant distress and/or interference with life and daily activities. Even in this disorder, studies hypothesize that it is not a disorder of the reproductive system, but rather a hypersensitivity of the brain to normal hormonal changes. For this reason, greater sensitivity to anxiety seems to be associated with more severe symptoms, making the physical and psychological impact of menstruation unique for each woman.
However, even in the healthy population, several moderate symptoms may appear that somehow affect daily life. Thus, during the perimenstrual period (days before and during menstruation), symptoms of discomfort such as headaches, irritability, anxiety and sadness, back pain, and acne may be present. In addition to the discomfort inherent to these symptoms, they can also impact satisfaction with one’s body image, way of dressing, self-esteem and perception of attractiveness. Due to the physiological changes associated with the menstrual process, there may also be changes in the immune, digestive, cardiovascular system and body temperature.
The lack of knowledge about female physiological and reproductive processes can have a major negative impact on women’s mental health, and can also affect other areas of their lives, such as work, or the satisfaction of their relationships (whether due to the lack of openness to talk about the phenomenon and understanding it, or even the stigma related to sexual relations during menstruation).
In addition to being a natural process that expresses the ability to generate life, during menstruation the body spends more calories, burning more calories. Studies show the importance of considering these and other benefits of menstruation, with women with a positive attitude towards this cycle reporting feeling more creative and in sync with their femininity.
It is important to demystify what the sexual and reproductive nature of the human being is. Many women feel embarrassed by this aspect of their physiology and feel the pressure to perpetuate the clean, fun and light image that hygiene product advertisements often convey, hiding their pain and embarrassment.
The menstrual cycle can bring challenges that do not need to be made worse by secrecy, discrimination and stereotypes. If you suffer from severe menstrual pain, don’t hesitate to ask for medical help. If these affect your emotional, behavioral, social and relational functioning, psychological help can be an important aid in the healthy management of these changes.
