pediatric housecalls Robert R. Jarrett M.D. M.B.A. FAAP

Talking To Girls About Periods, Menstruation and Hygiene
Being “period positive”

It’s been so long ago now that most current young parents probably don’t even remember all the fal-de-rah that occurred in this country (US) back when “sex-education” was introduced into the official school curriculum.

Now it’s so official in the U.S. school system that most everywhere it has changed from the original “opt-in” side-bar to a teachers lesson plan into a fully-integrated, several-day portion of the curriculum only avoided by taking “opt-out” methods through official protocols.

Completely leaving out parental rights and religious issues, not discussing puberty issues with children robs them of a chance to prepare, avoid embarrassment and, as in the case of menstruation, take steps to practice adequate menstrual hygiene and avoid illness and serious complications.

Aditi Gupta, a native of India, knows all too well these current issues and described them in her current TED talk revealing that three out of ten Indian girls still don’t know about the issue at the time of their own first period. “In some areas,” she said, “it’s as high as 9 out of 10!”

Her talk was about what she and others are currently doing to break the taboo and destructive customs in her home country and around the developing world.

She advises parents that: “if YOU are ashamed about your period then your daughter will be too. Be ‘period positive’.”