Despite being a completely natural thing, periods are still very much stigmatized; to the extent where some people believe that men shouldn’t even be talking about it.

That’s what this redditor’s ex-wife thought, as she called him “sick and perverted” for discussing periods with their three daughters. Needless to say, it didn’t make the relationship between the parents any better and resulted in them shouting at each other in front of their kids. Scroll down to find the full story below.

Below you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with an endocrinologist and medical doctor specializing in menstrual cycles, Professor at the University of British Columbia, Jerilynn C. Prior, who was kind enough to discuss the topic with us.

Periods are often stigmatized, resulting in girls being fearful of talking about it

Image credits: halfpoint / envatoelements (not the actual photo)

This man took matters into his own hands when his daughters needed to be taught about periods

Image credits: AtlasComposer / envatoelements (not the actual photo)

Image credits: aitaposthrowaway

Many young women have been shamed or teased over being on their period

Image credits: Sora Shimazaki / pexels (not the actual photo)

Needless to say, it’s important to talk to teenagers about periods, since—as the OP’s daughter’s story shows—they might feel confused or even ashamed about it, especially when menstruation first starts. A survey carried out by Always found that one-in-three young people do not feel prepared for their first period, and more than three-in-four of them admit having tried to hide the fact that they’re on their period from people around them.

“The world of young and middle-aged adults includes two types of humans—menstruators and non-menstruators. Women or those born with ovaries should know about men’s erections and ‘night dreams’ just as men should know about menstrual cycles and cramps,” Dr. Jerilynn C. Prior pointed out in a recent interview with Bored Panda.

The secrecy and the discomfort related to periods often stems from the stigma surrounding it, shaming women over something they have no control over. According to said survey, roughly 20% of young people have been shamed or teased because of their period, and roughly 25% have seen menstruation portrayed negatively on TV or in movies.

Another study of people’s views on periods found that roughly every fourth woman ages 16 to 24 feels anxious because of menstruation, with fears over leaking through their clothing, changes to their body, and people seeing them take period products to the toilet being the main stressors.

It’s important to talk about menstruation in order to diminish the stigma that surrounds it

Image credits: Sora Shimazaki / pexels (not the actual photo)

The negativity that surrounds menstruation is probably the reason why many young girls don’t have the guts to discuss it even with members of their own family. And while the situation in some homes is not that bad—in nearly 77% of US households with at least one female resident in their teenage years, periods are discussed openly, Statista reports—many young people would rather opt for Googling information instead of asking someone face-to-face about it.

According to Statista’s data, more than half of teenagers would rather turn to the internet instead of talking to someone about periods. It’s safe to assume that they feel uncomfortable discussing the topic, as many teachers reportedly are, too—roughly 35% of those surveyed revealed that their health teacher appeared uneasy while discussing menstruation.

When it comes to schools and menstruation, it seems that the education system does not really prepare the youngsters well on period-related matters, as close to 80% students report being taught more about the biology of frogs than a human female body.

Luckily, some parents, such as the OP, realize the importance of informing their children about the changes and processes happening in a human’s body. That’s why they put effort into educating their offspring, consequently sometimes even educating themselves, as the redditor did by teaching his daughters.

Some men still consider menstruation “disgusting” or “embarrassing”

Breaking the stigma regarding periods is arguably especially important for male members of the family, many of whom believe that they should be kept a secret, a survey by Plan International found. The survey revealed that more than half of the respondents—males between the ages of 16 and 25—consider menstruation “dirty”, and many say it’s “disgusting” or “embarrassing”.

“Of course a father or older brother should be able to casually and calmly, if needed, talk with a daughter or sister about her menstrual cycle,” Dr. Prior said, adding that this cultural conscious or unconscious designation of a normal human physiological function as “yucky, nasty or unmentionable” is inconsistent with the purported equity of women and men in the 21st century in many parts of the world. “To the detriment of science and health, the stigma about having a period, or disposing of sanitary products extends to menstruation and ovulation,” she added.

Be that as it may, not all men are equally disturbed by or wary of talking about feminine hygiene products or menstruation. Proving her point, the expert shared being recently introduced to a colleague, together with whom she was supposed to work on the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research website. “I wanted to be sure that he was comfortable with the topics on the website, and he reassured me he was by saying, ‘I always carry tampons and pads in case my friends are in a bind.’ I believed in his equanimity with menstruation,” Dr. Prior recalled.

The OP was seemingly one of such men, too, as he made sure to let his daughter know that periods are nothing to be embarrassed about and approached the topic with nothing but love and care, which fellow netizens in the comments applauded him for.

People in the comments shared their views and applauded the father for being a great parent to his girls

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