UNICEF provides the following guiding points for teachers to talk about menstrual health in class. 1. It’s normal. Menstruation is a normal process that should happen to every girl once she reaches puberty – usually somewhere between the ages of 9 and 16. 2. Menstruation is not a sickness. Girls can live their normal life during menses – they can go to school, play with their sisters and friends, eat and drink everything they normally would, and attend social gatherings. 3. Girls can have irregular cycles in their first few years of menstruation. But each girl can learn to understand how her own body works by watching the small changes that happen each month. It may take a few years to settle into a regular monthly pattern. This means girls often feel unprepared or are caught short without pads or cloths. It’s really helpful if girls learn to start observing their menstrual cycle, so they can start to predict fairly accurately when they will get a period and can be ready with a pad or cloth in their school bag. 4. Girls experience many changes around the time they get their first period. A girl’s breasts grow, she grows hair on her body, and her hips widen. Sometimes hormones make both girls and boys a bit more emotional than usual. There is no reason to be scared or ashamed of any of these changes. 5. Menstruation does not have to be a secret. There is a big difference between being discreet and keeping something secret because you are scared or ashamed. Once a girl is informed, she can be of help to other girls even if they are younger than her. She can also help older women in her family who didn’t have the opportunity to learn what she knows. She can be a girl leader. 6. Sometimes menstruation can be painful! The amount of pain can differ a lot from girl to girl and from month to month. Most pain can be eased by going on a short walk, getting eight hours of sleep every night, drinking lots of water and some gentle pain medicine. There are some things a girl can look out for that will tell her if something is wrong and she needs to get help. If a girl’s period is so painful she can’t stand or walk; if she bleeds much more than she usually does; or if she stops bleeding for a long time, or bleeds between periods, she needs to get medical help from a community health worker, midwife or doctor. All girls have the right to receive help if they have menstrual health problems. Help the girls in your class to understand this message: “Don’t be ashamed if something seems wrong. 7. Your diet makes a difference to your well-being. The girls in your class might be told by their families and communities to avoid certain food and drinks when they have their period. The truth is, whether a girl is menstruating or not, she can eat and drink anything that’s included in a well-balanced diet. A girl will only feel pain, weakness and sickness if there is something missing from her diet. If girls do not eat lots of different foods, especially foods rich in iron and folic acid, they may face increased difficulty concentrating at school, and may feel tired and depressed. As a teacher, you can help tell girls the truth. Explain why you, as a teacher, neither follow the taboos about what girls can’t eat and drink during menstruation, and why you don’t want the girls in your class to be influenced by them either. 8. Exercise is really good for girls, no matter which time of the month. There are many benefits to exercise, including the mental boost you get from feeling fit. Exercise is a good way to help prevent cramps, and gentle exercise like a walk can also help relieve pain. 9. A girl’s body will be healthy if she practices good hygiene during her period. Girls must continue to wash normally during menses. Not being clean can leave girls at risk of infections. A girl should wash outside her genital area at least once a day. If she does not have access to a shower or bath, she use a small amount of plain water, soap and a soft cloth She should always wash her hands with soap after she uses the toilet or changes a pad or cloth. A used pad should always be placed in the bin, and never down the toilet. And when a girl changes her cloth at school, she should take the soiled one home in a bag to wash. She can make a simple menstrual cloth bag at the same time she learns how to make reusable menstrual hygiene cloths, so she can carry her used cloths home discreetly. 10. It is okay to use either pads or cloths. Some girls prefer pads or cloths, but both can be a safe and clean way to manage a period. Disposable pads can be more expensive so girls may need to be understanding if their family cannot afford them.

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Salim Yadav

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Salim Yadav

Thanks for sharing this information and attaching the Unicef plan guide Mashood.

09 Dec 2019

Requirements of the girls counselling as well boys also..Talk to them in a group , give some moral teachings also and tell them about that every reactions have positive and negative impact....

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It's a very genuine concern we all face in school. Many a times, we tend to ignore such issue inspite being an educator or teacher. Mashood has written all the important points about Mensuration Hygiene and care. Just in addition to that, time to time organization/school can organise workshops where all these concerns are raised and addressed properly. Infact, some parents who are willing to join such workshop shall also be a part of that. Not only Mensuration, the sensitive issues like Gender, Sexuality, Body Shaming, Sexual Harrassment etc.. can be part of that. Either some teachers with the help of school authorities or resource person can be invited for the same.

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