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Among many myths and misconceptions embedded in the mainstream consciousness, some of the most underlying ones are men’s knowledge about menstruation and women’s health aspects that come with it.
According to a recent survey INTIMINA has conducted in the US, men are in general not educated enough when it comes to menstrual cycles. We spoke with Danela Zagar, INTIMINA Global Brand Manager, to find out more about this gaping hole and what can be done about it. Zagar told us that according to the survey data, men not only don't understand what women feel like when menstruating but they don't even feel comfortable talking about it.
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Props to him, he was apologetic after I explained it to him and overall respectful.
Zagar shared the shocking findings of Intimina's survey, which is that 41% of men could correctly identify what exactly menstruation is. Moreover, when respondents were asked to describe what having a period would feel like, a leading 40% said they would feel physical pain, closely followed by 36% revealing that a period would have no effect on them at all.
When it came to sexual habits during menstruation, 40% of heterosexual males felt it was not appealing to them or their partner to have sex while the woman was on her period, despite the cultural movement to diminish the stigma associated with period sex in recent years.
Additionally, while unlikely, it is possible for a woman to get pregnant while on her period. However, 42% of respondents believe it is not possible for a woman to become pregnant while menstruating.
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Zagar also said that when respondents were asked if they would feel comfortable discussing the menstrual cycle with their teenage daughter if they had one, 11% said they would not feel comfortable having that conversation, and 33% shared they would prefer to have a woman do it.
But there are good signs that came out of the survey too. While male knowledge of menstruation is minimal, a net 78% of respondents felt it was important to educate boys about periods and the menstrual cycle.
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According to INTIMINA's global brand manager, “the fact is that there is so much shame and taboos surrounding menstruation still today.” But most importantly, “Every individual should think about this and try to make a change - by having open conversations about this normal bodily function,” Zagar said.
“Intimina has been fighting period taboos for years and is doing so by educating and empowering women. Also, Intimina has recently issued The Wonder Girls Guide Book (and an audio version) to help young women prepare for womanhood and feel free of shame connected to periods. The survey on girls shows this is much needed as 53% of surveyed girls feel embarrassed and try to hide the fact they are menstruating while out with friends, 65% feel that way at school, 25% at home,” she told us.
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The fact that so many men believe women can't get pregnant by having sex during their period underlines the work we still have to do, Zagar argues.
“There's no doubt that we still need to destigmatize the talk around periods. People should not be bullied or teased for having periods, which are as natural as men growing hair. It's time to open up and be upfront and frank about what periods mean; in school, university and the workplace. So that we tackle period myths and everyone can appreciate the health concerns they can bring,” she explained.
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Zagar concluded that “periods should be discussed as a normal function of the female body, and it should be called by its name, without euphemisms such as Aunt Flow. Talking and educating about it is the solution to breaking period taboos.”
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