Preeti Kafle
I was 11 years old when I had my first period. I was in my mamaghar celebrating the Dashain festival with my family. After that day, I woke up in the morning with a blood stain on my underpants. It shook me. I felt so ashamed and fearful that I didn’t tell anyone about it at that moment. Later, after we returned home, I told my mother. She comforted me, handed me a pad, and taught me how to place it on my underpants.
The second time, I was in the classroom during my period. I saw the blood stain on my skirt and again felt ashamed. I didn’t want to share with my friends that I had my period, so I tried to hide it. Later, one of my friends saw the blood stain and told the teacher. She took me to the health room, where the nurse handed me a pad and taught me how to use it. Despite their help and support, I had a sense of shame for a long time. I was afraid of being judged, teased, or even just seen during my period.
This didn’t change until my female friends and I started supporting one another. We began sharing our experiences, advice, and normalizing what once felt isolating. I later realized that menstruation is something to be respected, understood, and discussed instead of being ashamed of. My female friends and I started to talk more openly about our experiences. We shared our stories of cramps, stains, mood swings, and the embarrassment we all felt. We both began carrying extra pads for each other and reminding one another of our cycles. With time, all these small gestures of kindness and empathy slowly helped me to realize that menstruation was a normal and manageable process, and not a secret or a burden.
As I grew older, my perception kept evolving. Learning about reproductive health through the textbooks and the curriculum educated me about the biology of menstruation. I began to realize how natural and crucial it was to our bodies. The more I learned, the more I could understand how the stigma and the embarrassment were unnecessary and harmful. Education helped to deconstruct the myths I had unconsciously accepted.
This transformation, driven by knowledge, friendship, and growing maturity, empowered me. Today, I proudly advocate for Menstrual Hygiene Management through the No Shame to Bleed project. I’ve met teenagers who are just like me when I was a teenager, afraid, confused, and overwhelmed. By talking about periods openly, I’ve seen firsthand how facts and empathy can liberate young girls from shame and fear.
When we talk openly about periods, we empower girls to gain confidence and the feeling that they’re not alone. I used to hide my period because I felt afraid and ashamed of it. And now, I educate adolescents on the physiology of menstruation and debunk stigma because there is no shame in bleeding.