Land back-to-school menstruation can be a problem for many girls. Especially for those who have had the first cycle during the summer holidays and that they will have to get used to managing this new condition even between the benches. How to reassure these young women? We asked the experts.
Menstruation at school
School must be a safe space for everyone, especially for young and insecure girls who are changing. According to Research Censuswide–INTIMINATES, this is often not the case. 65% of the girls interviewed, in fact, declared of feel ashamed or try to hide that you are menstruating when he is at school. Only 11% never feel embarrassed during menstruation, while 38% of girls received information from a teacher. “Let’s talk about little high-tech women who use the network to get more information on the menstrual cycle but which, at the same time, they need confirmations from the mother or even from the father often to clear up a bit of confusion ”, underlines the Doctor Manuela Farrisgynecologist, consultant AIED Italian Association of Demographic Education and advisor of the SIC Italian Society of Contraception.
The role of teachers
«The relationship with the teachers it cannot replace the one with a parent or family member, but it can become an important reference, as long as it is institutionalized and formal. This means that a teacher who prepares young women to experience menstruation as a completely natural event also clarifying the scientific and social aspect it can be of great support to what has already been explained in the family environment, even if it cannot and must not generate intimacy and confidence. The role of the teacher must, that is, remain within the pedagogical framework and as such it must be interpreted by all the people involved, not least because, as a teenager, a stranger has always listened more carefully to the parent “, he explains Alessandra BitelliWoman Empowering Coach.
Menstruation: the comparison with the partners
The dialogue between girls seems to be the most spontaneous choice to familiarize themselves with the subject. They chat to each other, listen to each other and when needed, they turn to their “expert” friend to find out how to intervene when the first menstruation arrives. «The confrontation with the companions it is an intermediate stepan almost obligatory first smattering, waiting for the right moment to talk about it with the family. The important thing is not to be the first in class to have had the first period (unless you have talked to mom) but not even the last because it is a bit like being different from the others and can be cause for anxiety. That of friends it is a kind of mechanism of agreement who always asks for the confirmation from mother, grandmother or older sister. But lately also of the father », continues Doctor Farris.
A ready-to-use kit
What girls can do to avoid surprises in the bathroom is to create a school emergency kit. “Mothers might advise their daughters to bring a ‘rescue kit’ with them menstruation protection, spare underwear, wet wipes and a pain reliever. Making this kit is also an excellent opportunity to talk about different protections such as that of menstrual cups which have greater flexibility and require less attention»Advises Doctor Farris.
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