When 15-year-old Rashidat got her first period while in school, she thought something terrible had happened. “I felt wet down there, and when I went to check, I saw blood,” she recalled during an interview with The Nation. “I was scared and ashamed. I thought I was injured or sick. I didn’t know what to do, so I tied my sweater around my waist and waited for school to close.”
For Bimbo, a 14-year-old JSS3 student in the Ketu area of Lagos, her first menstrual experience was equally confusing. “I was in class and felt a strange pain in my lower stomach. When I got home and went to the toilet, I saw blood. I screamed and called my elder sister. She smiled and said, ‘Welcome to womanhood.’ I didn’t even understand what she meant. I was just scared.”
These stories are not unusual in many parts of Nigeria and across Africa. Despite being a natural biological process, menstruation is still clouded by silence, stigma, myths, and misinformation. For millions of girls like Rashidat and Bimbo, their first period comes with fear, shame, and isolation — not because it is abnormal, but because society has made it taboo.
Breaking the silence
On Friday in Lagos, during a two-day capacity-building workshop for media practitioners and social media influencers, experts challenged this culture of silence. The workshop, organised by Population Services International (PSI) Nigeria, aimed to deepen public understanding of menstrual health and bridge the gap between science, storytelling, and social change.
Dr. Hameed Adediran, Senior Programme Manager and Team Lead of Menstrual Health Initiatives at PSI Nigeria, provided essential context. “Menstruation is a sign of a healthy reproductive system,” he said. “It is not a disease, not a curse, and not something to be ashamed of.”
He stressed the need for accurate information, especially for young girls who are often left in the dark about what menstruation is and how to manage it hygienically and confidently. “When we do not talk about periods openly, we leave space for myths, stigma, and harmful practices to thrive,” Adediran noted.
Myths and misconceptions
Mr. Akorede Akerele, Lagos State Support Officer for Menstrual Health and Hygiene Initiatives at PSI Nigeria, took the conversation further by outlining several common myths and cultural taboos surrounding menstruation that affect millions of girls and women.
“Girls are often told not to wash their hair or even bathe during menstruation because they might fall ill or become infertile,” he explained. “Others are warned that using tampons will make them lose their virginity, or that menstrual pain is punishment for wrongdoing. These beliefs have no scientific basis and are dangerous.”
Some communities go as far as banning menstruating women from cooking, entering religious places, or even touching water sources. “It is not just about health,” Akerele said. “It’s about dignity, equality, and the right of every woman and girl to live free from discrimination.”
He emphasised that menstruation is the body’s natural way of shedding the uterine lining when there is no pregnancy — a vital part of the reproductive cycle. “Menstrual blood is not dirty or toxic. Virginity is not lost by using a tampon. Women and girls can bathe, cook, and go about their daily lives during menstruation — with proper hygiene, there is no harm.”
The impact of taboos
The consequences of menstrual taboos are wide-ranging and severe. Girls miss school due to a lack of access to sanitary products or fear of being mocked. Some are forced into early marriages under the mistaken belief that menstruation signals readiness for motherhood. Others suffer in silence with severe menstrual pain because they are told it is normal and not worth complaining about.
“Menstrual stigma doesn’t just affect health,” said Dr. Adediran. “It affects education, mental well-being, and economic opportunities. If a girl misses school five days a month due to menstruation, that’s 60 days in a year. That’s enough to set her back academically.”
In workplaces, women often feel forced to hide their periods, fearing that they will be perceived as weak or unclean. In households, mothers sometimes avoid discussing menstruation with their daughters because they were raised in silence.
Changing the narrative
The workshop encouraged journalists and influencers to use their platforms to challenge stereotypes and promote menstrual equity. By telling real stories, sharing expert knowledge, and encouraging open conversations, the media can play a key role in transforming attitudes.
“There’s no shame in bleeding,” said Adediran. “There’s only shame in making young girls feel like their bodies are something to hide.”
Schools, too, have a role to play. Comprehensive sexuality education should include information on menstrual health — not just for girls, but for boys as well. “We need boys to understand what periods are, so they can support their sisters and classmates rather than tease them,” Akerele said.
Healthcare providers, religious leaders, and community elders must also be part of the solution. “When respected voices speak truth and science, people listen,” he added.
From shame to strength
For Rashidat and Bimbo, understanding what menstruation is — and that it’s nothing to be ashamed of — made all the difference. “My sister later explained it to me,” said Rashidat. “Now I know it’s normal and I’m not scared anymore.” Bimbo, too, has grown in confidence. “My sister bought me pads and showed me how to use them. Now, I even help my friends when they start their own periods.”
These simple acts of support — accurate information, a listening ear, access to sanitary materials — can change lives. They can turn fear into pride, silence into strength.
Bleeding with dignity
Menstruation is not a taboo — it is a testament to the strength and complexity of the female body. It should not be surrounded by shame, secrecy, or misinformation. Girls should not have to suffer in silence, miss school, or be excluded from activities because of a normal biological process.
Workshops like the one organised by PSI Nigeria are vital in sparking the conversations people need. But the work must continue in homes, schools, religious centres, and public discourse. People must talk openly and honestly about periods, dismantle harmful myths, and empower every girl and woman to bleed with dignity.
