For long, going through menstruation has been perceived as an excruciating and exhausting process for menstruating individuals. With intense cramps, heavy flows and hormonal issues, periods can very easily be compared to roller-coaster rides. Like any other physiological discomfort, many menstruating individuals often rely on various medications to make their period pain easy to bear. Or do they?
Common Disorders
Modern medicine and technology have identified several disorders associated with menstruation — Amenorrhea (no menstrual bleeding), Dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation), heavy menstrual bleeding and PMS, to name a few.
There are also disorders like PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome), which interfere with one’s menstrual cycles. Additionally, menstruators experience various problems during perimenopause and menopause, such as irregular flows, hot flushes, fatigue, blood clotting, etc. Combined with other physiological issues such as nutrient deficiencies and diabetes, menstruation can often be immensely painful for some individuals.
High-priced Medications
Common painkillers like Voveran and Supanac tablets cost ₹90 and ₹45 for a 50 mg strip, respectively. More specific drugs like Tenacid MF (which is meant to help with heavy menstrual blood flow and intense menstrual pain) can cost anywhere from ₹160 to ₹185 for a strip of 10 tablets.
Medications and supplements used for PCOS are mostly priced in the range of ₹600 to ₹3,800 and Oestrogen therapy pills (commonly used during early menopause and perimenopause) are almost always priced above ₹2,000.
The problem? Existing socio-economic Differences
These prices might not seem that costly to many of us, but that is exactly where existing socio-economic differences, primarily wage gaps, come in the picture. An Economic Times article suggested that Indian men earn ₹46 more than Indian women per hour. Do the math yourself — individuals who have to bear more expenses are earning less than their counterparts.
The situation often worsens in low-income areas and slums where gender wage gaps have higher differences. Furthermore, the average incomes of most rural and urban areas in India often have a pertinent difference.
Additionally, there also exist individuals (homeless persons and sex workers) and communities (primarily Trans and Intersex persons) who perhaps earn less than Indian women (and are seldom surveyed as evident from the lack of reliable research). Due to these circumstances, many individuals are trapped in a dichotomy between food and medication.
Another factor which must be acknowledged is the patriarchal nature of Indian society. Without any doubt, many Indian women rely on their male family members for their livelihood — the ones who don’t are often expected to manage both, their work and the household.
In such scenarios, an assumption that most male bread-earners won’t be willing to bear the expenses of menstruators in their families does not seem to be wrong. Furthermore, menstruating individuals who are also working individuals might not be willing to pay attention to their own health because it is so expensive for them.
Unawareness the bigger Problem
This very issue often gets neglected due to unawareness in most low-income households about the very existence of such medications. Traditional societal structures often teach women (only women, as according to traditional notions, only women can menstruate) to bear the pain they experience during menstruation or suggest primitive methods to deal with it.
Additionally, even when most menstruators complain about unbearable discomfort, their complaints are mostly dismissed by the public (often even medical professionals) as just attention-seeking behaviour. Such instances often bring about significant personality changes in the individual, most commonly by creating a self-concept that all physiological pain is supposed to be bearable, and they are too weak if they can’t bear it. Furthermore, this also brings about notions that individuals don’t have anyone to reach out to even if their pain is torturing them.
Thus, most menstruators often choose to ignore their pain believing that it is “normal” when it might be a result of some physiological disorder or deficiency that can very easily be treated with proper medication and guidance.
Conclusion
By having a market that provides products that are not just costly but downright unaffordable for many, we are forcing menstruators not to seek treatment for their illnesses. Doing so will come at the cost of their necessities. Additionally, by not making them aware of such alternatives, we are readily creating educational and aspirational differences in our “egalitarian” society.
Menstruation is nothing less than a necessity for our kind as we survive due to it. It is anything but a luxurious experience (ask any menstruator if you have a doubt). Therefore, the products attached with menstruation which can ease out the pain of menstruators must also be treated as necessities and need to be subsidised — that is the least we can do for the ones who bleed, regularly, so that we don’t perish.