How to talk to your Son about Periods?

Imagine yourself in a situation; your son will reach his puberty in next couple of years and you want him to reach this critical age with complete understanding of how a man and woman’s body works. This is not an imagination, but most of us either have already faced this situation or will going to face it in future.

Shivani Misri Sadhoo, an eminent psychologist in Delhi, today’s shares her tips on how to talk to your son about periods.

First you should start a direct conversation with your son; don’t run in circles, tell him about periods and patiently answer all his questions. Be as straightforward as you can. You can start your conversation like:

1. In your school you have seen older boys, their voices sound heavy like your father’s. This happens because when boys grow up they pass through a phase where lot of physical changes take place, both inside and outside of the body. This phase is called puberty.

2. During puberty a boy’s voice change, hair grows in his facial and genital region. Just like that, when girls hit their puberty they start menstruating.

3. Just like birds, mammals including humans come from an egg which is inside a girl’s body. The egg develops inside a girl every month though she doesn’t necessarily get pregnant every month. When the girl doesn’t get pregnant, the egg passes out of her body with some blood.

4. When a girl menstruates, her body sheds the lining of the uterus along with an unfertilised egg and it flows from the uterus to the cervix and out of her body through the vaginal opening. This whole process is called menstruation or periods.

5. A girl bleeds every month for around four or more days depending on her menstrual cycle. Yes, your mother goes through it too till a certain age.

6. For hygiene girls use sanitary pads, which absorb the blood. Hence, the pad is placed near the cervix covering the vaginal area.

7. During periods, some women might feel discomfort or pain in the lower abdomen area; others may feel a slight discomfort.

8. It is not something to be embarrassed by or something you should make fun of. It is very normal. It is a sign of a girl being healthy. Not getting periods on time is very unhealthy, and might prove to be a big medical problem.