Breaking the Cycle of Shame: A New Era of Menstrual Health
How Fathers, Lawmakers, and Innovators Are Reclaiming Menstrual Health as a Matter of Justice, Not Shame.
By Aaron C. Knapp, LSW, CDCA
For over half the world’s population, menstruation is a natural and recurring part of life. Yet even in 2025, it is still surrounded by stigma, misinformation, and silence. That shame doesn’t just hurt—it harms. It fuels policy neglect, impedes access to healthcare, and turns what should be a routine part of life into a monthly crisis for millions.
From the rural villages of India to the jails of Ohio, a quiet revolution is taking shape. At its heart is a simple but powerful message: menstruation is not a burden to hide, but a matter of dignity, equity, and health.
I'm writing this article not just as a licensed social worker and advocate, but as a father. As someone raising a teenage daughter, I’ve witnessed firsthand how silence around menstruation affects confidence, education, and health. I've spent years normalizing these conversations in my own home—buying products, answering questions, and challenging the stigma that still lingers in our schools, workplaces, and public institutions. I believe this work begins at home but belongs in the public arena. It's time we break the silence, not just for our daughters, but for the millions still navigating this issue alone.. At its heart is a simple but powerful message: menstruation is not a burden to hide, but a matter of dignity, equity, and health.
The Problem Isn’t the Period—It’s the Silence Around It
“I thought something was wrong with me,” said 14-year-old Tasha, describing her first period. “We never talked about it at home. I didn’t even know what a tampon was.”
Tasha’s story is disturbingly common—and not just in households where reproductive health is seen as uncomfortable. Across cultures, classrooms, and even clinics, menstruation is still treated as a private burden or, worse, a source of shame. The result is a kind of emotional exile: young people are left to navigate one of the most formative biological changes of their lives with fear, secrecy, and misinformation.
And that silence carries real consequences.
When menstruation is treated as taboo, it becomes harder to identify when something is actually wrong. Conditions like endometriosis, menorrhagia, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)—which affect millions of people worldwide—often go undiagnosed for years simply because patients assume their pain or irregularity is “normal.” Or worse, because no one ever told them what normal is supposed to look like.
In schools, silence means students are caught off guard, unprepared, or too embarrassed to ask for help. A 2021 study found that one in five teens in the U.S. has struggled to afford period products—and 84% reported wearing them longer than recommended due to cost or inaccessibility. Many have had to miss class or extracurriculars altogether.
In workplaces, period stigma persists in subtler forms—jokes about mood swings, discomfort discussing leave for severe cramps, or lack of access to products in restrooms. Even in healthcare settings, people who report period pain are frequently dismissed or told to “tough it out.”
The silence around menstruation isn’t passive. It’s punitive.
By refusing to talk about it—by treating it as gross, secretive, or taboo—we isolate people during a time when they most need support. We make them feel embarrassed about their biology. We discourage education, delay care, and perpetuate cycles of anxiety and misinformation.
This is not just a social issue—it’s a public health issue. And the longer we stay quiet, the more harm we do.
What Period Positivity Really Means
Period positivity isn’t about pretending periods are fun—it’s about removing shame from a normal biological experience. It’s about treating menstruation with the same dignity, openness, and support that we apply to any other health matter.
It means:
Speaking honestly at home, in school, and in public spaces
Providing access to safe, affordable menstrual products
Demanding medically accurate, inclusive menstrual education
Respecting all people who menstruate—whether they are women, trans men, or nonbinary individuals
As a father to a 14-year-old girl, this issue isn’t theoretical for me—it’s daily life. I’ve been buying tampons and talking about periods for years. These conversations aren't awkward—they're essential. If I want my daughter to grow up confident in her body, I have to model that confidence and openness myself.
But it raises a question that still haunts me: Why did it take a man—India’s Arunachalam Muruganantham—to start a menstrual revolution? Where are our “Pad Men” in the United States? Why is it still so radical for a man to advocate for something half the population experiences?
America is behind the times—not just in education, but in availability and policy. Too many students go without supplies, too many jails restrict access, and too many adults treat menstruation as something we shouldn’t talk about. That silence is a choice. And it’s one we can unmake.
At its core, period positivity is about rejecting the idea that menstruation is dirty, shameful, or embarrassing. It’s about replacing discomfort with dignity—and secrecy with support.
Menstrual Hygiene Day, also known as Period Positivity Day, is observed annually on May 28th. It's a global movement focused on raising awareness about menstrual health and breaking the stigma surrounding menstruation. The day aims to create a world where individuals have access to quality menstrual products, period education, and period-friendly infrastructure.
From India's "Pad Man" to Menstrual Equity on the Global Stage
Nowhere is the fight against menstrual stigma more inspiring than in the story of Arunachalam Muruganantham—a school dropout from Tamil Nadu, India. In the late 1990s, he discovered that his wife was using dirty rags during her period because commercial pads were too expensive. Disturbed by this reality, Muruganantham set out to create a low-cost sanitary pad machine. What followed was a journey of relentless trial and error, social ostracization, and personal sacrifice.
He was mocked by his community, labeled mentally unstable, and temporarily abandoned by his wife and mother. But Muruganantham persisted. He wore a makeshift uterus fashioned from a football bladder to simulate menstruation and test his prototypes. After years of isolation and experimentation, he developed a simple, affordable machine that could produce hygienic pads at a fraction of the commercial cost. More importantly, his model was designed to be run by women in rural villages, offering both product access and economic empowerment.
His innovation has now reached over 1,300 villages across India and inspired a global movement. Women who once had no access to sanitary products are now micro-entrepreneurs manufacturing and distributing pads in their own communities. His life story was dramatized in the Bollywood hit Pad Man, which shattered taboos and made menstrual health a national conversation in India.
Muruganantham didn’t just provide pads—he redefined advocacy. He sparked empowerment rooted in dignity, science, and community-led change. He proved that the fight for menstrual dignity starts with listening, innovating, and refusing to be silenced.
What is perhaps most remarkable is that Muruganantham also turned his vision into a sustainable business model—one that made him a wealthy man without abandoning his mission. While many of the machines he designed were distributed to women’s cooperatives and nonprofits at cost, he also developed commercial partnerships, exported his equipment globally, and licensed his design to support larger production hubs. In doing so, he showed that menstrual equity can be both a public good and a viable economic opportunity. His financial success does not undermine his message—it amplifies it. It proves that when we invest in menstrual health, everyone benefits.
Ohio House Votes for Free Products in Jails and Prisons
That same spirit of change is now making its way into American institutions. On May 28, 2025, the Ohio House of Representatives voted 91–0 to pass House Bill 29, a landmark piece of legislation that would require all jails and prisons in Ohio to provide free menstrual products and access to daily showers during menstruation.
Ohio’s Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, which oversees nearly 3,700 incarcerated women, already supplies pads and tampons free of charge. Last year, they spent over $173,500 on menstrual products. But the new bill goes further—it would turn policy into law and expand access to the 89 jails operated by county sheriffs and municipalities across the state, some of which have lagged behind in consistent access.
The bill’s sponsors, Reps. Latyna Humphrey (D-Columbus) and Marilyn John (R-Shelby), cited disturbing stories from inmates forced to beg for hygiene supplies or go without. “This isn’t just about comfort,” said Humphrey. “This is about basic human dignity.”
Ohio is not alone. In recent years, a growing number of states have introduced similar reforms. California requires public schools and correctional facilities to provide free period products. New York has mandated free menstrual products in public schools, shelters, and prisons since 2018. Illinois, Virginia, and Maryland have passed similar legislation targeting correctional institutions. Even the federal Bureau of Prisons now provides tampons and pads at no cost following bipartisan pressure.
These reforms are grounded in the understanding that menstruation doesn’t stop behind bars. Denying access to basic hygiene isn’t just negligent—it’s inhumane. Forcing incarcerated women to ration products, beg for supplies, or bleed through their clothes is a form of institutional abuse. When the state takes custody of a person, it assumes responsibility for their dignity. That includes the right to manage menstruation safely and without humiliation.
By joining the wave of states addressing menstrual equity in corrections, Ohio is affirming that the basic health needs of incarcerated women are not optional—they are constitutional.
When Stigma Becomes a Health Crisis
The dangers of menstrual stigma are both psychological and physical. Many menstruators—particularly in poverty or incarceration—report being forced to reuse pads or improvise with unsafe materials. This can lead to infections, shame, and trauma. The CDC and American Medical Association have long recognized menstrual hygiene as a public health need, not a personal luxury.
For those with medical conditions like endometriosis or PCOS, stigma and lack of education delay diagnoses and treatment. Even in clinical settings, menstrual pain is often dismissed or misunderstood—particularly in marginalized communities. That delay in care can lead to chronic pain, infertility, or emotional distress.
Thankfully, legislative change is beginning to reflect this urgency. In addition to House Bill 29 for incarcerated women, Ohio lawmakers have also proposed legislation to provide free menstrual products in junior high and high school bathrooms across the state. The initiative—championed in part by Rep. Jessica Miranda—seeks to end period poverty among teens and remove the shame and logistical barriers that can lead students to miss class or suffer in silence.
“No student should have to leave school early or miss class altogether because they didn’t have access to a pad,” Rep. Miranda said in a floor speech. “This is about treating our young people with respect—and understanding that menstrual health is part of student health.”
“This is just like providing toilet paper or soap,” she added. “It’s a basic need—and one we can no longer afford to ignore.”
States like California, Illinois, and New York have already implemented school-based menstrual equity laws, and early data shows a positive impact on student well-being. In New York City, for example, chronic absenteeism among girls dropped in schools that provided free products in bathrooms.
If passed, Ohio’s bill would place it at the forefront of menstrual equity in education—acknowledging that learning cannot thrive where basic needs are unmet.
Free access to menstrual products in prisons, schools, and public spaces is not a luxury—it is a constitutional issue of equal protection, educational equity, and basic healthcare.
Education Is the First Line of Equity
The earlier we teach about menstruation, the better. Studies show that kids who receive clear, inclusive, and medically accurate education about periods are more confident, healthier, and more likely to seek help when needed. In fact, UNICEF and UNESCO have emphasized menstrual education as a pillar of gender equity and child development.
Yet in many school districts—especially across Ohio—period education is minimal, outdated, or still laden with euphemisms. Lessons are often separated by gender, leaving boys in the dark and girls embarrassed. Sometimes, periods are discussed only in the context of reproduction, ignoring daily realities like pain, hygiene, and stigma. By avoiding the subject, we don’t protect kids—we isolate them.
When schools normalize periods, they normalize self-care, health literacy, and body confidence. Students learn that their pain is valid, their questions deserve answers, and that managing menstruation is not a source of shame but a part of life. In classrooms where teachers and school nurses speak openly and resources are readily available, students thrive.
More comprehensive menstrual education would also reduce bullying, misinformation, and gender-based stereotypes that persist even into adulthood. Teaching all students—including boys—about periods helps break the culture of secrecy that turns menstruation into a source of fear or ridicule.
Ultimately, period education isn’t just about science—it’s about dignity. And it starts with what we’re willing to say out loud in a classroom.
Final Thoughts: Dignity Isn’t Optional
Whether it’s Muruganantham quietly building machines in Tamil Nadu, or fathers like me handing their daughters a pad and saying, “You’re okay,” the work of normalizing menstruation is the work of care.
I still remember the first time I had to buy tampons for my daughter. I stood there in the store, overwhelmed by the options—wings or no wings, light, regular, super. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew one thing: she needed me to show up, not shy away. That moment became routine. Now, it’s normal for us to talk about symptoms, flow, or which products work best. And that’s exactly how it should be. The awkwardness vanishes when love takes over.
These conversations, these purchases, these simple affirmations—they send a powerful message: you are not alone, and there is nothing about your body to be ashamed of. It doesn’t matter who starts the conversation—what matters is that we keep having it, with honesty and without embarrassment.