Personal Information<\/h2>\n\n
Name: <\/strong>Ariadna (Ari) Well, in my home country, Argentina, period was a taboo<\/a> when I was growing up. It wasn\u2019t until very recently (maybe five years ago?) that menstruation became a more open topic. I also must admit that after I worked on the translation of Lara Briden\u2019s book Period Repair Manual<\/a><\/em>, my whole vision of menstrual education changed 100 %.<\/p> I had sex ed<\/a> at school in Argentina, but it wasn\u2019t enough. They tend to teach you about the biological process going on in your body, focusing entirely on the reproductive part. They tell you that your period comes every 28 days and that\u2019s all. Teachers don\u2019t teach you about pads, tampons, or any other alternative<\/a>.<\/p> I do have a story to tell about the first time I heard menstruation<\/a> existed. I remember vividly one family holiday I had when I was about eight years old. My family used to spend every summer in a beautiful city by the sea, in Argentina. We usually went there with other families who were either relatives or friends of my parents with their children. Gee, I loved those summers! This city used to be safe so as children, we were out by ourselves most of the time. One day, I was out strolling on the beach with two of my older girlfriends. I was eight, so they must have been around twelve and 14 years old.<\/p> Suddenly, the oldest girl started saying that we had to go back to the house immediately. IMMEDIATELY. I was shocked because that behaviour was so odd. Why would we go inside in such great weather? Then, right when I was about to ask what was going on, I looked at her and saw that she had blood running down her legs. I couldn\u2019t really figure out where the blood was coming from and I thought it was so weird that she wasn\u2019t even looking at it, so I just asked: \u201cWhy are you bleeding? Are you hurt?\u201d She seemed so embarrassed by my question. She started giggling and said, \u201cHasn\u2019t your mom explained to you what happens to women at the beginning of their teenage years?\u201d<\/p> Her tone was so condescending that it made me think of some sort of secret I was obviously supposed to know about. I had no clue what she meant.<\/a> So, though embarrassed, I was plain honest and said \u2018no\u2019. After some more giggling, she noticed that embarrassment had shifted from her to me. I had no idea what was going on! She stopped her nervous laughter abruptly.<\/p> Everybody stared at me. Men were looking at women, puzzled. Women were looking at me, blushing, as if I had said something forbidden. My mom took me to the other room and tenderly explained that I wasn\u2019t supposed to bring up menstruation in front of others<\/a> \u2013 let alone men. She answered all my questions about it, but she made her point over and over again: periods were women\u2019s stuff<\/a>, and I wasn\u2019t supposed to talk about them so \u2018freely\u2019.<\/p> Well, after hearing about menstruation from my friend Jess, I thought I knew what was coming. It turns out, I didn\u2019t. My first period<\/a> came on May 25th, 1998. It\u2019s a public holiday in Argentina, as we celebrate our country\u2019s independence on that day. So, because it was a public holiday, I was at my grandma\u2019s. I was honestly expecting red blood, I had no idea my first period would be brown<\/a>, and kind of scarce. I had no clue what was going on! Too embarrassed to ask my grandma, I called my mom, and she told me it was probably my first period<\/a>. My grandma gave me some pantiliners she had in her bathroom, and that was it.<\/p>\n\n To be honest, before I learned properly about how my cycle works<\/a>, I used to hate it. Period positivity is something that I learned in the last few years. There\u2019s another concept that helped me a lot, body-literacy. When you\u2019re able to fully understand what\u2019s going on, how your hormonal fluctuations work<\/a>, how to respect your body during every phase of your menstrual cycle, your whole life changes.<\/p><\/div><\/div> My favourite product is the menstrual cup<\/a>. I\u2019ve had my own since 2018, and I don\u2019t know how I survived 20 years of menstruation without it. By using it, I can see the real colour of my blood, I noticed that it doesn\u2019t smell \u2013 at least, it doesn\u2019t stink; it has a rather earthy aroma. I can see when and if there are blood clots, and I realised that I don\u2019t bleed as much as I thought. The cup is also a friend of the environment<\/a>, which is one of its most important advantages. Apart from this, I combine the cup with cloth pads and period panties<\/a>, both great alternatives.<\/p> I like to rest if that\u2019s what my body needs. I also write a lot (FYI, I\u2019m on my period right now!) because I usually feel reflexive during these days. Besides, I typically wear comfortable clothes, and if I feel like it, I work out<\/a>. What I don\u2019t like to do is force myself to attend social meetings when I need to rest.<\/p> It depends on every cycle, but I usually experience some tolerable pain. I know it\u2019s not severe because I feel relieved after I take some painkiller. I attempt to avoid wheat, dairy, and alcohol the week before my period comes, as these are inflammatory foods<\/a>, and they don\u2019t help at all during my bleeding days.<\/p> Nowadays, everyone. It is a field I work with quite a lot as a translator, so I talk a lot about the menstrual cycle with my friends, my family, and over social media<\/a>. Sometimes, especially on social media, random people ask me questions about their periods, fertility, or sex life. I feel great when I\u2019m able to help them, but I always feel the need of reminding them that I\u2019m not a doctor, so I can speak only for what I\u2019ve learned from my work and from my own cycle.<\/p> An adult (non-menstruating) man once asked me if I had to take my menstrual cup off every time I went to pee. I answered \u2018no\u2019, but I couldn\u2019t really understand where this was coming from. He seemed confused, trying to figure out how my pee would come out if the cup would be there blocking the way out. After my initial shock, I explained a bit about the anatomy of a menstruating person<\/a>, and he was genuinely surprised.<\/p> Just some random thoughts I\u2019ve been having for a while. Have you ever felt identified with commercials telling you that your period is blue<\/a>? Or that while menstruating, you should feel as good as ever; or that you can wear white pants? No menstruator in the history of humanity has had blue blood; has felt perfect or has wanted to wear white pants during her period. The world needs way more menstrual education<\/a>. One that explains real issues in a way that we can all understand. I wish I knew menstruation doesn\u2019t mean going from being a child to being an adult. How can you be an adult when you\u2019re twelve?<\/p><\/div>\n\n I wish someone had told me that excruciating menstrual pain is NOT normal<\/a>. How can it be normal to feel your guts are about to explode? I wish I knew then and there about the menstrual cup, such a fantastic and environmental-friendly product that helped me see my menstrual blood just as it is. However, there\u2019s still hope. There\u2019s light at the end of the tunnel. Like Lara Briden says at the beginning of her book, Period Repair Manual<\/em>: <\/a>\u201cSomething BIG is happening in period health.\u201d We have woken up to learn so much about our menstrual cycles in the last few years. Even Disney is talking about periods now! Things are finally changing. It was about time.<\/p> We hope to be able to present the portraits of menstruating people as varied and diverse as possible. And for this we need you \u2013 no matter how you feel about your own menstruation or where you come from! If you would like to be part of this series and share your personal experiences and thoughts about menstruation with us, please write us a message<\/a> or simply fill out this questionnaire<\/a> (anonymously is also possible). We are already looking forward to sharing your story with the Vulvani community!<\/p><\/div>\n\n Ariadna tells us her experience of periods in Argentina, how she found about menstruation and her journey to period positivity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":2651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[65,63,68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycle-health","category-first-period","category-menstruation-around-the-world-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Age:<\/strong> 37
Gender \/ Sex: <\/strong>female
Country of birth: <\/strong>Argentina
Home:<\/strong> Aarhus, Denmark
Job: <\/strong>Translator and bilingual content writer
Age at first period:<\/strong> 13
Favorite period product: <\/strong>Menstrual cup
Cost per menstruation: <\/strong>I\u2019ve had the cup since 2018, it cost 145dkk at the time. I also bought a pair of period panties last year, it was 150dkk.
Contraception: <\/strong>Fertility Awareness Method<\/p><\/div>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vulvani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Ari-Online-1671-681x1024.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
<\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>How is the period seen in your family, culture and even Argentina?<\/h3>
How and by whom were you educated about your period in Argentina?<\/h3>
A day at the beach or how I found out about the period in Argentina<\/h3>
THE Talk with the fam<\/h3>
Patiently, she started describing what menstruation was<\/a>. She didn\u2019t use any funny words I wouldn\u2019t be able to understand. She was extremely clear and graphic. I was amazed. \u2018So, is that how we know we are ready to have a child? Is that how we go from girls to women?\u2019 Once we got to the house, I ran to tell my mom what an educational stroll I\u2019d had. My mom was chatting with some other grown-ups. I went straight to her, filled with excitement, and burst out: \u201cMom! Jess is menstruating! She told me all about it, and now I know what that means!\u201d<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vulvani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Ari-Online-1101-682x1024.jpg\")
Tell us a little about your first period in Argentina!<\/h3>\n\n
How do you feel about your own menstruation?<\/h3>\n\n
Which menstrual products have you already tried?<\/h3>
What do you like to do when on your period?<\/h3>
How are you feeling when menstruating? Do you experience period pain?<\/h3>
Who are you talking to about your period in Argentina?<\/h3>
Do you have a particular funny, embarrassing, or important story about your period in Argentina?<\/h3>
Period in Argentina \u2013 What else can you tell us?<\/h3>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vulvani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/633C0332-3102-480E-ACEF-96F3A428-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div><\/div>Do you want to become part of \u2018Menstruation around the world\u2019?<\/h3>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vulvani.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Instagram-MATW-1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"