In our English class, five of us had become very close friends. Every Friday, we gathered at one of our homes to practice speaking English. These gatherings were not only about learning the language; they also brought us closer together and gave us the chance to talk about things we rarely had the opportunity to discuss in daily life. Sometimes we talked about the future, sometimes about our dreams, and sometimes about the challenges girls face in society.
Last Friday, it was our turn to host the gathering at our house. My friends arrived at 12:40 p.m. I prepared tea and, with a smile, said: “While I bring the tea, you choose today’s topic.”
When I returned, I saw that no topic had been chosen yet. Everyone seemed lost in thought. A quiet silence filled the room, broken only by the soft sound of the fan. Each of us was thinking about something. Suddenly, my mind went back to an experience I had witnessed some time ago, one that changed my understanding of menstruation.
One of our acquaintances was a girl whose condition became very serious because of complications related to menstruation. Her family considered the issue shameful and refused to take her to a doctor. She suffered severe pain for days, but no one took her condition seriously. When we finally managed, after much insistence, to take her to a doctor and have tests done, it became clear that her condition had worsened dangerously. The doctor said that if she had been brought any later, she might have suffered serious harm.
That day, I realized that ignorance and silence can sometimes be more dangerous than the pain itself.
Remembering that incident, I turned to my friends and said: “Let’s talk about menstruation today.”
For a moment, there was silence. Some of them felt embarrassed, others lowered their eyes, but gradually the atmosphere opened up and the conversation began. One of my friends said: “I have never been able to speak comfortably about this topic at home.” Another said: “When I am in pain at school, I do not even dare to explain why I feel unwell.”
Their words weighed heavily on me. How could something so natural remain hidden behind so much silence and shame? Calmly, I said: “Menstruation is not a disease. It is a natural part of our bodies. It is a sign of growth and maturity, not something to be ashamed of.”
Everyone became quiet again. It felt as though each of us had returned in our minds to our own personal experiences. At that moment, I realized we were not only discussing one subject; we were speaking about years of silence.
One of my friends quietly said: “The problem is not only the pain; the problem is that we have learned to remain silent in pain.” Her words stayed with me. Why should a girl who is suffering remain silent instead of receiving support? Why should something so natural become a secret?
I looked at my cup of tea and continued: “As girls, we experience pain every month, yet we continue. We study, we work, we smile, and we keep striving for the future. This is not weakness; it is strength.”
Gradually, the atmosphere in the room changed. The earlier silence gave way to conversation. Each of us had experiences that perhaps we had never shared before. I felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted from our minds.
Then we decided not only to talk about this issue, but also to raise awareness. We decided that if we ever met a girl who felt ashamed of her pain, we would stand beside her. We would tell her that menstruation is not shameful, not a sin, and not a sign of weakness, but a natural part of life’s cycle.
One of my friends said: “If we become aware, perhaps we can help other girls as well.” Her words gave us hope. We understood that change always begins with a small group. That day, our English practice session may not have gone as usual, but we learned something far more important. We learned that talking about pain can be the beginning of awareness. We learned that silence is not always a sign of respect; sometimes it is a sign of fear and ignorance.
After my friends left our house, I kept thinking about our conversation for a long time. I felt that we were not just five girls sitting around a table; we were the voices of girls who have lived in silence for years.
Some wounds are not caused by illness, but by ignorance and people’s judgment. If there were greater awareness, if families responded with understanding instead of shame, and if schools educated students about this subject, much suffering could be reduced.
No girl should feel ashamed of her body. No girl should suffer in silence. Menstruation is a natural process of life; it is a sign of the female body’s strength, a sign of maturity, growth, and the continuation of life.
A day will come when girls can speak about their bodies without fear, talk about their pain without shame, and live without judgment; a day when awareness replaces superstition and humanity replaces silence. Menstruation is not a taboo, but a sign of girls’ physical, emotional, and intellectual maturity.
