Towards a world free from menstrual burden
What do we mean by menstrual burden?
When we talk about the burden of menstruation, we mean the physical discomfort, emotional distress, and loss of opportunities that people who menstruate experience as a result of their periods.
For example...
“I have terrible cramps and can’t concentrate on an important exam…”
“I don’t know who I can talk to about my period troubles…”
“My body feels heavy and painful, but I wasn’t allowed to take a break from club activities…”
“I feel embarrassed carrying a pad to the restroom…”
The burden experienced through menstruation is not just an individual problem faced by those who menstruate.
Behind these experiences are broader social issues that we, as a society, need to confront.
Why does this burden exist?
We believe one of the main reasons menstruation becomes such a painful experience is a lack of knowledge.
For example, even if someone experiences periodic emotional distress due to premenstrual syndrome (PMS), without knowing what PMS is, they may blame themselves for being “mentally weak.”
They may not be able to choose appropriate ways to cope.
However, if they understand PMS and recognize that it applies to them, they can feel reassured and seek care or treatments that suit them.
Despite this, our society offers very few opportunities to learn about menstruation.
In primary and secondary school health education, students do learn about mechanisms, cycles, and hormonal changes.
However, practical knowledge essential for everyday life—such as how to use menstrual products, the different types available, how to manage discomfort, or what non-menstruating people can do—is rarely covered.
The quality of menstrual education also varies greatly depending on the teacher.
In some families, due to household circumstances, menstruation is never discussed at all, and some people experience their first period without having had any prior conversation about it.
While a large amount of information about menstruation is available online, accessing it requires active searching.
When someone is struggling, they may postpone seeking information, thinking they should simply “endure it,” or they may not even realize that their discomfort is related to menstruation.
For non-menstruating people, the motivation and opportunity to search for such information is even more limited.
As a result, a state of “not knowing” about menstruation continues to persist.
Aile's Approach
We aim to deliver an educational resource on menstruation—“The Little Period Museum”—to schools and households across Japan, so that accurate and accessible knowledge about menstruation can be shared widely.
For more details about the project, please visit the project page.