BY NEELAM CHAUDHARY

Almost like a recession, reproductive health for many women is degrading. For many of us talking about our ovaries, uterus or any other reproductive process is taboo. Society makes us believe that our reproductive health is shameful. While the world has sex education in grade school, we all remain oblivious. It is sad how many of us have grown into women without even understanding the fundamentality of our sexuality.

Quite honestly, the condition of women’s health in India is disgusting !

Schools in India don’t promote providing us health lessons. I am not sure why ? It’s just our human body !

Even women too hesitate to have a conversation on this topic. We are ‘sshed’. Indian society takes
this issue very lightly but it is very essential to understand the need to be concerned
about reproductive health and hygiene. It is critical to spread awareness and talk about reproductive health rights for all women.

Here are some of our rights when it comes to reproductive health that we are all missing out on:

● Right to education in order to make our own reproductive choices.
● The abortion right movement / pro- choice movements.
● Birth control rights.
● Right to get knowledge about protection from sexually transmitted infections.
● Right to menstrual health.

We need to be able to have an open conversations about women’s reproductive health. We should be able to talk to our mothers, sisters, cousins, aunts or even a male member of the family if we want to . That is our choice. These issues should be normalized. It is so important for every woman to be aware of her body. We need to understand the importance of regular check ups. Regular checkups protect women from infections, injury and various related problems. Along with these regular checkups we “women” also have to follow a healthy lifestyle, do exercise regularly
and eat healthy food. We can’t make these decisions if conversations surrounding reproductive health is awkward and shameful.

I wonder have we grown from the good old days, when menstruation was taboo yet an essential process for bearing a child. We are expected to give birth, but our menstruation days of our ancestors were spent outside the home in a little shed. Have we come far from there and where is it we must go moving forwards..

It is about time we support movements like #mygynaestory . The Haiya Act as seen throughout this article helps to create awareness. Check out their information and spread the word!

#MakeItREAL!