Auntie Stella was produced by Training and Research Support Centre (Zimbabwe)
Box CY2720,
Causeway, Harare,
Zimbabwe
Phone: 263-4-795124
Email: admin@tarsc.org
Website: www.tarsc.org
35. I have painful periods
Theme:
Growing up
Changing Society
Dear Agnes
Period pains are common and I’m sorry yours are so bad. There are many things you can do to help:
- Rub your lower belly, and press the soft part of your hand between the thumb and first finger.
- Soak a thick cloth in hot water or use a hot-water bottle and put it on the sore part.
- Drink tea made from ginger or take other traditional remedies.
- If you can, carry on with your daily work and try to exercise and walk.
- Take a mild painkiller (like aspirin or paracetemol).
If the problem continues, ask a nurse or health worker about a low-dose contraceptive pill which will control the pain and decrease heavy bleeding. They are perfectly safe for teenage girls.
Don’t feel embarrassed if people know you’ve got your period. It is a natural part of being a girl or woman. Why not get together with your girlfriends and ask a female teacher if she can help solve the problem of facilities at school?
You have a right to education, and if this makes you and other girls miss school every month, you and the school need to work out a solution together.
Auntie Stella
Action Points
- Girls: Try out any of Auntie Stella’s advice if you have painful periods. Report back about how helpful it was.
- Boys: Talk to sisters or girls in your class. Find out more about periods and share any worries you have.
- There are some places or situations in society where it is easy to change what we don’t like and others where we have very little control over what is happening.
Look at the balloons below and divide them into three lists:
- easy to change
- possible to change
- very difficult to change
- Now choose three places or situations from your ‘easy to change’ or ‘possible to change’ lists. What do you want to change in them? How can you and others work together to make the changes happen?
- Look at the Action Plan at the end of Card 29 and start organising!
