being a girl.

Being a girl means a lot of different things. For me, being a girl means having a period. As a cis female, I get my period every 28 days. And it's been like this every month for seven years. Seven years seems like it would be long enough to know everything about it but I don't. Yeah, I kind of know when it's coming, but I still can't contain the cramps, bloating, mood swings, diarrhea and food cravings that accompany it. The other woman in my family don't suffer from cramps but for some reason, I was cursed, and I do. They probably aren't the worst cramps ever, but they are pretty bad. When I get cramps, all I want to do is roll into a ball and cry or spend the whole day sitting on the toilet. Sitting on the toilet makes me feel better, as well as taking Midol and using a hot compress. Google will give you hundreds of remedies for cramps and how to make your period better. Some may work and some may won't. But in the end, you'll still have your period. I don't understand why some people are so ashamed to talk about periods. According to a question on quora.com, about 334 million people in the world are on their period right now. How many of those millions of people are embarrassed or ashamed to talk about their period? I'm not ashamed, and you shouldn't be either. If I don't know everything about periods and I'm not ashamed, can you imagine the restricted knowledge of someone who is ashamed? Periods are a part of life and are an everyday thing so it should be talked about. It's 2017, talking about periods shouldn't be shameful. According to womenshealth.gov, "Menstruation is a woman's monthly bleeding. When you menstruate, your body sheds the lining of the uterus (womb). Menstrual blood flows from the uterus through the small opening in the cervix and passes out of the body through the vagina. Most menstrual periods last from 3 to 5 days." Everyone should know that, but there are probably some people who don't. Some people are too ashamed to ask about periods. Did you know that some women can suffer from period related diseases? Did you know that a period can cost about $18,000 in a lifetime? If you didn't know, then you should talk more about periods. We should talk more about periods to destroy the myths that surround periods. We should talk more about periods because some girls don't know what to do when they get their period. We should talk more about periods to destroy the shame it comes with. We should talk more about periods because some women may suffer from period related diseases and they may not know it. We should talk more about periods because people are discriminated against due to their period. We should talk more about periods because some women can't afford menstrual hygiene products. Pads, tampons and menstrual cups are considered a "luxury product." According to merriam-webster.com, luxury means "something adding to pleasure or comfort but not absolutely necessary." How is a pad a luxury product? Having a period is not a luxury. Having a period cannot be controlled. Pads, tampons, and menstrual cups are needed. And yet, not everyone has access to them. Homeless women and women in developing countries don't have access to them because they can't afford them. People can't afford to have their periods. How crazy is that? EVERYONE should be educated on periods. If everyone was then the world would be a little better. Change the world by bringing awareness and educating others on periods.