Want To Be Footloose And Fancy Free? Wait For Your Menopause, Like Me!

Menstruation is a natural phenomenon in women that goes on for almost 30-35 years of a woman’s life, and ceases at menopause.

The fact that this phenomenon – lasting between 3 to 10 days each month, invariably ushers in mood swings, cramps and exhaustion and even violence is too familiar to be reiterated here.

Though multitudes of women worldwide aged 12 to 45 years, tackle this phase with minimal discomfort and uneasiness yet may others may not be so lucky. Consequently ‘periods’ turn nightmarish and agonising for them.

On a personal note, I constitutionally suffered from a hormonal disturbance. I attained puberty at the age of 15 plus, rather late by Indian standards. On top of it, my periods were fairly irregular and the flow extremely heavy, and I had to encounter awkward, embarrassing moments quite often. Bed covers, cushions, sofas or seating spaces whether at home peoples’ houses or office, I inadvertently soiled them. Upon being discovered I received jibes and tongue lashing from members of my own gender, forget the men.

I hated myself, and often wept silently.

Horror of horrors, I would occasionally notice a few of my female colleagues gossiping about me; some of them giving me dagger looks. In one organisation, the lady HR manager went as far as issuing me a memo by Gmail over the matter!

I am an ardent traveller, always rearing to go. Now, the worst part were the periods during travel that often came on. Be it Port Blair, Colombo, Kuala Lumpur or Muscat, my travel rigour was further aggravated by the ‘unseasonal’ appearance.

However it taught me an important lesson: To handle personal emergencies in a level-headed manner.

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A new found freedom

Fortunately, I attained menopause at 45, the age stipulated by medical science. It was such a relief, let me tell you. I felt light and free like a bird. As this new realisation began to sink in, I chalked out my travel plans with greater gusto.

Flights to Dubai, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Amritsar and Bhubaneswar were accomplished nearly back- to- back, practically at break- neck speed. Life has certainly changed for the better.

For one, I no longer need to pack my handbag or suitcases with heaps of sanitary napkins. Nor do I get grilled for unwarranted stains or marks. Last but not the least, I can now move in and out of the city, even travel long distances, at the drop of a hat, with not a care in the world.

Image source: a still from the Marathi film Jhimma

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