The women and girls who are tired of keeping quiet about their periods
Meet three generations of women breaking period stigma.
From missing school to facing shame and stigma at home. It's been happening for generations. Generations of grandmothers, mothers and daughters. All facing barriers that limit their education, health and opportunities just because they menstruate.
It’s about time that changed.
When girls know how to manage their periods, feel comfortable talking about them and can access period products, they are less likely to miss out on important parts of life – like going to school or bonding with friends and family.
It all starts with conversation. By sharing their experiences openly with others, daughters, mothers and grandmothers are helping to change the narrative.
Meet the families of women standing up to period stigma.
Learning about our first periods
Grandmother Angel, 80 is from Benin and remembers first learning about periods:
“The few times I’d been informed about menstruation was when, as younger sisters, we were next to our older sisters who discussed the subject. In our time it was forbidden for girls on their period to prepare food for their father. Girls were also forbidden from handling fire during their periods.”
Angel’s daughter Pierette, 42, shares:
“My case was different. One day I noticed blood in my pants. I went straight back to my mum, who told me to calm down and that it was a natural situation. In my day I could cook for the whole family during my period.”
Blanche, 18, is Pierrette’s daughter and Angel’s granddaughter. Her experience has been more open:
“I knew that a girl of a certain age must have her period. I learned this in the clubs set up by Plan International where they inform young people, especially girls, about their sexual rights, how to manage their menstrual cycle, as well as contraceptive methods.”
Battling shame and embarrassment
Outdated myths and taboos create a culture of fear and make it hard to talk or learn about periods. Maria, 73, from Paraguay recalls:
“I had my first period at 16. At 18, I was already married. It scared us because our mother didn’t talk to us about that topic, or show us anything. These practices are carried on by many families in rural areas to this day.”
Unfortunately, generations later, the lack of information still exists for Maria’s granddaughter, 16-year-old Alma:
“In school, there’s little discussion about menstruation – it remains a whispered secret. There are also no menstrual hygiene products available in case the students need them. Often, there isn’t even toilet paper. The biggest barrier, honestly, is feeling ashamed. You definitely feel embarrassed.”
Changing attitudes to periods
Grandmother Quy, 85, from Vietnam remembers keeping her period a secret:
“In the past, every time you had your period, you couldn’t let men see it. Back then, when I was young, women wound a towel around their bodies, and they needed to make sure they didn’t let men see it, because of embarrassment.”
But Quy’s daughter Co, 36, sees a better future for her own daughter Kieu, 15:
“I can see a change, because Kieu felt free to share her first period with me. I feel it has changed a lot. In my case, my husband buys sanitary pads for me during my periods, and he agrees to do so. With my daughter, I just feel comfortable, because I had periods before her, so I instructed her how to change her sanitary pad and wash.”
Co’s daughter Kieu, 15, recognises her childhood is different to her mother’s and grandmother’s.
“For my generation, I’m really unprejudiced about menstruation, because I’m one of the members of [Plan International’s] Champions of Change club. The teacher taught me about gender equality, menstruation, and he tells the boys not to be prejudiced against girls or talk negatively about girls’ periods.”
Thankfully, things are changing for girls and women.
Communities around the world are learning to challenge harmful behaviours and the shame and stigma around periods through programmes like the Champions of Change clubs run by Plan International. As a result, girls from Benin to Paraguay and Vietnam can make informed decisions and manage their periods in a healthy way. Because all girls, everywhere, should have control over their bodies and their futures.
In the UK, only 25% of girls feel comfortable talking openly with boys and men about their periods.*
Our Period Proud Peers Programme is supported by Nurofen’s See My Pain campaign. The programme equips young people in the UK with the knowledge and tools to support their peers, open up conversations, and build period-positive environments in schools and youth groups.
Want to learn more? Visit our Period Proud Peer page
*According to a study on girls aged 12-21 commissioned by Plan International UK in May 2025.