Many women still see menstruation as something dirty and shameful. Have you ever hidden your menstruation from you husband? Have you ever hidden the pad when you were walking to the bathroom? Have you ever felt embarrassed to answer when someone asked you why you wouldn't get into the pool? Have you asked multiple times to someone if the blood has stained your pants? Doing these things is a sign that you also think of your period with some kind of shaming. The worrying part is that this shaming may also be affecting your health.

Menstruation is uncomfortable and causes some kind of pain for most women, it can be colic, back pain or discomfort. In addition to having these pains, we also have the idea that we should hide from the world that periods exists. We know that trying to pretend it doesn't exist is impossible. Menstruation should be seen as something natural, after all, it's something that happens to all women at least once a month.

Here are the things you should avoid doing while on your period:

1. Sticking with one pad for a long time because you feel embarrassed to change the it multiple times a day

A pad or tampon should be changed several times a day. Keeping the same pad or tampon for several hours may cause infections. This can be very dangerous for your health. There are many women who have forgotten to change their pads or tampons that suffered from toxic syndrome, which can lead to death. So don't feel embarrassed to take your tampon or pad to the bathroom with you several times a day.

2. Secretly asking for a pad or tampon

Asking for a pad or tampon because you forgot to bring one should not be a stressful and embarrassing situation. As I said, menstruation is part of women's lives and men and women know it. So you don't need to ask for it as if it was a crime, worrying that someone will hear you.

3. Avoiding exercise

Many women avoid exercising while on their period because they think that their blood will leak or that the smell will be strong. The easiest way to avoid a strong smell or leaks is to shower and change pads frequently. It's good to remember that everybody exhale odors, men and women. So work out, even when you're on your period.

4. Hiding the pad every time you have to go to the bathroom to change it

I did that when I was younger, and I bet you have too. We should not treat changing pads with embarrassment. I believe that the first step to end this prejudice is to stop hiding pads every time we have to change them.

5. Lying to your spouse

Some women are embarrassed to say they are menstruating to their husband and end up making up other reasons to avoid intimacy. Be honest with him. Your period is a natural thing, and he already knows that it happens every month. Treat menstruation with your husband as something normal.

This article was translated and adapted from the original article, "5 coisas que você deve evitar fazer quando estiver menstruada" on Familia.com.br.