'I fasted to stop menstruating' - violinist shares experience with period poverty

 

Even after reducing a monthly expenditure on menstrual pads from RM60 to RM15, violinist Endang Hyder eventually decided she would eliminate the cost by fasting as a way to stop her body's normal cycle.

Writing on her blog to raise awareness on problems surrounding period poverty, Endang (above) said her turning point came in July 2020, several months after the government had enforced a full nationwide lockdown during the early outbreak of Covid-19.

This was also around three months after her father's health condition had affected their family's finances, supporting a household of six people including her three growing children.

"Around July 2020, I realised I need to reduce (my personal) costs in order to meet my parents and children's food needs, so I switched to a cheaper brand of menstrual pad that only costs RM15 (a month).

"RM15 may be a small sum for those who can afford it... but for me at the time who felt that RM15 can be spent on a small chicken that can feed my family for four days, I needed to find a solution so I no longer need to purchase pads," she said.

Prior to the pandemic, Endang said her family had led a comfortable life where they could afford to buy daily needs, be it food or personal amenities, without thinking much about their cost.

The 35-year-old Kampar-based musician had personally spent about RM60 a month on menstrual pads, opting for a more expensive material to avoid irritation and changing once every three hours.

Having a previous experience with an eating disorder, Endang said she thought about the alternative "solution" of fasting to disrupt her menstruation cycle.

"This does not only save money but my portion of food can be shared among the other family members," she added.

Endang, a professional violinist, fell into hard times due to restrictions on live performances at the outset of the pandemic. A few months ago, she was helped by a neighbour who enjoyed listening to her practising at home.

'Menstrual pads are expensive'

Reflecting on recent local media reports highlighting the issue of period poverty, Endang said she could understand the motivation behind those who chose to get pregnant as a way to stop menstruating.

"They had good intentions in the short-term and long-term because... menstrual pads are expensive.

"The money they saved would be better used to buy food for the rest of their family," she said.

For those who advocated the use of cloth or alternatives to menstrual pads, Endang said there could be other costs related to menstruation including painkillers or heat pads on heavier days.

The issue of period poverty in Malaysia once again came to light in a report by Utusan Malaysia last month that quoted findings from NGO Sanitary Bank Malaysia's experience with teenage girls from low-income families who resorted to getting pregnant to avoid buying pads for nine months.

The NGO said that it was a regular occurrence in rural areas and many women tend to think about avoiding the need to spend on pads for nine months, but not the expenses needed for a child after they have given birth.

Since the start of the pandemic, other groups had stepped up with efforts to provide free menstrual pads or alternative cloth pads to needy families, including from the urban poor communities. 

During the Budget 2022 announcement, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said an estimated 130,000 teenage girls from B40 families do not have access to hygiene products, such as menstrual pads, due to financial constraints.

In response to this, the government said it will provide free personal hygiene kits every month to about 130,000 teenage girls from B40 families to tackle the issue of period poverty.

The issue became a controversy after Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid, daughter of the Umno president, dismissed the seriousness of period poverty in the country, insisting that sanitary pads "do not cost much". - Mkini