Female civil servants in India are being asked to disclose a detailed history…
of their menstrual cycles.
:eek:
I wouldn’t want to reveal that kind of information, and really don’t understand how it has any bearing on their “fitness level.” True, there are rare menstrual problems that might affect a person’s ability to work, such as severe PMDD, and some (like amenorrhea) might be caused by underlying medical problems. But the article says that civil servants require an annual checkup, so any question about menstrual problems should be discussed with the doctor. Healthy women with normal periods shouldn’t have to disclose any information about it, particularly not on some bureaucratic form.
That’s like being asked how often my SO and I have sex, or any other personal information you might not want to discuss.
I’d be torn between straight up protesting, or providing such a detailed history that they’d never want to ask that question again. (Warning, grossness follows)
"I first got my period when I was 12. I noticed it when I went to the bathroom before bedtime. It was rather embarassing, and it took me a long time to figure out how to tell my mother. . . . And on the first day of menstruation, the discharge is usually bright red and glutinous . . . around the third day, sometimes I pass blood clots. They’re usually about the size of a pea. The largest clot I ever passed was a few days after giving birth. It was about the size of a human liver, blackish red in color, with the constistency of pudding mixed with jello. Continued on page 5 . . . On the fifth day, the flow is much lighter, the consistency of the discharge is thinner, and it’s a rather murky brown. Similar to the color my friend painted her living room . . . And just when I think I’m finished menstruating that month, I get the Sixth Day Surprise[sup]TM[/sup] and start bleeding again . . .