As society advances to a more progressive era, it’s important that women and men alike learn to stop condemning issues in women’s health. Common, yet often considered scandalous, topics in women’s health include menstruation, breast cancer, and infertility. Speaking about these issues or asking for help is considered taboo, and women often end up dealing with problems on their own.

Not only do we desperately need to educate boys about menstrual cycles, but most importantly, we need to destigmatize periods—even among girls. Girls hide their pads, tampons, and other necessities when they go to the bathroom because letting others know that they’re on their period is considered humiliating.

Other times, women are also limited to the amount of menstrual products they have. Incarcerated women receive an inadequate amount of menstrual products and are oftentimes forced to wear products for several days at a time unless they can afford to purchase additional products or work for them. Some are even denied products or resort to creating makeshift products. According to an interview from The New York Times, imprisoned women stated that “tampons were valuable enough that they could be traded for a bag of chips or a pack of coffee” and “had a higher currency than sugar, coffee, and cigarettes.”

This leads us to the financial sacrifices that women must make in order to obtain menstrual necessities. Time states that women in America spend $2 billion per year on menstrual products and although menstrual products are evidently a necessity, women are still obligated to pay taxes on them. The notorious “tampon tax” has been implemented throughout 44 states and merely magnifies the financial burden women already have to endure. Fortunately, lawmakers are voicing for a change. Brigid Kelly, a representative from Ohio, introduced a bill last February which would exclude feminine hygiene products from sales tax.

Additionally, there are other health-related problems women often encounter. Breast cancer, for instance, can affect men but commonly occurs among women. Breast cancer not only results in emotional and financial turmoil, but also has long-lasting physical impacts on women. Early menopause and mastectomies are common among victims of breast cancer, and even then, there is a possibility that the cancer can come back again. Let’s also not forget that many stigmas are associated with cancer patients, too. Patients often feel isolated, depressed, and judged by society although they have no control over their condition.

Other issues in women’s health include infertility, early menopause, and gynecological disorders. These restricted topics are oftentimes uncomfortable and disturbing to talk about because of how shameful they are in society, especially since they relate to more “intimate” and “improper” topics. Many women fail to receive answers or the help they need because doing so would put their reputation at risk, and they are afraid to speak out because such topics are not to be discussed.

To some, women’s health is a foreign topic because they choose not to learn or speak about it since they believe it should be a closeted topic since it can be too “inappropriate”. The fact is that problems such as menstrual cramps and breast cancer are not inappropriate; they are simply natural, and until we are able to let go of the stigma associated with them, we will never be able to genuinely become more respectful of each other’s bodies.