Why ‘men should know’ menstrual cycle of their spouses

Men have been advised to know the menstrual cycle of their spouses.

Akin Jimoh, programme director, DEVCOMS, a non-governmental organisation, said a good knowledge of the woman’s cycle will help in achieving good maternal health, especially when it comes to family planning and relationship.

He told NAN: “For every man who is getting married, you are expected to understand the menstrual cycle of the woman as it will help when it comes to maternal health and family planning.

“Look at issues from the perspective of the woman; what are the changes during that period, how does the woman feel; also, look at the inconveniences.

“Knowing a woman’s cycle will give the couple a better understanding of the woman’s ovulation because if ovulation doesn’t occur, the woman will not get pregnant.

“It will act as a form of Natural Family Planning (NFP) to help people to know when to have sexual intercourse and when to achieve or avoid pregnancy.’’

According to Jimoh, knowing the woman’s cycle will involve keeping track of a woman’s bodily, emotional and physical changes before, throughout and after her menstrual cycle.

“Changes occur naturally when a woman ovulates; some of them include the appearance of the cervical mucus; during ovulation, it is stretchy, clear, and slick,” he said.

“During that period, the daily basal body temperature (BBT) also changes; for some women, they may experience tenderness in the breast, backache, waist pain, pain in the ovaries and some may put on weight.

“Also, some women go through some pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), emotional turmoil and irritability before and during this period, so, if a man does not understand these, it will affect the relationship.

“He may not understand the woman’s moods and why she is acting the way she did.

“Also, the woman’s cycle is not tracked and the woman is not using any other form of family planning method, if the couple engages in sexual intercourse, it may lead to unplanned pregnancy.

“So, it is important for the man to be involved in tracking all of these because studies have shown that when women communicate information about their cycles to their partners, it can have positive effect on relationships.’’