Raising Awareness on Menstrual Hygiene Day: Blind Woman Shares Her Struggles with Menstruation

A blind woman from Cornwall is bravely sharing her experiences of dealing with periods without sight, aiming to raise awareness and break the stigma surrounding menstrual health as part of Menstrual Hygiene Day 2024.

Tracy Ritchie’s Story

Tracy Ritchie, a resident of St Austell, has opened up about the challenges she faces during her menstrual cycle in a recent blog post for Cornwall’s sight loss charity, iSightCornwall. Tracy lost her sight completely five years ago and has since had to navigate the complexities of daily life in darkness. One of the most difficult aspects, she reveals, is dealing with her period.

“Dealing with a period is the worst thing about being a blind woman,” Tracy writes, explaining the unique difficulties she faces. “It’s a minefield every month. People don’t want to hear about periods or talk about them, but they affect around 50% of the world’s population, including those with disabilities.”

Raising Awareness

Tracy’s candid account has been featured on the iSightCornwall website to help raise awareness as part of Menstrual Hygiene Day, celebrated annually on 28th May. The charity, which has been supporting visually impaired individuals in Cornwall since 1856, is dedicated to bringing attention to the often-overlooked challenges faced by people with sight loss.

Bethan Perry, a member of the iSightCornwall team who spoke with Tracy, admitted, “I’m ashamed to say it was something I hadn’t really considered, despite working with people who are visually impaired every day. The stigma attached to periods means there’s not as much discussion, support, or advice out there as there should be, and we’re working to change that.”

The Struggles of Periods Without Sight

For Tracy, the privacy usually associated with menstruation is non-existent. She must rely on others to check for any mess on her clothes, bed, or bathroom, which she finds humiliating. “I won’t even leave the house the first few days to try and avoid embarrassing situations,” she confides. “It’s so isolating, and I know I’m lucky to have good friends I can rely on for the more embarrassing parts of life.”

Tracy’s story is a poignant reminder of the additional obstacles faced by people with disabilities. “This is health, this is dignity,” she stresses. “Dignity is everything to you when you’ve lost your sight, and we need to start discussing issues like this to make a difference.”

Menstrual Hygiene Day 2024

This year marks the tenth anniversary of Menstrual Hygiene Day, which aims to unite non-profits, businesses, politicians, and individuals globally to raise awareness and break the stigma surrounding menstrual health. The theme for this year is working together for a period-friendly world, a goal that Tracy passionately supports.

“What’s worse,” Tracy asks, “making someone uncomfortable by talking about menstruation or millions of disabled people feeling humiliated and isolated due to a natural bodily function? That’s the question I want asked this Menstrual Hygiene Day 2024.”

To read Tracy’s full blog and learn more about her experiences, visit the iSightCornwall blog post here.

For more information on Menstrual Hygiene Day, visit www.menstrualhygieneday.org.