Training of Roma Health Mediators in Reproductive Health

• What is menstruation?
• What is the sign that menstruation has started?
• What is the menstrual cycle?
• What is the length of the menstrual cycle?
• What is ovulation?
• What is menopause?
Explain to participants that a woman’s menstrual cycle happens in phases:
1. She has her period and bleeds.
2. There is no bleeding for a few days.
3. She may start to have secretions.
4. She ovulates.
5. She has no secretions.
6. She may start to experience bodily or emotional changes just before her next period.
7. The cycle starts all over again.
Discuss the importance of proper menstrual hygiene:
• Menstruation is a normal physiological process in the lives of women. However
in our society, it is often viewed as something ‘dirty’.
• It is very important to observe proper menstrual hygiene. Poor hygiene can lead
to reproductive tract infections. The blood that comes out during menstruation
can become the medium for growth of many germs if the sanitary napkins are
not changed frequently.
Ask the group:
‣ What do women need to do in order to have proper menstrual hygiene?
• Use clean napkins
• Change the napkins frequently
• Do not use dirty cloth
• Shower daily during menstruation
• Wear clean underwear
III.
FERTILIZATION AND CONCEPTION (30 minutes)
Explain what the term “fertility” means (the ability to reproduce). Distribute the
participant document Male and Female Fertility and emphasize that the male is fertile
throughout his life starting with puberty, while the female is fertile only during few
days each month, starting at puberty and continuing until she reaches menopause.
Using the chart Fertilization and Conception, explain how pregnancy occurs and how
the baby grows in the mother's womb. Encourage questions and answer them. Use the
information from the trainer’s documents Male Reproductive Organs and Functions/
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RFHI/JSI Romania Training of RHMs in Reproductive Health Session 3: Human Reproduction