Forman Christian College University
Course Code: Psyc 415
Course Title: Research Methods in Psychology II
Interview 1
Please give your consent since this interview is about menstruation about your past and
personal questions. interview will be conducted twice. give good descriptions in your
answers. we are studying social and psychological challenges that result from menstruation.
1. Describe everything that happened on your first period
I remember i was at my nanos and i felt an ache, ive heard on the first period it hurts a lot and
i generally feel a lot of pain. i was alone and everybody was out for work. i didnt understand
what was happening with me bcz i hadnt experienced it ever before and i was watching tv. i
felt wet and went to the washroom. my underwear had brown spots and i thought i shat
myself. my mother came back and called her to washroom and showed her my underwear.
my mother explained to me everything though i did know a little from before because my
Urdu teacher at school had once mentioned it and said it's something to be ashamed of. but i
didnt know it could be brown too. i asked my mother whether it was supposed to be red. my
mother then explained that the first time most of the waste comes out and will slowly begin to
flow in red. she gave me a pad, told me how long it usually lasts, told me to wash my
underwear if it stains again.
2. Ellaborate on what your mother explained to you
i dont remember precisely but she told me this happens with girls every month and it's
important. She said that days may vary and at the end of it you must take a proper bath like a
ritual in order to be purified. when she said it happens every month i was really upset
3. How was she responding? In a sweet manner or no?
She was really sweet about it. it hurt me a lot so she gave me warm milk too
4. Were you uncomfortable while initiating this conversation with her?
Yes, i guess everybody is a little uncomfortable especially when something personal or
private is being exposed. But once i told her i was no uncomfortable because she did not
make me feel uncomfortable.
5. Did she every specify to hide the fact that you're on your period especially from
your brothers and father?
she did say this is something that one should keep secret but did not insist on actively hiding
it from people. she said she'll tell my dad on her own if she feels the need. but she never said i
, cannot talk to my dad about it. she knew i'd be in pain in the furture too and my dad needed
to know as an explanation. So she later did tell him on her own.
6. How did you first know about menstruation?
My Urdu teacher in school said that to become a girl we have to go through a process which
happens every month. It started when she instructed all of us to bring a pad and underwear
which we will store in the classroom. She forbade us to tell anybody especially men. She said
we can only talk to aya jee's but that too in a very secret manner.
7. At this stage if you face any unsual period challenges, how comfortably can you
communicate with your mother?
Things like delaying of periods or increasing flow, she completely understands and also
shares home remedies. but when I tell her about my mood swings or PMS she does not
understand at all. she says im too young to be experiencing such things. i try to tell her things
has nothing to do with my age, it has to do with my hormones but she isnt very understanding
in this regard. i tell her i cant control it. but otherwise she really is very understadning. there
have been times when i had my period after 2 or 3 months and she was really concered and
helpful. sometimes she tells my dad when my pain increases so that he doesnt have to ask me
anything directly. but when i mention PMS, she doesnt understand thoguh ive tried
explaining it a couple of times and she says this only happens with older people and mostly
happens during pregnancy.
8. Do these mood swings or PMS happen with your mother?
yes because she is reaching menopause so she has a lot of problems because of menopause.
So she tells me a lot of things that happen with her and things that she wants to do during that
time.
9. When you know you're going to have your period, what are the few things that
you first think of?
About how painful it will be and how im going to control it and how im going to pretend that
im okay even though i wont be okay. because when either of us sublings lie on the bed in the
day, the first thing dad asks us is why we're on the bed and what's wrong with us. so i cant tell
him that im in pain and my mother tells him when needed. i can obviously not communicate
it to him so i have to pretend infront of him. i also think of whether i have the medicine to
control my pain. when my dad sees aggression on my face he sometimes understands or my
mother takes him to the side to tell him.
10. Describe your pains, moods, cravings, period poop or other unusual experiences
during your period.
hahahaha do i have to? my period pain i cannot bear, that is how bad it is. recently i had my
period with a gap of 2 months and when it happened it was so painful i felt like i would die. i
was screaming and crying. when my period comes towards the night, it hurts even more. my
Course Code: Psyc 415
Course Title: Research Methods in Psychology II
Interview 1
Please give your consent since this interview is about menstruation about your past and
personal questions. interview will be conducted twice. give good descriptions in your
answers. we are studying social and psychological challenges that result from menstruation.
1. Describe everything that happened on your first period
I remember i was at my nanos and i felt an ache, ive heard on the first period it hurts a lot and
i generally feel a lot of pain. i was alone and everybody was out for work. i didnt understand
what was happening with me bcz i hadnt experienced it ever before and i was watching tv. i
felt wet and went to the washroom. my underwear had brown spots and i thought i shat
myself. my mother came back and called her to washroom and showed her my underwear.
my mother explained to me everything though i did know a little from before because my
Urdu teacher at school had once mentioned it and said it's something to be ashamed of. but i
didnt know it could be brown too. i asked my mother whether it was supposed to be red. my
mother then explained that the first time most of the waste comes out and will slowly begin to
flow in red. she gave me a pad, told me how long it usually lasts, told me to wash my
underwear if it stains again.
2. Ellaborate on what your mother explained to you
i dont remember precisely but she told me this happens with girls every month and it's
important. She said that days may vary and at the end of it you must take a proper bath like a
ritual in order to be purified. when she said it happens every month i was really upset
3. How was she responding? In a sweet manner or no?
She was really sweet about it. it hurt me a lot so she gave me warm milk too
4. Were you uncomfortable while initiating this conversation with her?
Yes, i guess everybody is a little uncomfortable especially when something personal or
private is being exposed. But once i told her i was no uncomfortable because she did not
make me feel uncomfortable.
5. Did she every specify to hide the fact that you're on your period especially from
your brothers and father?
she did say this is something that one should keep secret but did not insist on actively hiding
it from people. she said she'll tell my dad on her own if she feels the need. but she never said i
, cannot talk to my dad about it. she knew i'd be in pain in the furture too and my dad needed
to know as an explanation. So she later did tell him on her own.
6. How did you first know about menstruation?
My Urdu teacher in school said that to become a girl we have to go through a process which
happens every month. It started when she instructed all of us to bring a pad and underwear
which we will store in the classroom. She forbade us to tell anybody especially men. She said
we can only talk to aya jee's but that too in a very secret manner.
7. At this stage if you face any unsual period challenges, how comfortably can you
communicate with your mother?
Things like delaying of periods or increasing flow, she completely understands and also
shares home remedies. but when I tell her about my mood swings or PMS she does not
understand at all. she says im too young to be experiencing such things. i try to tell her things
has nothing to do with my age, it has to do with my hormones but she isnt very understanding
in this regard. i tell her i cant control it. but otherwise she really is very understadning. there
have been times when i had my period after 2 or 3 months and she was really concered and
helpful. sometimes she tells my dad when my pain increases so that he doesnt have to ask me
anything directly. but when i mention PMS, she doesnt understand thoguh ive tried
explaining it a couple of times and she says this only happens with older people and mostly
happens during pregnancy.
8. Do these mood swings or PMS happen with your mother?
yes because she is reaching menopause so she has a lot of problems because of menopause.
So she tells me a lot of things that happen with her and things that she wants to do during that
time.
9. When you know you're going to have your period, what are the few things that
you first think of?
About how painful it will be and how im going to control it and how im going to pretend that
im okay even though i wont be okay. because when either of us sublings lie on the bed in the
day, the first thing dad asks us is why we're on the bed and what's wrong with us. so i cant tell
him that im in pain and my mother tells him when needed. i can obviously not communicate
it to him so i have to pretend infront of him. i also think of whether i have the medicine to
control my pain. when my dad sees aggression on my face he sometimes understands or my
mother takes him to the side to tell him.
10. Describe your pains, moods, cravings, period poop or other unusual experiences
during your period.
hahahaha do i have to? my period pain i cannot bear, that is how bad it is. recently i had my
period with a gap of 2 months and when it happened it was so painful i felt like i would die. i
was screaming and crying. when my period comes towards the night, it hurts even more. my
