LifeStyle of 2026-10-27

Dear GhanaWeb: My husband treats me like a virus whenever I’m on my period

Dear GhanaWeb, I have been married to my husband for three years, and although he is one of the sweetest men I have ever known, there is one thing about him that is gradually becoming a problem in our marriage. He cannot stand menstruation, and whenever I am on my period, he treats me like someone he should stay away from. Sometimes, I have to avoid him completely or leave our matrimonial home and go to my mother's house until my period is over. It is not because we have quarrelled or because he has stopped loving me. It is simply because he cannot stand the thought of me menstruating. My husband hates anything related to periods. He does not want to hear the words “menstruation” or “period,” and even the thought of it makes him feel like vomiting. He says his reaction has something to do with an experience he had while growing up. According to him, he grew up around boys, and his first encounter with menstrual blood was a terrible experience. Apparently, a girl he knew was menstruating and had accidentally soiled herself. My husband, who was young and did not know what was happening, noticed the blood and used tissue to wipe it with his hands before showing it to the girl. The girl did not say anything, but the boys around him later mocked him for touching menstrual blood. That experience seems to have stayed with him for years, and he has never been able to overcome his disgust. He says he is fine as long as he does not know that a woman is menstruating. Because of this, I have learned to hide my period from him as much as possible. The problem is that sometimes he insists on having sex with me, and I eventually have to tell him why I cannot. The moment he finds out, his whole attitude changes. He suddenly becomes nervous, picks fights with me over the smallest things, refuses to eat at home and avoids coming anywhere near me. It feels as though I have become infected with something dangerous. I hate how he makes me feel during those few days every month. The painful part is that my husband is not a bad man. In fact, he is one of the most loving and supportive people in my life. He takes care of me, makes sure I am happy, takes me places and is always present, both physically and emotionally. I have known him for five years, and he has been as sweet to me as he was when we first met. I have never had to question whether he loves me because of how he treats me in other aspects of our relationship. That is why I find this particular issue difficult to deal with. I worry about our future because we intend to have children. What happens if we have daughters? Will he be able to support them when they begin menstruating? Will they feel comfortable talking to their father about something so natural, or will they have to hide it from him just as I do? How should I go about this? FG/EB “We Can’t Adapt to This New Road Technology” | Ghanaians React to TRAFFITECH-GH