For many girls, school means whispered requests for pads or tucking a tampon up a sleeve. Our inability to break down the social stigma around menstruation hurts these girls. But what is it about menstruation that brings about such shame?

As Maia Schwartz, a Danish public relations advisor specializing in cultural communication, puts it, “Menstruation is the only blood that is not born from violence, yet it’s the one that disgusts you the most.” Using succinct and non-gendered language surrounding menstruation will create a culture that doesn’t shame it.

One step that would contribute to more open conversations about menstruation is eliminating popular euphemisms. According to a study by the International Women’s Health Coalition, there are over 5,000 slang words for periods among ten of the most commonly spoken languages in the world. The Danish idiom “kommunister i lysthuset”, which translates to communists in the gazebo, is an incredibly vague way to describe menstruation that doesn’t clearly communicate what’s going on. Understanding menstruation as a bodily process requires more specific language.

Most people who will menstruate get their first period by age 12, with some as early as eight years old. Clarifying our language could help countless elementary and middle school-age kids better understand themselves.

Purposefully shameful phrases like the French “c’est une scène de crime dans ma culotte,” which translates to “it’s a crime scene in my underwear,” can be even more harmful than the unclear idioms.  While this may be more descriptive, it insinuates violence and perpetuates the culture of shame surrounding menstruation.

The founder of menstrual cycle care company Unfabled, Hannah Samano, argues that even expressions like “sanitary products” and “feminine hygiene products”—both of which are standard ways to describe menstrual products- imply that menstruation is dirty, when it’s just a normal bodily function.

Another reason to change our language is the unnecessary emphasis on femininity. A common argument against the term “people who menstruate” is that we should just say women, with some people finding it to be awkward or overly clinical. These concerns are understandable, but they miss the larger point. Direct language is how we normalize topics that have been stigmatized.  The initial awkwardness of precise language fades quickly, and what remains is clarity and inclusion.

Dr. Preeti Shakya explains, “As the world is evolving to be more gender-fluid, the language around menstruation has to evolve to become more gender-neutral and inclusive too. It is important to remember that not all women menstruate and not all people who menstruate are women.” Using language that acknowledges this reality doesn’t erase the experiences of cis women. It simply makes space for everyone else too.

Menstruation isn’t something to be ashamed of, and it isn’t what determines who is and isn’t a woman. It’s just a bodily process. So treat it that way. Period Action Day is on October 11th this year, and it’s a day dedicated to the pursuit of menstrual equity. That starts with language. Use direct, inclusionary language and encourage others to do the same. Learn about alternative wording in your own language. The quickest way to change the collective consciousness of a culture is to change the language everyone uses.