Doctor debunks Filipino period myths, like wiping blood on your face and skipping baths

Ladies, you may have heard some Filipino myths about menstruation, like wiping your period on your face, jumping down from the third stair to regulate your 'flow' and not taking your bath during your period.

However, most of these are not proven by science, and they do not work for everyone, as shown in an iJuander episode.

According to obstetrician-gynecologist Ruzabeth Cuya, going against these traditional Filipino period myths does not equate to being infertile or "crazy."

"Actually, mas maganda po na maging malinis po tayo sa ating katawan para ma-avoid ng any vaginal infections," Cuya said.

Cuya added that it is actually a woman's hormonal imbalance that affects the duration of her period.

"Usually, 'yung mga teen women, mas less number of days. Or 'yung mas nasa healthy side, mas longer po 'yung menstruation nila kasi they have more sources of hormones like body fats na nag-produce ng more estrogen," she explained.

For 20-year-old Mary Sarmiento, Cuya's advice rings true as she used to believe in period myths in the past, before she found out that they were actually "fake news."

During Sarmiento's first month, her grandmother told her to wipe her period on her face, and jump down from the third stair so she could "regulate her flow."

"Third day. I thought iyon na 'yung last day na magkakaroon. Kinabukasan, meron pa rin," she said, explaining that even if she followed all the myths, she still had her period on her fourth day.

According to Sarmiento, she doesn't plan on passing the myths to her future daughter, but she said that she would definitely tell her all about it.

—Angelica Y. Yang/JCB, GMA News