![\"Aayushi](\"https:\/\/cdn.nuawoman.com\/blog\/AyushiInternalImage2.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nHaving said that, Aayushi, since she does have PCOS<\/a>, needs to always be on the lookout for her period. When you are diagnosed with PCOS, your period, like the modeling industry, is unpredictable. This is why Aayushi always has her period essentials<\/a> with her – sanitary pads, chocolates, etc. She recounts an experience in school when she went on a trek and was suddenly paid a visit by her period. \u201cSince the group was atop a mountain, my teacher couldn\u2019t arrange for a washroom. Three of my friends and some shrubs functioned as a makeshift washroom and that\u2019s where I changed into a pad.\u201d This instance is what prompted her to start normalizing period talk, loud and clear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Her advice to younger menstruators is quite simple: Ask questions and use the internet to find answers. When someone changes the TV channel or brushes something under the carpet, ask why. Educate yourself and then go out and educate your friends and family, who may not be able to experience a period first-hand like you. Be empathetic towards yourself and then towards others. \u201cI believe that empathy is one of the most important virtues today\u201d. Lastly, she urges you to be vocal. She stresses, \u201cDon\u2019t let anyone leverage the word \u2018period\u2019 because time and again, we have proven our worth\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, being so open about her period did come with its own consequences. Aayushi faced some backlash for speaking up about period related issues but she has no regrets. Her period, in fact, has allowed her to create comfortable environments around herself. This, in turn, has prompted her to learn more about her period and by doing this, Aayushi was able to get the required medication for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)<\/a>. If she hadn\u2019t asked the right questions and had the needed conversations, perhaps her PMDD would have been mistaken for PMS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since Aayushi does experience extreme hormonal changes, therefore, extreme PMS, she allows herself to take all the rest she may need. At the start of her period, she did not do this. Now, she\u2019s come to realize that work will come and go, but her body is hers forever. \u201cIt is important to prioritize your health by listening to your body.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Aayushi](\"https:\/\/cdn.nuawoman.com\/blog\/AyushiInternalImage.png\")