Teens Say They Learn More in School About Frogs Bodies Than Their Own [Video]

This story first appeared in The 19th.

Sriya Srinivasan stopped menstruating for nearly three years and had no idea why. She went online for answers, and the search results frightened her so much that she stayed silent about the problem instead of asking relatives or teachers for help.

“I was searching on the internet for, ‘Where’s my period?’ What is going on?’” said the 16-year-old from Solano County, California. “It told me that I was dying in different ways, whether that was ovarian cancer or I had a tumor. I didn’t want anyone else to be as scared as I was during that time, so that’s why I hid it.”

Finally, a doctor’s visit for an unrelated issue revealed the culprit, a medical condition that she’d like to keep private. But Srinivasan has been public about how little she knew about the menstrual cycle before hers came to a halt. Now through the state’s citizen-led legislative process, she’s championing …