a woman must be "purified" before she is allowed to return to her family. Women who are menstruating are also not allowed in the household for a period of three nights. Additionally, contact with menstruating woman is forbidden (with the exception of small children). Chhaupadi is the name of the menstrual related ostracism, now banned, that used to occur in Nepal.
In the Kashmiri Hindu culture, women are not seen as impure during the menstrual cycle; rather, they are given special care during this time as the body of the woman becomes weak due to blood loss.