Menstrual Hygiene Day
Menstruation shouldn’t make you sick.
Around 500 million women and girls worldwide lack access to safe menstrual products (World Bank, 2022). Many girls miss school during their period because of a lack of safe spaces, clean toilets, clean water, and waste disposal facilities, or because they fear stigma.
A worldwide problem
Menstruation poses a challenge for many people around the world – particularly in the Global South. There, menstruating women often face social exclusion. In some regions, this even leads to school dropouts due to shame or a lack of access to adequate menstrual products. As a result, menstruation can have a significant impact on educational opportunities and social participation. In Ethiopia, this affects 55 percent of female students; in Uganda, it’s as high as 64 percent. Without education, their chances of earning an income decrease. And without income, there’s no money for menstrual products. A cycle that deepens social inequality.
Deficiency leads to illness
At the same time, the lack of safe menstrual products poses a health risk. When products have to be reused without proper cleaning, the risk of reproductive and urinary tract infections increases.
But the physical consequences are only one part of the problem. The stigma around menstruation also affects mental health. In many societies, menstruation is still considered something impure—a taboo that must not be spoken about. This social exclusion leads to shame, isolation, and psychological stress—especially for young girls who are only just learning how to manage their periods.
Incomplete research
Despite its far-reaching impact on health, education, and social participation, menstruation remains underrepresented in global research. There is a lack of data, medical studies, interdisciplinary research, and most importantly, the inclusion of people who menstruate. This research gap prevents the development of targeted solutions, political advocacy, and financial support.
Five demands
What needs to change for
better menstrual health?
As long as political and social conditions turn menstruation into a health risk, social justice will remain out of reach.
Support now
and help.
Menstrual health is a human right.
Biasha Omar Jasho from Kenya
“Many young mothers report that their primary challenge is accessing sanitary pads. Due to a lack of alternatives, they stay home from school during their period. Some who got married at an early age said that their main reason for doing so was to obtain pads.“
“In the long term, we want to empower young mothers and give them opportunities. We hope to soon receive funds to start a small business where girls can learn to make sanitary pads.”
Biasha Omar Jasho, 24 years old, from Msambweni, is chair of the Msambweni Queens Self-Help Group in Kwale District.
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Menstrual Hygiene Day
Lets talk about Menstrual health instead of menstrual hygiene
We talk about hygiene when we should be talking about health. It’s time to shift our thinking.
“Menstrual hygiene”—this term shapes international debates, research, and programs promoting sexual and reproductive health. Hygiene suggests cleanliness—or also uncleanliness. Something that must be controlled, hidden, or corrected. But menstruation is neither hygienic nor unhygienic. It is a natural biological process. And it requires political and social structures that protect the health of people who menstruate.
#Menstruationsgesundheit #MenstruationDarfNichtKrankMachen
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Menstruation shouldn’t make you sick.
500 million people lack access to safe menstrual products. Many girls stay home during their period for fear of being stigmatized or excluded. Every missed school lesson reduces their chances of graduating and earning their own income in the long run. And without income, they often lack the money to buy safe menstrual products. Relying on unsafe products increases the risk of infection. The taboo surrounding menstruation leads to shame, insecurity, and psychological stress. At the same time, there is a lack of reliable data and research on menstrual health. What is needed is a comprehensive change of perspective: Menstruation must be visible and politically relevant. True equality is only possible if the needs of menstruating people are taken seriously and addressed. As long as political and social conditions make menstruation a risk to education, health, and participation, social justice remains unattainable.
@dsw_intl
#MenstrualHealth #MHD #MenstruationShouldNotMakeYouSick