MENSTURAL HYGINE MANAGEMENT DAY 28 MAY 2023

Every year 28th May is celebrated as MHM day and slogan for 2023 is # WE ARE COMMITTED TO END PERIOD STIGMA. By 2030 commitment to both Action & Funding must remain high on menstrual health & Hygiene. Menstruation (Periods) is a sign of health and the onset of Menstruation is also a sign that the Reproductive System of a girl is physiologically active. According to WHO recently the age of Menarche (Start of Menstruation ) is now announced at 10 to 16 years with average of 12.4 which may vary by Geographical Region ,Race Ethnicity & other characters and the cycles continue up to 49 years. Every month Millions of women menstruate around world while every day 300 Million women menstruate every day in the world. According to WHO & UNICEF MHM is defined as a woman and adolescent girls are using a clean menstrual Management Material to absorb 7 collect Menstrual blood ,that can be changed in privacy as often as necessary ,using soap & water for washing body as required and having access to safe and convenient facilities to dispose used material. Further they understand the basic facts linked to menstrual cycle and how to manage it with dignity without discomfort & Fear. Though it is a part of healthy life but due to discriminatory Social & Cultural Taboos it is the most neglected subject to discuss boldly, which leads to lack of awareness and access to basic knowledge about this .This leads to unhealthy &Unhygienic practices. This not only impairs the health of girls but Bullying, Shaming & even Gender Based violence. Good Menstrual Hygiene management can prevent infections , reduce Odor, and help to stay comfortable during the Periods. WHAT SHOULD BE DONE DURING PERIODS  Wash your hands before & after using a menstrual product.  Discard used products properly by wrapping in paper ,tissue and toss in trash bin never ever throw in flush in toilet or openly outside as it after decaying can produce bacteria which grow in blood.  Change sanitary pads every few hours regardless flow to avoid bacterial growth which can produce bad odor.  Always change pad before going to bed.  Wash vaginal area after changing pad thoroughly only with water in direction from back to front .No soap should be used as it will disturb the natural PH of vagina .  Drink lot of liquids which will help to prevent UTI.  Always remember your calendar date of periods as it will help you to identify any irregularity due to hormonal imbalance as PCOS ,Thyroid or Diabetes or any other pathological condition .(Normal cycle is from 21 to 40 days with average of 28 days).  If you feel any abnormal odor during periods ,unusual pain ,change in cycle like prolonged or short or heavy flow visit your doctor. In Pakistan there is no proper survey done about the MHM but in various countries different organizations have done surveys that how the Mensuration effects Education, Health ,Safety, Economic Inequality & Environment. EDUCATION According to UNICEF 2015 Low Income countries half of schools lack adequate Water, sanitation & Hygiene services required for girls & Female staff to manage their Menstruation which leads to miss the classes. In India quarter of girls do not attend the schools during Menstruation because of unavailability of adequate Toilets which result either getting low grades or discontinuation from education.(Van Ejik et al,2016) In Sudan 75% of girls missed their schools during their menstruation due to inadequate services of changing rooms (Tamiru et al.2015) In Kenya 95 % of girls missed 1 to 3 classes during Menstruation leading bad impact on their eit was observed that less girls missed ducation (Mucherahand Thomas 2017) A survey in Bangladesh found that only 6% of schools provide education on Health & hygiene and only 36% girls had knowledge about periods prior of their First Periods. In Ghana after 6 months of free provision of Sanitary pads % Puberty education in schools significantly less no of Girls missed school (Montgomery et.al.2012) HEALTH Unhygienic management of menstruation leads to infection of Reproductive tract which finally may lead to infertility ,Infection of Urinary Tract, Vaginal Candidiasis local itching & Bad odor also bad management during Menstruation leads to discomfort, Shame and sometimes Psychological trauma leading to Depression due to related Taboo & Stigma (Sweet man and Med land 2017). GENDER EQUALITY Awareness about MHM among women & girls is important to promote Women’s Dignity, Privacy ,Bodily Integrity & consequently Self Efficacy . A study in Nepal found that many girls were forced to stay in Huts and slept in fields during Menstruation though Government announced illegal (Thompson et.al 2019) ECONOMY By improving Menstruation Hygiene the girls & women can have better access to Education ,more options for job in addition the economy of country also can be boosted by properly trapping the industry producing Female Hygiene products as they should employ as women as possible & provide low cost products. Many women who miss their offices or those who do domestic work due to unavailability of proper toilet facilities are either forced to leave the job, or are Considered least reliable and sometimes their salary is also deducted. ENVIRONMENT Disposable sanitary pads contribute billions of global waste as every women usually use 4 to 5 pads per day therefore and mostly these are Biodegradable, therefore it is need of time to produce quality & Biodegradable low cost sanitary pads. Many countries as Bangladesh has started Microfinance loans to women to manage WASH facilities and selling hygiene products at the door step of those girls who feel shame to purchase from shops or do not have access to those. In Pakistan water Aid has started some initiatives involving adolescent girls, Parents, Teachers ,School Management Committee District, Provincial & National level Service providers ,Parliamentarians & Civil Society Organizations to provide Women Friendly Sanitation Facilities in every Public & Private building in the country in next five years. But still lot of awareness along with investment in Girls friendly toilets/Changing rooms at schools, work places & Public places is required at the same time the behavioral changes in girls & women about the ownership & keeping clean of the toilets after using is required as it is not the only responsibility of any organization / government who provide these facilities but always ownership is to be shown by community as in case of our own property.