MENSTRUAL HYGIENE

Menstruation and Menstrual Hygiene

Menstruation is the monthly shedding of the uterine lining via the vagina as part of the menstrual cycle of a girl or a woman.

• Menstruation is sometimes known as ‘mens’ or describe as ‘menstrual period’• It (mens) usually lasts from 3 up to 5 days for most women and girls however, it could last up to 6 or 7 days for others.

Menstrual hygiene are the practices that involve cleanliness to maintain good health and prevent diseases during menstruation

Why the need for menstrual hygiene?

• Some studies have it that menstruation remains a taboo and rarely talked about in most parts of the world. • Currently, cultural practices and taboos around menstruation impact negatively in the lives of girls and women,reinforcing inequalities, exclusions, stigma and discrimination.• Stigma around menstruation has significant health impacts on girls’ and women’s health- (https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1034131)

Definitions of some terminologies

Menarche is the time a girl has her first menstrual period (ie. the onset of menstruation) during puberty or adolescence.

• Age at menarche varies in individuals, some girls start to menstruate as early as age 9 and others as late as age 17 or 18

Menopause is the time a woman ceases to menstruate as a result of the body’s natural decline in reproductive hormones as she ages and hence the ovaries stop producing the eggs.

• Age at which menopause begins also varies in women. Some women begin to experience early menopause which usually refers to onset before age 45 and late onset is considered any time after age 55.

What are Menstrual hygiene products?

They are materials women and girls use to collect menstrual flow during their mens. Examples of menstrual hygiene products include:

• Menstrual cups• Tampons• Sanitary pads• Clean cloths

How to maintain good hygiene during “menstrual period”

• Pads, cloths and tampons should be changed regularly within 3 to 4 hours• Cups should be changed within 8 to 12 hours depending on its capacity and how heavy one flows• Washing of the genitals with plain water at least twice (morning and evening) a day and the use of clean hygienic sanitary materials can reduce the incidence of infection to up to 97%• Always wipe from front to back after using the washroom • Never douche (i.e. washing out the vagina with water or any form of chemicals)• Keep unused sanitary materials clean by wrapping them in atissue or clean plastic bag for further use.

What is the importance of maintaining good hygiene during the “period”?

• Reduces the incidence of rashes around the genitals:Infrequent changing of sanitary materials cause them to be wet and may result in skin irritation. This may later become infected if the skin is broken.• Reduces the risk of urinary tract infections: The use of unclean sanitary pads/materials may introduce microorganisms (such as bacteria/fungi) into the vaginawhich may result in local infections. These infections may invade the urinary tract or travel up the vagina and enter the uterine cavity through the cervix causing serious damage to the reproductive structures if not detected and treated early.• Prevention of toxic shock syndrome: Prolong keep of superabsorbent tampon in the vagina may cause a rare life-threatening complication of certain bacterial infections.

How to dispose of sanitary materials

• If you will re-use a cloth, keep it in a plastic bag until you can wash it with hot water and soap then dry it in the sun or iron it before re-use. However, do not over keep a used cloth before washing it.• Sanitary pads/ materials must be neatly wrapped in a paper before disposal into the bin• Drop all sanitary materials straight into the latrine pit (provided it is not a water seal flush pan as this could easily become blocked) if there is no other option.

How to manage menstruation hygienically

• The fundamental need of every woman and girl is to have a safe and a dignified menstruation therefore, it is essentialthat all women and girls have access to water and sanitation.• They need a privacy in order to change their sanitary pads/ materials• Clean water and soap for washing their hands and used sanitary cloths• There should be facilities for safe disposing of the used sanitary materials or a place to dry them if reusable.• Finally, there is also the need for men, women and adolescents to have a greater awareness of menstrual hygiene.

Written By: Esther Selasi Avinu