The context
the context
Menstruation affects daily life An estimated 1.8 billion girls (UNICEF, 2019), women, transgender men, intersex, and non-binary people of reproductive age menstruate every month. Although menstruation is a normal and natural element of the female reproductive system, it is a taboo topic that is often not talked about openly. Moreover, many women and girls, as well as other people that menstruate, lack the knowledge on how to maintain their menstrual health and hygiene. In addition to that, around 500 million women and girls lack access to gender-sensitive
facilities and the menstrual products of their choice to manage their periods (FSG, 2020). These factors directly affect girls’ and women’s well-being during menstruation, their participation in daily life, and possibly their physical health.
What is menstrual health? Menstrual health and hygiene encompasses ‘both menstrual hygiene management and the broader systemic factors that link menstruation with health, well-being, gender equality, education, equity, empowerment, and rights. These systematic factors
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