Menstrual Health

Background

Menstrual Health is a widely under-discussed topic, especially in developing countries where menstruation is rarely considered a crucial part of healthcare. In reality, menstrual health and management are important, seeing as infertility and reproductive health issues may arise from unhygienic practices.

Legislation and policy is a key factor due to the inaccessibility of menstrual hygiene products in the United States and other developed and developing countries. Our project will be focusing on policies within the United States.

Many states within the U.S. tax pads and tampons, creating significant barriers to access. Schools, jails and prisons, workplaces, and public bathrooms do not account for the need for consistent, quality menstrual hygiene products, leading to unhygienic practices, hindrances to work and education, loss of confidence, and more.

In understanding the system of menstrual health internationally, we can piece together how numerous factors such as policy and legislation, economic feasibility, and environmental sustainability contribute to overall menstrual health.

Menstrual Cups: A Sustainable Solution to Unhygienic Practices in Rural Areas

Reusable menstrual cups are a relatively new product compared to traditional devices such as pads, tampons and simple cloths. Menstrual cups are typically made of medical grade silicone or latex and are inserting into the vagina during menstruation. They can be worn up to 12 hours per day, then washed and reworn. Menstrual cups can also be used for several years, making them a more sustainable option when compared to single-use pads and tampons.

In light of detrimental consequences from global warming and pollution, environmentally sustainable solutions such as menstrual cups are an excellent way to reduce waste product from menstruation. They are also a cleaner solution as they can be washed regularly, unlike a cloth which can lead to infections and diseases. In simple terms, there are many benefits to using cups in terms of the environment, sustainability, health, resources and economics. However, strong cultural beliefs and acceptance in rural areas are unpredictable and must be understood before tackling menstrual poverty with the solution of cups.

We talked to Camilla Wirseen, a founder and CEO of The Cup, an NGO working to improve menstrual and reproductive health through the distribution of menstrual cups in developing regions and education of students regarding menstruation and related concepts. Here are her answers to some questions we asked:

Why are menstrual cups a better alternative in the areas where you work?

How do girls and other menstruators use menstrual cups in rural areas?

How do you implement the use of menstrual cups in these regions?

Taking a look at data and research from an article about menstrual health education in India by WaterAid, an NGO focusing on clean water and hygiene, you can see that:

o "only 45% believe that menstruation is normal; and a vast majority observe socio-cultural, religious or food taboos during their period"

The strong cultural stigma around menstruation and practices create skepticism for the adaptation of menstrual cups into rural villages.

o “63 million girls are living in homes lacking toilet facilities.”

Fundamental infrastructures such as toilets need to be established before we can support the usage of menstrual cups because without the proper facilities to manage cups and clean them, an array of hygienic issues will appear.

o “National Family Health Survey 4, India’s DHS (2015-16), reported that only 42.4% of young women aged 15–24 are using unhygienic methods of protection during their period.”

A high number of menstruators still engage in unhygienic practices which may be resolved with a menstrual cup.

o “A systematic review on MHM in India found that… only 37% changed their absorbents in school”

A main benefit in exploring the utility of menstrual cups is the frequency in which the product should be changed. A cup can be used for up to 12 hours before being replaced, as opposed to 6-8 for pads or 4-8 for tampons, which resolves the discomfort of changing products while at school.

Throughout this project, we will explore the implementation of menstrual cups and their benefits, the barriers to implementation, environmental impacts, and health implications of current unhygienic practices through a series of interactive computer models, code that you can play with, and resources to learn more about this concept.

To play with this model and understand the relationship between these factors, click on the image's link.

Access to Medical Care and Infections

In developed countries, menstruators may be aware of alternate solution to managing their periods with pads, tampons, cups, and more, but in rural villages, an abundance of "traditional practices" such as rags, ash, leaves and newspapers are used while menstruating. This is extremely detrimental to the health and safety of adolescent menstruators who may face infertility later and older menstruators who may be prone to infections. Regardless of these health risks, many menstruators in remote areas do not have access to health care as they are often located 50 to 100 kilometres from the nearest hospitals. This interactive loopy model is a simple way to picture the relationship between cultural practices, the health of menstruators, and the effects on the environment.

Environment and Menstruation

Menstrual waste goes largely unconsidered when most of us think of pollution and landfill waste. However, in 2018 in the US alone, over 5.8 billion tampons were used (HomeStead), and that is exclusively tampons. Taking a broader glance at the world, as hygienic menstrual products are introduced to developing countries, sustainability should be considered.

Menstrual Equity Legislation in Washington

July 2020 was the start of WA’s tax exemption on menstrual hygiene products. Senate Bill 5147 was passed in March 2020 during the 2019-20 legislative session despite COVID-19 budget cuts.

Senate Bill 6073, which aims to provide free menstrual hygiene products in all WA public schools, will be reintroduced during the 2020-21 legislative session. Find your WA State (legislative district) senator and representative using this site and contact them to show your support for this bill!