Menstrual health concerns -
On any given day, more than million women worldwide are menstruating. In total, an estimated million lack access to menstrual products and adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management MHM.
To effectively manage their menstruation, girls and women require access to water, sanitation and hygiene WASH facilities, affordable and appropriate menstrual hygiene materials, information on good practices, and a supportive environment where they can manage menstruation without embarrassment or stigma.
They understand the basic facts linked to the menstrual cycle and how to manage it with dignity and without discomfort or fear. The challenges that menstruating girls, women, and other menstruators face encompass more than a basic lack of supplies or infrastructure. While menstruation is a normal and healthy part of life for most women and girls, in many societies, the experience of menstruators continues to be constrained by cultural taboos and discriminatory social norms.
The resulting lack of information about menstruation leads to unhygienic and unhealthy menstrual practices and creates misconceptions and negative attitudes, which motivate, among others, shaming, bullying, and even gender-based violence.
For generations of girls and women, poor menstrual health and hygiene is exacerbating social and economic inequalities, negatively impacting their education, health, safety, and human development.
The multi-dimensional issues that menstruators face require multi-sectoral interventions. WASH professionals alone cannot come up with all of the solutions to tackle the intersecting issues of inadequate sanitary facilities, lack of information and knowledge, lack of access to affordable and quality menstrual hygiene products, and the stigma and social norms associated with menstruation.
Research has shown that approaches that can effectively combine information and education with appropriate infrastructure and menstrual products, in a conducive policy environment, are more successful in avoiding the negative effects of poor MHH — in short, a holistic approach requiring collaborative and multi-dimensional responses.
Priority Areas. In low-income countries, half of the schools lack adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene services crucial to enable girls and female teachers to manage menstruation UNICEF Schools that have female-friendly facilities and incorporate information on menstruation into the curriculum for both girls and boys can reduce stigma and contribute to better education and health outcomes.
When girls and women have access to safe and affordable sanitary materials to manage their menstruation, they decrease their risk of infections. This can have cascading effects on overall sexual and reproductive health, including reducing teen pregnancy, maternal outcomes, and fertility.
Poor menstrual hygiene, however, can pose serious health risks, like reproductive and urinary tract infections which can result in future infertility and birth complications. Neglecting to wash hands after changing menstrual products can spread infections, such as hepatitis B and thrush.
Awareness of MHH contributes to building an enabling environment of nondiscrimination and gender equality in which female voices are heard, girls have choices about their future, and women have options to become leaders and managers. In addition, feminine hygiene products are a multibillion-dollar industry, which, if properly tapped into, can generate income for many and significantly boost economic growth.
Disposable sanitary products contribute to large amounts of global waste. Ensuring women and girls have access to sustainable and quality products, and improving the management of the disposal of menstrual products, can make a big difference to the environment.
In India alone, roughly million women and girls use an average of eight disposable and non-compostable pads per month, generating 1. Country Examples. Enhancing opportunities for women to access adequate menstrual health and hygiene is central to the World Bank Group in achieving its development outcomes.
In addition, the project is facilitating behavior change sessions and training on the importance of menstrual hygiene and safely managed WASH facilities. Access to finance will be provided to women entrepreneurs to help them market and sell soaps, disinfectants and menstrual hygiene products at household doorsteps.
This will improve menstrual hygiene practices, especially among those who are too shy and reluctant to purchase them at public markets. This includes gender-separated facilities with door locks, lighting, disposal bins, and handwashing stations with soap and water.
Behavior changes and hygiene promotion campaigns incorporating MHH will be undertaken, targeting students, teachers, parents and the larger community. Under the project, sanitation facilities were constructed at more than schools across the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area.
The facilities all include separate toilets and changing rooms for girls, with locks on doors, handwashing facilities, and hygienic and safe spaces for disposal of used sanitary products. A federal government website managed by the Office on Women's Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.
Department of Health and Human Services. ET closed on federal holidays. Breadcrumb Home Menstrual Cycle Period problems.
Period problems. Period problems Regular periods are a sign that your body is working normally. Period problem: Menstrual pain dysmenorrhea Pain that you get with your menstrual period is called dysmenorrhea dis-men-uh-REE-uh. There are two types of dysmenorrhea: Primary dysmenorrhea. This is the most common type of dysmenorrhea.
The pain is usually caused by contractions of the uterus womb. The uterus contracts during your period to help the uterine lining leave the body. Teens may get dysmenorrhea soon after they get their first period. For most women, primary dysmenorrhea gets less painful as they get older.
But some women get severe menstrual pain. Your risk for dysmenorrhea may be higher if you: 5 Got your first period before age 11 Have longer or heavier periods Smoke Have high levels of stress 6 , 7 Secondary dysmenorrhea. This type of dysmenorrhea is usually caused by another health problem.
Pain from secondary dysmenorrhea usually gets worse as you get older. It also lasts longer than normal menstrual cramps. Problems that cause secondary dysmenorrhea include: Endometriosis. This condition happens when the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus where it does not belong.
In response to monthly changes in levels of the hormone estrogen, this lining breaks down and bleeds outside of the uterus and can cause swelling and pain.
Uterine fibroids. Fibroids are tumors that grow in or on the wall of the uterus. They are almost always not cancerous. Some women with fibroids experience pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding at times when they do not have their period. Ovarian cysts. Cysts are fluid-filled sacs on the ovary.
When to see your doctor Talk to your doctor or nurse if over-the-counter pain medicine, such as ibuprofen or naproxen, does not help or if the pain interferes with daily activities like work or school. See your doctor to rule out other health problems if: You have blood clots in your menstrual flow that are larger than a quarter.
Your pain happens at times other than just before your period or during your period. Period problem: Irregular periods Your periods are considered irregular if your menstrual cycle is shorter or longer than average. Causes of irregular periods include: Eating disorders.
Irregular or missed periods can be signs of eating disorders, most often anorexia nervosa. But any eating disorder, including bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder, can cause irregular periods.
Thyroid problems , such as hyperthyroidism hy-pur-THY-roi-diz-uhm. Hyperthyroidism, or overactive thyroid, causes your thyroid to make more thyroid hormone than your body needs. Hyperthyroidism can also cause fewer and lighter menstrual periods than normal.
High amounts of prolactin in the blood. This condition is called hyperprolactinemia hy-pur-pro-LAK-te-nee-me-uh. Prolactin is the hormone that causes breasts to grow during puberty and makes breastmilk after childbirth.
It also helps control the menstrual cycle. Certain medicines, such as those for epilepsy or anxiety Polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS , a condition that usually causes multiple ovarian cysts, hormonal imbalance, and irregular periods.
About 1 in 10 women with irregular menstrual cycles has PCOS. POI happens when your ovaries stop working normally before age It can happen as early as the teenage years. POI is not the same as premature menopause. Unlike women who go through premature menopause, women with POI may still have periods, though they are most often irregular.
Women with POI may also still get pregnant. Pelvic inflammatory disease PID. Irregular periods can be a sign of PID, an infection of the reproductive organs. PID is most often caused by a sexually transmitted infection STI. Studies show high levels of chronic long-term stress can lead to irregular periods.
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes can cause irregular periods, but getting your diabetes under control can help your periods become more regular. The extra fat in the body makes the hormone estrogen. The extra estrogen changes the normal menstrual cycle and can cause missed, irregular, or heavy periods.
When to call the doctor You get irregular periods after having normal cycles. Your period happens more often than every 24 days or less often than every 38 days. Period problem: Heavy bleeding Heavy periods affect one in five American women each year. Causes of heavy bleeding include: Problems with ovulation.
In a normal menstrual cycle, your uterine lining builds up and thickens to prepare for pregnancy. If pregnancy does not happen, the uterine lining leaves your body during your period. If your hormones get out of balance or if you do not ovulate, the uterine lining can build up too much and bleed heavily and in an unpredictable pattern.
Problems with the uterine lining. If your hormones or uterine lining get out of balance, the uterine lining can bleed too much. This can cause heavy bleeding as the lining is pushed out during the next menstrual period. Thyroid problems. Heavy bleeding can be a sign of hypothyroidism hy-poh-THY-roi-diz-uhm , or underactive thyroid.
Hypothyroidism happens when your thyroid does not make enough thyroid hormones. Fibroids are made of muscle tissue that grows in or on the wall of the uterus. They are almost always not cancer. They can cause pain and heavy or irregular bleeding. Uterine polyps. Polyps are an overgrowth of the endometrial tissue that lines the inside of the uterine wall.
They are usually small. They are usually not cancer but can cause heavy or long periods. Certain medicines. Some medicines, such as blood thinners, can cause heavy or long periods.
Pregnancy problems. Unusual or not regular heavy bleeding can be caused by a miscarriage an early pregnancy that ends or an ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancies can never end in a healthy pregnancy and are a medical emergency. Bleeding disorders. Studies show that up to one in five white women with heavy periods has a bleeding disorder.
Bleeding disorders are less common in African-American women, affecting about one in 20 African-American women with heavy bleeding. When to call the doctor Your period lasts longer than eight days. You bleed through one or more pads or tampons every one to two hours.
You feel dizzy, lightheaded, weak, or tired, or if you have chest pain or trouble breathing during or after your period. These can be symptoms of anemia. Anemia is a condition that happens when your blood cannot carry enough oxygen to your body because of a lack of iron.
You pass menstrual blood clots larger than the size of quarters. It is normal to pass clots the size of quarters or smaller.
Period problem: Unusual abnormal bleeding Unusual or abnormal bleeding is any bleeding that is different from your typical menstrual period or happens when you do not have your period.
Causes of unusual bleeding include: Hormonal changes. Changing hormone levels during puberty and perimenopause , the transition to menopause, can cause longer, heavier periods. They can also cause irregular cycles.
Unusual bleeding may be a sign of an ovarian cyst that has ruptured burst. Cancer, such as uterine , cervical , and ovarian cancer. Any vaginal bleeding after menopause can be a sign of a serious health problem, including ovarian, cervical or uterine cancer.
When to see the doctor You should see your doctor if you have unusual bleeding. This may include: Bleeding after sex, more than once Spotting or bleeding anytime in the menstrual cycle other than during your period Bleeding during your period that is heavier or lasts longer than normal Bleeding after menopause Your doctor may start by checking for problems that are most common in your age group.
Period problem: Missing periods amenorrhea The absence of menstrual periods before menopause is called amenorrhea ay-men-uh-REE-uh. Causes of amenorrhea include: Pregnancy. Your period stops during pregnancy because your ovaries no longer release eggs.
You may get some spotting light vaginal bleeding , but this is common and usually does not mean a problem with the pregnancy. If you have spotting during pregnancy you should see your doctor or nurse to be sure. Learn more in our Pregnancy section.
For some women, their periods do not come back until after breastfeeding ends. For others, their periods may return within a few months of giving birth. While your baby transitions from breastfeeding to other foods you may ovulate and not realize it.
All women should talk to their doctor or nurse about birth control methods during breastfeeding if they do not want to get pregnant again right away. Learn more in our Breastfeeding section. Eating disorders, especially anorexia nervosa.
Amenorrhea can happen if your body fat drops so low that ovulation stops. Anorexia often causes extreme weight loss leading to a very low body weight that is not healthy.
This can cause periods to be less regular or stop completely. Gaining too much weight or losing too much weight can cause missed periods. Menstrual periods will usually restart after losing weight if you are overweight or gaining weight if you are underweight.
Long-term, severe stress can affect the part of your brain that controls reproduction. As a result, ovulation and your period can stop. Managing the stress can help restore normal menstrual cycles.
This includes problems with the reproductive organs or those caused by health conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS.
Menstrual Organic farming practices are problems related heealth a woman's normal menstrual cycle. They are one Menstrual health concerns the most common reasons women heaoth their Electrolyte Levels. Menstrual disorders and their symptoms can disrupt a woman's daily life. They can also affect her ability to become pregnant. If your periods come too frequently fewer than 21 days apartnot often enough more than three months apartor last longer than 10 days, talk with your doctor.
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