Menstrual Hygiene – Go clean and Go green

Often we hear “Shhh… tell them you have Flu and not your period ”. Dear women, if you are ashamed of your periods, your daughter would be too. So be PERIOD POSITIVE to break this silence and taboo and generate awareness among women. Since 2014, May 28 is observed as Menstrual Hygiene Day worldwide. And helps girls face deal with menstrual cycles. Also highlight solutions implementable at global, national, and local levels to address these issues. Menstruation is a phenomenon unique to females.

The onset of menstruation is one of the most important changes occurring among girls during their adolescent years. The first menstruation (menarche) occurs between 11 and 15 years. Adolescents form a vulnerable group when it comes to menstrual hygiene. How a girl learns about menstruation and its associated changes. This may have an impact on her response to the event of menarche. Menstruation and menstrual practices are still clouded by taboos and socio-cultural restrictions.

Resulting in adolescent girls remaining ignorant of scientific facts and hygienic health practices. Which sometimes results in adverse health outcomes. Hygiene-related practices of women during menstruation are of considerable importance. As it has a health impact in terms of increased vulnerability to reproductive tract infections (RTI). The interplay of socioeconomic status, menstrual hygiene practices, and RTI is noticeable.

Women having better knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene and safe practices are less vulnerable to RTI and its consequences. Therefore, increased knowledge about menstruation right from childhood may escalate safe practices. Also may help in mitigating the suffering of millions of women’s issues. Challenges related to menstrual hygiene management (MHM) in developing countries are gaining global recognition in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector.

Global bodies like WHO and UNICEF(2014) have defined MHM as “Women and girls using clean menstrual hygiene management material to absorb or collect blood. That can be changed in privacy as and when necessary for the duration of the menstrual period. So, use soap and water for washing the body as required. And having access to facilities to dispose of used menstrual management materials.” In India government is taking many steps for menstrual hygiene. The “Swachh Bharat; Swachh Vidyalaya” campaign has been launched to ensure that every school in India has a set of functioning and well-maintained WASH facilities. To facilitate menstrual hygiene many menstrual absorbent products are available in the market.

Some of them are as follows:

Reusable and Washable Cloth Pads

• sustainable sanitary option
• must be hygienically washed
• dried in the sunlight
• dried in the sunlight
• reusable
• cost-effective
• easily available

As our prime minister says we should be “ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT”. SO WHAT BETTER WOULD IT BE THAN the USE OF OUR TRADITIONAL cotton fabric?

Commercial Sanitary Pads

• They are easily available
• They are expensive
• nonreusable
• not very environment-friendly
• The cotton used in their making is not 100% natural and may contain pesticides

Efforts are being made to provide sanitary napkins to school-going girls by installing napkin-vending machines at schools. As well as to increase the accessibility of environmentally safe disposal mechanisms. Such as low-cost incinerators attached to the girls’ toilets in schools for disposal of used MHM products. We at Omega Hospital and Om charitable trust have donated 5 sanitary napkins and vending machines. Further, our Chairman, CMD Dr. Chaitanya Shembekar was honored with the name Padman of Nagpur.

Tampons:

They are a kind of plug of soft material (cotton). Which is inserted into the vagina to absorb the menstrual flow before it leaves the body. These are synthetic products so their disposal is of utmost importance. Considering what the present scenario is, environment-friendly products should be encouraged and we should GO GREEN. Many options are available like:

1.Reusable Tampons Nowadays, sea sponge tampons are available in the market which is a natural alternative to synthetic tampons.

2. Menstrual Cups They may be a new technology for poor women and girls and an alternative to sanitary pads and tampons. They are like cups made of medical-grade silicone rubber. Which makes the cup easy to fold and get inserted into the vagina to collect menstrual blood. Duration of use: up to 6–12 hours depending upon the amount of menstrual flow.

• needs to be removed and emptied less frequently
• they are reusable
• environment-friendly
• sustainable, practical
• a cost-effective alternative where sanitation conditions are not good
• in one lifetime only 3 cups are required Many international brands are there but, ” GO VOCAL ABOUT LOCAL IS THE NEED OF HOUR “. INDIAN COMPANIES ARE MAKING THESE CUPS IN THE NAME OF SHECUP -FDA-APPROVED.

3.Bamboo and Banana Fiber Pads
Instead of wood pulp, bamboo pulp is used as an absorbing material in these sanitary pads.

• it has more absorbing capacity
• safer to use
• affordable
• easily decomposed
• environment-friendly pads which also possess antibacterial properties. This provides infection and irritation-free menstruation.

Very recently, on International Women’s Day on March 8, 2018, Government launched 100% oxy-biodegradable sanitary napkins “Suvidha”. In packs of four priced at Rs. 10. Which will be available shortly at Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana Stores.

Nowadays, low-cost sanitary pads for rural women made from waste banana tree fiber were sold under the trade name “Saathi” in India.

Water Hyacinth Pads

Sold under the trade name “Jani.”

• they are cost-effective
• easily biodegradable
• eco-friendly and natural sanitary napkins

The choice is yours.

There should be a checklist

1. wash your hands with soap and water before and after
2. bathe daily
3. change your menstruation absorbent frequently to avoid rash and infection
4. wash and completely dry your cloth pads and menstrual cups before usage
5. do not dispose of sanitary napkins in toilet bowls or floors
6. always wrap them in paper before disposing of them in a bin
7. update and educate yourself with hygiene tips and spread awareness

Before bringing any change in menstrual practices, girls should be educated about the facts of menstruation. Its physiological implications, the significance of menstruation, and the development of secondary sexual characteristics. And above all, about proper hygienic practices with a selection of disposable sanitary menstrual absorbents. This can be achieved through educational television programs, school nurses/health personnel, compulsory sex education in the school curriculum, and knowledgeable parents.

So that she received education would indirectly. Wipe away the age-old wrong ideas and make her feel free to discuss menstrual matters including cleaner practices without any hesitation. All mothers irrespective of their educational status should be taught to break their inhibitions. About discussing their daughter’s menstruation much before the age of menarche.

“DAAG ACHE HAI” We all as women should be proud of menstruation and Yes together we can end the period stigma.

Dr. Parul Sharma Saoji
MS, DNB (OB-GYN)
Executive Director
Omega hospitals , Nagpur