Menstrual Hygiene Management in Adolescent Populations

Menstrual hygiene management among adolescents involves the availability and use of appropriate sanitary materials, access to private and clean facilities, and supportive socio-cultural environments. During adolescence, girls encounter physiological and psychosocial changes that are often compounded by insufficient education, stigmatisation and limited resources. In many settings, inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure in schools and communities leads to school absenteeism, reduced participation in social and economic activities, and increased risk of urogenital infections. Cultural taboos may restrict mobility and reinforce shame, while misinformation perpetuated by untrained sources can undermine self-confidence at menarche. Interventions range from provision of disposable pads or menstrual cups to menstrual health education and cash transfers. Beyond product provision, programmes integrating puberty education, community engagement and structural improvements in sanitation facilities have demonstrated potential to enhance school attendance, psychosocial well-being and reproductive health. A holistic approach recognises menstruation as a natural process, emphasising both individual agency and systemic change to ensure equity in education and health for adolescent girls globally.

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Menstrual Hygiene Management in Adolescent Populations publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in menstrual hygiene management in adolescent populations across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Menarche: The first occurrence of menstruation, marking the onset of reproductive maturity.

Menstrual hygiene management (MHM): The practice of using clean menstrual materials, access to private facilities for changing and washing, and proper disposal of used materials.

Cluster randomised trial: An experimental study design in which groups (clusters) rather than individuals are randomly allocated to different interventions.

Menstrual health: A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being in relation to the menstrual cycle, not merely the absence of disease.

References

1. Mapping the knowledge and understanding of menarche, menstrual hygiene and menstrual health among adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries. Reproductive Health (2017).
2. A Time for Global Action: Addressing Girls’ Menstrual Hygiene Management Needs in Schools. PLOS Medicine (2016).
3. Do Menstrual Hygiene Management Interventions Improve Education and Psychosocial Outcomes for Women and Girls in Low and Middle Income Countries? A Systematic Review. PLOS ONE (2016).
4. Menstrual cups and cash transfer to reduce sexual and reproductive harm and school dropout in adolescent schoolgirls in western Kenya: a cluster randomised controlled trial. EClinicalMedicine (2023).
5. Menstrual cups and sanitary pads to reduce school attrition, and sexually transmitted and reproductive tract infections: a cluster randomised controlled feasibility study in rural Western Kenya. BMJ Open (2016).
6. The Menstrual Health Manager (MHM): A Resource to Reduce Discrepancies Between Science and Practice in Sport and Exercise. Sports Medicine (2024).
7. Menstrual health: a definition for policy, practice, and research. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters (2021).