What is Menstrual Health & Hygiene Management?

Menstruation is a biological process that occurs in girls at the onset of menarche-start of menstruation- which signifies a girl’s start of fertility. Menstruation is when there is flow of blood from the vaginal lining after every 28-35 days for a period of 2-7 days. There is no globally standard age when menstruation starts, but the widely experienced age is in girls between the ages of 9-16years old.

Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) is the general cleanliness and care a girl does while going through this process. It is achieved by using clean material to absorb or collect menstrual blood, and this material can be changed in privacy as often as necessary for the duration of the menstrual period. MHM also includes soap and water for washing the body as required, and access to facilities to dispose of used menstrual management materials.

MHM extends to provision of safe, private, and hygienic water and sanitation facilities for changing menstrual materials and bathing, easy access to water inside or near toilets, supplies e.g. laundry soap, separate basin for washing and drying menstrual materials discreetly, disposal systems through waste management, and access to practical information on MHM, for adolescent girls comfortably, safely without shame.

MHM is also about managing pain i.e cramps or discomfort related to menstruation, it also addresses issues of fear, shame, stigma and either social or personal imposed limitations to mobility, functionality or other restrictions, which may prevent girls and women from participating in school or other social and or economic events.

My Flow Foundation’s vision is to ensure all girls have access and information on menstrual health hygiene management and menstrual products; are sensitized and educated on Sexual Reproductive Health and life-skills among other things. We create safe spaces where girls can discuss their experiences at the onset of menarche and can debunk myths related to menstruation whilst also instilling confidence in them and expelling shame and stigma related to menstruation.

MHM can be achieved through collective effort of stakeholders like government ministries i.e Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Gender and Development, Ministry of Sports and organizations and institutions that champion the rights of the girl child. This can be done by creating awareness on puberty education related to what menstruation is and how to handle it, as well as general awareness in our communities on how to tackle the cultural and social perceptions and practices around menstruation that cause stigma.