MENSTRUAL HEALTH .pptx

A short review about menstrual health for non medicos

1. Dr Dhwani Desai Associate Professor & Unit head Obs & Gynec Dept. NCHS

2.  Menarche : 1 1 -1 6 years. average 13 years.  Duration : 2-7 days (< 2 days is hypomenorrhea and >7 days is menorrhagia ).  Amount : 30-80 ml., uses 3 napkins per day , ( > 80 ml. is menorrhagia and < 30 ml . , is hypomenorrhea . Characteristics of normal menstruation

3. COMMON MENSTRUAL HEALTH ISSUES Primary amenorrhoea Irregular menstruation Dysmenorrhoea Menorrhagia DUB Hygienic issues

4. Harmful restrictions In some cultures, women and girls are told that During their menstrual cycle they should not bathe (or they will become infertile) Touch a cow (or it will become infertile) Look in a mirror (or it will lose its brightness) Touch a plant (or it will die) 13 Young women chatting about menstrual issues. Source: UNICEF (2008)

5. 14 Restrictions on girls during their menstrual period in Afghanistan, India, Iran and Nepal . Source: (HOUSE et al. 2012).

6. Parental Education Education by parents about reproductive health, sexuality and related issues is often a no-go area leading to a low knowledge and understanding on these issue 15 Source: http://phil2100dsu12a.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/abortion-the-solution-is-viability/ [Accessed: 07.08.2013]

7. What is Menstrual Hygiene ? Menstrual hygiene is defined as the principle of maintaining cleanliness of the body during menstrual flow. It requires basic facilities such as appropriate clothes, soakage material, water, soap, and toilet facilities with privacy.

8. Sanitary protection materials – advantages/disadvantages 21 Sanitary protection option Advantages Disadvantages Natural materials (e.g. mud, cow dung, leaves) Free Locally available High risk of contamination Difficult and uncomfortable to use Strips of clothes Easily available in the local market Re-usable If old cloths are not cleaned well they can become unhygienic. Users need somewhere private, with a water supply and soap, to wash and dry the cloths. Toilet paper or tissues Easily available in the local market Loses strength when wet and can fall apart. • Difficult to hold in place. • May be too expensive for the poorest users Re-usable pads Available locally or on the internet Income generation opportunity, if locally made Cost effective as are re-usable More environmentally-friendly than disposable pads Users need somewhere private, with a water supply and soap, to wash and dry the pads. Cost is prohibitive to many potential users, if commercially produced Source: HOUSE ET AL. (2012)

9. Sanitary protection materials – advantages/disadvantages 22 Sanitary protection option Advantages Disadvantages Tampons Convenient and comfortable to use Not available in many contexts. Cost is prohibitive to any potential users. Generates a lot of waste to dispose, not environmentally-friendly. May not be culturally appropriate, particularly for adolescent girls, as need to be inserted into the vagina. Hygiene and availability of water and soap for hand-washing are particularly important, as need to be inserted into the vagina. Menstrual cups Re-usable Only need emptying, washing and drying May not be culturally appropriate for use, particularly for adolescent girls, as need to be inserted into the vagina. Hygiene and availability of water and soap are particularly important, for washing hands and menstrual cup, as need to be inserted into the vagina. Expensive first investment outlay. Panties/ Underwear Useful for keeping a sanitary product in place. • Good for keeping the vaginal area hygienic. Cost may be prohibitive to potential users. Cheap elastic can wear out relatively quickly. Source: HOUSE ET AL. (2012)

10. Awareness Raising Promoting good practices for Menstrual Hygiene Management: How to capture the blood How to dispose of the cloth, pad, cotton How to keep yourself clean during the period How to manage the stomach pain from your period Community-wide approaches that include boys and men ( Physical barriers are often connected to social barriers. Social barriers have to be overcome!) Integrate Menstrual Hygiene Management into a wider hygiene promotion approach on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene including risks and good practice s

11. Inappropriate hygiene practices Unclean sanitary pad materials (local infections/bacteria can travel up the vagina and enter uterine cavity ) Changing pads infrequently (skin irritation by wet pads) Insertion of unclean material into vagina (easier infection , also of uterine cavity ) Using highly absorbent tampons during light blood loss or no menstruation (toxic shock syndrome, vaginal irritation ) Wiping from back to front following urination or defecation (bacteria can travel easier into vagina)

12. Unprotected sex (increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases) Unsafe disposal of used sanitary materials or blood (risk of infecting others with diseases) Frequent douching (forcing liquid into vagina can introduce bacteria into uterine cavity) Lack of hand-washing after changing a sanitary towel (can spread infections )

13. Impact of proper menstrual hygiene P romoting menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is not only a sanitation matter; it is also an important step towards safeguarding the dignity, bodily integrity and overall life opportunities of women and girls. 

14. Educating girls about menstruation helps increase self esteem, raise grades and raise wages . It allows girls to be prepared for their first period . Access to menstrual hygiene products keeps girls on the same track as their male peers . Girls staying in school longer contributes to the economic empowerment of not only the woman, but also to the family, community and nation.

15. Where do we go from here? Have we understood the concept of Menstrual Hygiene? Do we now know how we can Practice Menstrual Hygiene? Are we now willing to advocate against menstruation stigma?

16. Any Question??? Any Worries??? Any Suggestions???

17. THANK YOU..