Significance of Education for Sustainable Menstrual Hygiene Management Practices: A rapid review

Abstract

This paper highlights the crucial role of education in the menstrual hygiene management, growth and development of a country, gender equality and women’s empowerment, which are integral parts of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Half of the world’s population are women, and women have specific needs to manage the menstrual cycle during their lifetime. To manage the bleeding during the menstrual cycle, girls and women use different products, depending on their accessibility and affordability. They are a) disposable – one-time use products such as disposable pads, tampons, and b) reusable products – reusable products such as cloth, washable and reusable cloth pads, menstrual cups, and period panties. On average, women use 6–8 sanitary napkins per cycle and generate approximately 125 kg of menstrual waste during menstruating. The literature search revealed that there are limited studies related to the use of menstrual products and the impacts of these products on women’s health and the environment. A rapid review of the literature identified factors responsible for choosing a particular type of menstrual product, the perceptions of women using the products, and their implications on the health and environment. The study concluded with the need to study the type of menstrual products preferred by women using appropriate variables, address the issues of disposal systems, provide adolescent girls with adequate infrastructure, and provide access to affordable sanitary products and gender equity to manage their periods with dignity, suggesting further investigation in menstrual hygiene management.