The state of adolescent menstrual health in low- and middle-income countries and suggestions for future action and research

• Authors: Marina Plesons, World Health Organization; Archana Patkar, UNAIDS; Jenelle Babb, UNESCO; Asanthi Balapitiya, Ministry of Health, Colombo, Sri Lanka; Flo Carson, Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office; Bethany Caruso, Emory University; Margarita Franco, Save Children El Salvador; Maja Hansen, United Nations Population Fund; Jacquelyn Haver, Save Children USA; Andisheh Jahangir, WoMena Denmark; Caroline W. Kabiru, African Population and Health Research Center; Ephraim Kisangala, Makerere University; Penelope Phillips-Howard, University of Liverpool; Aditi Sharma, Pennsylvania State University; Marni Sommer, Mailman School of Public Health; Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli, World Health Organization
• Journal Title: Reproductive Health
• Volume: Volume 18, Number 1
• Publisher: BMC | 2021-02-08, Pages 31-31
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-021-01082-2
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology; Health Sciences, Human Development; Health Sciences, Public Health; Education, Health
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; Menstruation; Menstrual health; Menstrual hygiene; Menstrual hygiene management; Adolescent health; Adolescent sexual and reproductive health; Hygiene management; Reproductive health; Girls; Schoolgirls; Sanitation; Services; Women

Abstract

In recognition of the opportunity created by the increasing attention to menstrual health at global, regional, and national levels, the World Health Organization’s Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research and the UNDP-UNFPA-UNICEF-WHO-World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction convened a global research collaborative meeting on menstrual health in adolescents in August 2018. Experts considered nine domains of menstrual health (awareness and understanding; stigma, norms, and socio-cultural practices; menstrual products; water and sanitation; disposal; empathy and support; clinical care; integration with other programmes; and financing) and answered the following five questions: (1) What is the current situation? (2) What are the factors contributing to this situation? (3) What should the status of this domain of adolescent menstrual health be in 10 years? (4) What actions are needed to achieve these goals? (5) What research is needed to achieve these goals? This commentary summarizes the consensus reached in relation to these questions during the expert consultation. In doing so, it describes the state of adolescent menstrual health in low- and middle-income countries and sets out suggestions for action and research that could contribute to meeting the holistic menstrual health needs of adolescent girls and others who menstruate worldwide.