By Dr Shweta Patil
May 28 is celebrated as Menstrual Hygiene Day every year. I would like to normalize talking about menstruation and eliminating any taboo associated with it. Menstrual hygiene is a necessity, a female right, and not a luxury.
A safe environment must be created for the girl/women to accept the menstruation as a normal bodily function. The girls should be taught from the early age not to be shy in asking questions and be given all information about the process and how to maintain the hygiene.
Menstruation is the shedding of uterine lining occurring on regular basis in monthly menstrual cycles. During each cycle, an egg is released from the ovaries (process known as ovulation). This egg moves into the uterus through the fallopian tubes. Tissues and blood start to line the walls of uterus for fertilization. If the egg is not fertilized, lining of uterus is shed through vagina along with the blood. This bleeding is known as menstruation or menses.
Risks of poor menstrual hygiene
- When unclean sanitary pads are used, it increases the risk of bacteria causing local infections, or to enter deeper into the genitals.
- When the pads are changed infrequently, the wet pads cause skin irritation, which can lead to infection. The infection can spread to the inner thighs as well.
- Wiping from back to front introduces bacteria from the bowel to the vagina.
- Unsafe disposal of sanitary pads can spread infections to others, especially Hepatitis B.
- Improper hand washing again spreads infections.
- Frequent douching, which is forcing liquid into vagina, is an unsafe practice.
- The infections from genitals can cause frequent urinary tract infections, which when ignored can lead to serious kidney infections.
- Toxic shock syndrome. It is a serious infection occurring when local infections spread into the blood to other parts of the body. It is caused when a tampon is left inside the vagina for longer period of time.
Safe Practices
This is a group effort, not just by women, but by the men, the village, the organizations and by the government. Menstrual hygiene should be prioritized as with any other hygienic practices. The woman should take care of herself as she takes care of her family.
- A clean pad/cotton/cloth should be used every time.
- The pad should be changed frequently, every 2-6 hours depending on the flow, even if there is no bleeding.
- The pad/tampon should be wrapped in paper and disposed of into the dustbin or burn it. If there is no option and cloth is used or reused, it should be put into a plastic bag until it can be washed with hot water and soap. It should be dried in the sunlight or should be ironed.
- Keeping yourself clean during menstruation is equally important. Wash the genitals every day with water, twice. Pat the area dry with a clean cloth. Always wipe from front to back and avoid douching or using soaps.
- Always use clean water.
- Do not flush down the pads into the sewer or toilets.
Consequences of bad disposal methods
Being mindful to the environment is mostly neglected. Your carelessness affects the health of other people as well as damage the environment in long term.
- Throwing the menstrual materials into the sewer or flushing down the toilet causes clogging of sewer pipelines.
- This disturbs the microflora. The decomposition of these materials takes time, and these rot in the ground for a long time.
- This contaminates the water bodies. The aquatic animals die, the animals and birds drinking from these water bodies are sick and may cause their death.
- The blood-soaked materials breed germs and microbes.
- The blood from the materials of an infected woman contaminates the soil and spread to other people. Especially the Hepatitis virus which can live up to 6 months in the soil.
How the community and men can help
- The most important is to abandon the old ways and remove the taboo associated with the menstruation. Women should not be ashamed to talk and practice safe methods, to buy the sanitary pads from the shop.The myths associated with the menses should be eliminated.
- A separate collecting system should be kept for menstrual waste in the schools, work places, malls and public places.
- A pad vending machines should be availed in all these places.
- These places should also have a private room for the females.
- The dustbins should be covered with lid and emptied every day.
- Clean water should be available in all places. There should be plenty of water, toilet papers and dustbins.
- The young girls should be educated from the beginning about these safe practices. It should be one of those habits that start from home and from the beginning.
There are inexpensive incinerators available in the market that helps to dispose of the menstrual waste. Some villages in India have also adopted homemade cheap incinerators made with mud/clay.
It’s a high time that the talk on menstruation is not embarrassing or shameful. I hope to educate all the girls and women, especially from villages, though this article.
(The author is a doctor in Sohra)
