Menstruation is one of the most natural biological processes in the world, yet it remains one of the least understood and most stigmatized. Nearly half of the global population will experience menstruation at some point in their lives. According to UNICEF, 1.8 billion people are menstruating, yet for many, it is not just a cycle of bleeding. It is a cycle of silence, shame, and neglect.
The conversation about menstrual health and dignity is not a matter of luxury, it is a matter of rights. To speak about menstrual health is to speak about equality, justice, and human dignity. And to ignore it is to accept a world where millions are denied the ability to manage a natural process safely, confidently, and without shame.
The Health Dimension We Rarely Discuss
Menstruation is often reduced to a conversation about sanitary pads or tampons, but menstrual health encompasses much more. It includes the physical, mental, and social well-being of anyone who menstruates.
For many, menstrual cycles come with significant health challenges:
- Severe menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea): These can be so intense that they disrupt school, work, and daily life, yet are often dismissed as “normal.” According to UNFPA, dysmenorrhea is a major gynecological issue globally contributing to absenteeism.
- Heavy bleeding (menorrhagia): According to UNFPA, this can lead to anemia, fatigue, and even long-term complications, but is rarely investigated or treated.
- Menstrual disorders like endometriosis and PCOS: Millions live with these conditions, but stigma and silence mean they often go undiagnosed for years. UNFPA notes that lack of knowledge and stigma delays seeking help.
- Infections: When people cannot afford or access safe menstrual products, they resort to rags, newspapers, or other unsafe materials that increase the risk of infections. According to UNFPA and a report on CDC, documents highlight how poor hygiene and unsafe absorption/disposal raise health risks.
These issues are pressing health concerns. Yet because menstruation remains shrouded in taboo, health systems are slow to respond, and those affected are slow to seek help, if they seek help at all.
Dignity at Risk
Managing menstruation should never strip a person of their dignity. Yet for too many, it does.
Menstrual dignity means access to safe and affordable products, clean water and sanitation, private facilities for changing, and safe disposal methods. It means being able to go to school, work, or community spaces without fear of stains, odors, or ridicule. It means being treated with respect and humanity, not with suspicion or shame. These are also among the components of good menstrual health as defined by UNFPA.
But across the world, dignity is routinely denied:
- Students skip school because they lack products or fear humiliation. WHO Europe reports many girls avoid school due to fear of bullying, lack of privacy, inadequate facilities.
- Workers hide their pain to avoid being seen as weak or unreliable.
- In some communities, menstruators are excluded from kitchens, religious spaces, and even their own homes, branded as unclean.
- Families struggling with poverty force impossible choices, between food for the household or sanitary pads for their daughters. According to The Guardian Nigeria, in Nigeria, for example, the cost of pads can be nearly 11% of monthly income for low-income families.
The Weight of Stigma
Stigma is the invisible force that makes menstruation a burden instead of a fact of life. It silences conversations, trivializes pain, and isolates those who menstruate. It tells children to whisper about their periods. It tells adults to endure pain in silence. It tells entire societies that something as natural as menstruation is somehow dirty or shameful.
This stigma has consequences far beyond embarrassment. It fuels misinformation, prevents proper education, and perpetuates health risks. It keeps menstruation at the margins of policy and funding priorities. And it erodes self-worth, teaching people that their bodies are flawed, when in reality, their bodies are healthy and strong.
Menstrual Health as a Human Right
The link between health, dignity, and rights cannot be ignored. Menstrual health touches multiple human rights:
- The right to health: No one should suffer untreated pain or risk infections because their needs are dismissed. WHO in a 2024 resolution reaffirmed menstrual hygiene management as essential to the right to health and gender equality.
- The right to education: No child should miss school because they cannot manage their period safely. WHO Europe emphasizes that education plus adequate facilities are key to equal learning opportunities.
- The right to equality: Menstruation must not be a reason for exclusion or discrimination. Documents by UNFPA East & Southern Africa show menstrual health is tied to non-discrimination, gender equality, work, housing, etc.
- The right to dignity: Everyone deserves privacy, respect, and confidence in managing their bodies.
Framing menstrual health as a human rights issue shifts the focus from charity to justice. It demands accountability from governments, health systems, and societies at large. This is a position strongly advocated by the World Health Organization and other international agencies.
Changing the Narrative
To move forward, we must break the silence. This means:
- Education for all genders: Teaching menstruation as a normal biological process, not a secret or shameful topic. UNFPA’s FAQ resources note that everyone (not just girls) should have access to information.
- Health system reform: Taking menstrual pain and disorders seriously, ensuring timely diagnosis and treatment.
- Policy and investment: Providing free or subsidized menstrual products, and building safe water, sanitation, and disposal facilities. For instance, WaterAid Nigeria is calling for menstrual health to be treated as a human right, with improved WASH infrastructure in schools.
- Cultural change: Dismantling harmful taboos that exclude menstruators from daily life and replacing them with messages of respect and inclusion.
Conclusion
Menstrual health and dignity are not side issues. They are central to gender equality, to human rights, and to social justice. As long as stigma and silence persist, people will continue to suffer, physically, emotionally, and socially.
It is time to ensure that menstruation is never again a reason for anyone to lose their health or their dignity.
The question is not whether we can afford to prioritize menstrual health. The question is: how can we afford not to?
Written By: Victory Wekulom
Victory Wekulom is a writer and communications professional passionate about storytelling for social change. They currently serve as the Media and Communications Assistant at IGE-SRH and contribute to the community, where they use words to amplify gender justice, queer advocacy, and community voices. Their writing blends clarity, heart, and a deep commitment to centering underrepresented perspectives.
