Menstrual health is an entry point and essential lens to understand and approach women’s sexual and reproductive health journeys. The menstrual cycle accompanies girls and women from the beginning of puberty until menopause and is an important predictor and indicator of health. Despite its importance, global health practitioners have often overlooked the value of menstruation. As a consequence, girls and women don’t receive appropriate education about their menstrual cycle and fertility, contributing to a lack of confidence and ownership of their own bodies, which are essential elements to make informed decisions throughout their sexual and reproductive health journeys. In December 2018, building on previous projects, PSI-Europe partnered with The Case for Her, a funding collaborative investing in early stage markets within women’s and girls’ health, with the aim to understand the role menstrual health plays in PSI’s network members’ programs and its potential to strengthen and improve Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) interventions. With this technical brief, the authors hope to support the SRHR work in-country, providing a technical brief for integrating menstrual health in existing SRHR programs.
- Populations Served
- Adolescents and Youth, Women, Women of Reproductive Age, Women Who Are Breastfeeding
- Health Areas
- Cervical Cancer, Child Health, Contraception, Diarrheal Disease, HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections, Maternal Health, Non-Communicable Diseases, Post-Abortion Care, Post-Abortion Care, Safe Abortion, Safe Abortion
- Approaches
- Communicating for Social Change, Franchising for Health, Marketing Products and Services
- Resource Types
- Guides and Toolkits, Reports and Briefs
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- Côte d’Ivoire, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe
- Solutions
- Community Education and Birth Preparedness, Contraceptive Implant, Family Planning and Immunization Integration, Injectable Contraception, Integrated Service Delivery, Intra-Uterine Device (IUD), Linkages to Care, Long-Acting Reversible Contraception, Medical Abortion and Post-Abortion Care, Menstrual Hygiene Management, Oral Contraception, Post-Abortion Contraception and Services, Reproductive Health and HIV Integration, Safe Pregnancy and Childbirth, Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment, Short-Term Contraception, Stigma Reduction, WASH Solutions