Menstrual Hygiene Day is a global awareness day that’s observed annually on May 28th. The purpose of this day is to raise public awareness about the importance of good menstrual hygiene management (MHM) at the international level. MHM refers to access to menstrual products to absorb or collect blood during the menstrual cycle.

The privacy to change these materials and the proper facilities to dispose of these products when they have been used are also included. Access to MHM is an important part of every woman’s basic human rights, and this holiday aims to help build a world where women have basic access to MHM and aren’t discriminated against because they menstruate.

The History of Menstrual Hygiene Day

This awareness day was created due to a public health campaign that began in 2012 to turn everyone’s attention to the importance of MHM and to break the silence on menstruation and the needs of women.

This day quickly turned into a social media campaign the following year, and by 2014, May 28th was being observed by people around the world as Menstrual Hygiene Day. That first year, there were 145 different partners who worked with this campaign. This awareness day has been observed every year ever since.

Quick Facts on Menstruation

Below are some quick facts about menstruation that may help people understand why the lack of MHM is such a big deal. We’ve included these facts for our readers’ convenience, but we do hope that everyone observing Menstrual Hygiene Day will continue to do research on their own.

• The average woman will menstruate for a combined total of seven years during their lifetime.
• Poor menstrual hygiene has been linked to urinary tract infections and other reproductive health infections.
• Around the world, approximately 2.3 billion people lack basic sanitation services.

Observing Menstrual Hygiene Day

The objectives of this awareness day include addressing the hardships that girls and women face during menstruation, highlighting the unique solutions being offered to combat the lack of MHM, building a global movement that recognizes and supports girls’ and women’s rights, and helping shape MHM policies into coherent legislation at the local, national, and international levels.

It’s also a day for people to hold their governments accountable for helping solve the problem of a lack of MHM in their country. To spread the word about this awareness day, people can use the hashtag #MenstrualHygieneDay on social media.