Monthly cycle and menstrual practices in India and other developing nations in South Asia and Africa still face numerous social, cultural, and strict limitations which are a major hindrance in the way of menstrual hygiene management. In various parts of the country particularly in rural regions girls are not readied and aware about period so they face numerous troubles and difficulties at home, schools, and work places.

Importance of Menstrual Hygiene

It is the basic right of each lady to have the option to deal with her period cleanly. However, this does not imply that the women who have access to sanitary pads, tampons, or menstrual cups are protected from health hazards in periods.

It may be your decision to utilize commercial sanitary napkins, tampons or menstrual cups. However, the worry is about the upkeep of hygienic practices during monthly cycle so you are not presented to health hazards in periods.

Menstrual Hygiene Management is defined by United Nations as the utilization of clean menstrual management items to absorb menstrual discharge by women that are changed in privacy as needed, with legitimate access to water, cleanser and disposal techniques. In the event that hygienic practices are not followed during monthly cycle like changing pads at regular intervals, washing and drying out reusable clean sanitary towels appropriately in the sun and washing hands subsequent to taking care of utilized sanitary pads; at that point the odds of getting Urogenital tract infection increases many folds.

Health Risks of Poor Menstrual Hygiene

As per BBC Magazine, around 70 % of the reproductive infections in Indian ladies are brought about by poor menstrual cleanliness. There are grave health hazards in periods if satisfactory sanitary measures are not taken.

Infection of Reproductive Tract: Contaminated items used to contain menstrual blood are favourable places for a few microscopic organisms like Salmonella, Staphylococcus and E. coli. These microbes can duplicate quickly in the reproductive tract beginning from the cervix and upwards. They can enter the bloodstream directly from the mucosal layer which is exceptionally porous. This can prompt sepsis and related difficulty.

Hazardous microbes can likewise attack the genital tract and can cause Reproductive Tract Infection. Not changing sanitary napkins frequently can add to dampness retention and speed up the development of harmful microorganisms.

An infected product can modify the pH of the vaginal area. This causes an adjustment in the microflora of the region, hence expanding the danger of bacterial vaginosis. The regular symptoms displayed by ladies experiencing RTI are genital itching, back pain, abdominal pain, pustules over genitalia and abnormal genital discharge.

Urinary Tract Infection: This is the most common type of infection that is present in women practicing poor menstrual cleanliness. UTI presents perhaps the most genuine health risks in periods where cleanliness is undermined. At the point when harmful microbes attack the urinary tract, they can bother the mucosal area and cause infection. Whenever left untreated, it can form into a genuine problem.

Cleaning or washing from back to front:

Washing or cleaning back to front subsequent to peeing or pooping. This really carries microbes from the bowel to the vagina and can prompt genuine urinary tract infections. Inappropriate washing of external genitalia, washing with just water, washing genitalia from back to front and utilizing unhygienic items as sponges are the explanations behind UTI during menstrual cycle.

Yeast Infections: Candidiasis is a yeast disease which can be brought about by poor menstrual cleanliness. Candida albicans is an opportunistic microorganism that can cause infection in the reproductive tract and urinary tract. Vulvovaginal candidiasis can influence 75% of women of reproductive stage and is generally asymptomatic.

Hepatitis B Infection: Hepatitis B is generally transmitted through bodily fluids, including menstrual discharge. Henceforth it is essential to wash hands altogether with cleanser and water after and prior to changing sterile napkins. The equivalent is valid for sexually transmitted disease like HIV, candidiasis and Trichomonas infection.

Increased Risk of Cervical Cancer: Cervical cancer is the cancer of the cervix or the uterine opening which is overwhelmingly brought about by the Human Papilloma Virus. 132000 Indian women are diagnosed to have cervical cancer each year. Lack of menstrual hygiene is a main factor that adds to the advancement of this disease.

No women should live with the shame of period or suffer in silence. The spread of menstrual awareness and utilization of sterile items to manage monthly cycle are the most ideal approaches to dodge health hazards in periods.

Wearing one sanitary pad for a long time:

Many of us have done this mistake knowingly or unknowingly. If you don’t change your pads habitually (somewhere around each 5-7 hours), you are substantially more inclined to create rashes and vaginal yeast diseases with the symptom of terrible smell

Unprotected sex during your period:

Most of you may be certain of not getting pregnant because of period sex; we world beg to differ. Regardless of whether the odds appear to be less you can in any case get pregnant in the event that you don’t take proper protection. Please use protection, not just because you could get pregnant but also because you are more likely to contract a STD (sexually transmitted disease) like herpes, HIV and Hepatitis B during this time of the month.

Not washing your hands

We have all been taught in school to wash our hands to avoid infections. Not washing your hands subsequent to changing your sanitary pads can cause yeast infections or Hepatitis B. Thus, regardless of whether you’ve quite recently been hanging out staring at the TV the entire day, it’s vital that you wash your hands prior to wearing a pad and in the wake of disposing one as well.