According to the American Medical Women\'s Association, period poverty refers to \"inadequate access to menstrual hygiene tools and education, including but not limited to sanitary products, washing facilities, and waste management.\" A component of period poverty in the US can be attributed to the neglect of menstrual education and lack of menstrual health and hygiene tools in schools. This scoping review aims to examine the educational methods employed to improve menstrual knowledge in middle and high school menstruating students in both school and clinical settings. It also highlights gaps and barriers in equitable access to menstrual hygiene products. The five-stage framework by Arksey and O\'Malley (2005) and the updated Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guide were used to guide the review. Six studies were retained for analysis. Two-thirds of menstruating students reported using at least one of the school\'s resources to obtain period products, and one-third of the participants reported missing school due to a lack of period products. Nearly half of the students needed period products at least once in the past school year but lacked the financial resources to purchase such products. Menstruating students reported embarrassment and a need for secrecy when accessing school bathrooms since the social and physical environments of school bathrooms heightened their discomfort while menstruating. Although a majority of adolescent students had basic knowledge of menstrual periods prior to menarche, the depth of their understanding of menstruation was limited. Findings from this review can inform the future development of evidence-based educational interventions to improve the overall menstruation experience for US menstruating adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: There is a paucity in research supporting procedures to teach skills needed during an individual\'s menstrual cycle. The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, a literature review was conducted to find publications on the topic of menstrual care. Second, the studies found were evaluated against What Works Clearinghouse™ (WWC) standards and analyzed to determine the presence of clinical components relevant to teaching these skills.
METHODS: A literature review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. The review identified publications that taught menstrual care skills to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other disabilities. The review focused specifically on studies that employed single-subject research methodology. Studies found were analyzed against the WWC\'s criteria to assess the rigor of each studies\' methodology. Finally, studies were categorized across indicators that are clinically relevant to teaching menstrual care skills.
RESULTS: The results highlighted a lack of empirical support for teaching menstrual care skills. 7 single-subject design studies were identified in the previous 40 years of research. One study met all criteria required to receive the WWC\'s highest rating.
CONCLUSIONS: The complexity and private nature of menstrual care skills can make intervention development daunting. This paper was intended to provide menstrual care researchers with guidance in implementing high-quality studies. Additionally, scientist-practitioners can find guidance regarding important considerations to support programming that is both effective and respectful.

With ever-improving social and medical awareness about menstrual hygiene in India, the demand for sanitary napkins has increased significantly. The utilization of high-quality and environment-friendly raw materials to produce these pads is further supporting the growth of the market. However, with improving demand and usage, the need for proper disposal techniques becomes more relevant, since all of these pads get contaminated with human blood which makes them a biohazard and can cause significant damage to human health and the environment. One sanitary pad takes around 800 years to degrade naturally and the plastic and super absorbent polymers (SAPs) in sanitary pads are non-biodegradable and can take multiple decades to degrade. Waste management technologies such as pyrolysis, gasification, and resource recovery can be adopted to manage tons of sanitary waste. Currently, sanitary waste treatment mainly focuses on landfilling, incineration, and composting, where biohazard wastes are mixed with tons of solid waste. Disposable sanitary pads have a high carbon footprint of about 5.3 kg CO2 equivalent every year. Innovative solutions for sanitary pad disposal are discussed in the manuscript which includes repurposing of derived waste cellulose and plastic fraction into value-added products. Future aspects of disinfection strategies and value addition to waste cellulose recovered from napkins were systematically discussed to promote a circular economy.

A systematic literature review was conducted to examine all recent academic, peer-reviewed studies of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) across adolescent girls in Anglophone West Africa. The objective was to assess the status of the scholarship surrounding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of MHM across English-speaking West African countries and identify gaps in the literature for further research. The authors searched the epidemiological literatures indexed in PubMed and cross-referenced bibliographies for studies published between 2010-2022. Of 59 abstracts and articles screened, 35 met the final inclusion criteria. Despite differences in study design, setting, and data sources, the study results concurred on an average age of menarche between 12-15 years old among adolescent girls. The knowledge of MHM came from multiple sources, most commonly mothers, female siblings, and teachers and higher knowledge was associated with age, source, wealth, religion, and education level. Less than half of the adolescent girls knew about menstruation before menarche. Many studies showed that girls were shocked by their first period and fearful of staining. Menstruation was associated with dysmenorrhea, fear/embarrassment, and missing school. The existing studies suggest that more implementation and evaluation of menstrual hygiene management materials, education, and facilities are needed to address the educational, physical, and social disparities that exist among girls in West African countries.
Une revue systématique de la littérature a été menée pour examiner toutes les études universitaires récentes évaluées par des pairs sur la gestion de l\'hygiène menstruelle (MHM) chez les adolescentes d\'Afrique de l\'Ouest anglophone. L\'objectif était d\'évaluer l\'état de la recherche sur les connaissances, les attitudes et les pratiques de la GHM dans les pays anglophones d\'Afrique de l\'Ouest et d\'identifier les lacunes dans la littérature pour des recherches plus approfondies. Les auteurs ont recherché dans la littérature épidémiologique indexée dans PubMed et des bibliographies croisées pour les études publiées entre 2010 et 2022. Sur les 59 résumés et articles examinés, 35 répondaient aux critères d\'inclusion finaux. Malgré les différences dans la conception, le cadre et les sources de données de l\'étude, les résultats de l\'étude concordaient sur un âge moyen des premières règles entre 12 et 15 ans chez les adolescentes. La connaissance de la GHM provenait de sources multiples, le plus souvent des mères, des frères et sœurs et des enseignants, et les connaissances supérieures étaient associées à l\'âge, à la source, à la richesse, à la religion et au niveau d\'éducation. Moins de la moitié des adolescentes connaissaient leurs règles avant les premières règles. De nombreuses études ont montré que les filles étaient choquées par leurs premières règles et craignaient les taches. Les menstruations étaient associées à la dysménorrhée, à la peur/à la gêne et à l\'absence à l\'école. Les études existantes suggèrent qu\'une plus grande mise en œuvre et une plus grande évaluation du matériel, de l\'éducation et des installations de gestion de l\'hygiène menstruelle sont nécessaires pour remédier aux disparités éducatives, physiques et sociales qui existent parmi les filles dans les pays d\'Afrique de l\'Ouest.

UNASSIGNED: In the context of rapidly expanding policy and practice, this systematic review collates and appraises evidence for the effectiveness of menstrual health interventions in the East Asia and Pacific region.
UNASSIGNED: Structured searches were undertaken in 7 databases and Google Scholar. Grey literature was identified through searching and survey of stakeholders. Quantitative evaluations were eligible. We audited the interventions and outcomes assessed in current evidence, undertook risk of bias assessment, and narrative synthesis of findings. The review protocol was registered prior to searching (PROSPERO: 343613).
UNASSIGNED: Eighteen studies were eligible; categorised according to the requirements for menstrual health they addressed. Information and education intervention studies (n = 11) found school-based programs improved menstrual knowledge test scores but did not evaluate impacts on broader outcomes. Evaluations of interventions providing materials, facilities, and services for menstruation (n = 4) focused on product acceptability. Studies exhibited a serious risk of bias without adequate controls, limitations in intervention allocation, adherence, and participant retention. Six studies of interventions to improve care for menstrual discomforts found decreased self-reported pain but had serious bias without placebo controls. Two interventions targeted the supportive social environment for menstruation.
UNASSIGNED: There is insufficient evidence for the effectiveness of menstrual health interventions in the East Asia and Pacific region. Future research must improve reporting, provide clear intervention theory of change, and improve measurement of core concepts. Evaluations of interventions that align with policy and practice are needed, facilitated by partnerships between researchers, government, and practitioners.
UNASSIGNED: UNICEF. Reckitt Global Hygiene Institute. NHMRC.

India is native to many tribal communities: Bharia (Madhya Pradesh), Bihl (Rajasthan), Santhal (Bihar, Jharkhand), Bodo (Assam, West Bengal), and many more. They reside in isolated geographical regions, which poses challenges in reaching out to them. In addition, they still have firm beliefs and taboos regarding menstruation. Knowledge about menstrual health and hygiene is one of the most important aspects of tribal health. Therefore, it is important to synthesize the results of menstrual hygiene data from the Indian tribal population. We have calculated the pooled prevalence of sanitary pad use, dustbin disposal, and hygienic reuse of menstrual materials. Online databases, namely PubMed, Cochrane Central, CINAHL, Pan African Journals, EBSCO, and Google Scholar, were searched. After the removal of duplicates, a quality check, and screening of cross-references, 19 articles were selected for final review. Statistical analysis was done by Revman 5.4 and STATA 17.0. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. PRISMA guidelines were followed. The protocol registration number was CRD42022331376. This is a non-funded article. The pooled prevalence of sanitary pad use in Indian tribal females was 2% (95% CI 1 to 3). The pooled prevalence of dustbin disposal of menstrual material was 1% (95% CI: 0.00 to 0.02). The pooled prevalence of hygienic reuse of menstrual materials was 1%. Sanitary menstrual hygiene practices are very less prevalent in Indian tribal females. Awareness programs and tribal health policies need to be accelerated for the promotion of menstrual hygiene. Also, literature on the use, disposal, and storage of menstrual adsorbents is scarce in Indian tribes. Health research in this area needs to be emphasized.

Women with mental disabilities deal with menstrual problems like any other woman. The menstrual hygiene, discomfort, and sleep disturbance associated with menses make these women irritable, and their caregivers sometimes feel and decide on some unindicated surgeries like hysterectomy, sterilization, and abortion to save them from getting pregnant. While taking into consideration the burden on caregivers, complete informed choices to reach a decision are also important as these surgical procedures may do more harm than good. Early menopause happens when a hysterectomy is performed in young adults and can cause further deterioration of mental and physical health for example heart disease, and osteoporosis. Many agencies and law provide extended help and care to special children including education, and grooming which helps them achieve a life with minimum dependence. Before opting for treatment involvement of all the professionals associated with these people like psychiatrists, gynecologists, psychologists, involvement of human rights agencies, providing school education, and helping caregivers in providing care will bring some change.

Many adolescent girls in Ethiopia and elsewhere missed school during their monthly cycles due to a lack of affordable menstrual absorbent materials or money to buy sanitary pads. So far, few studies have looked into the relationship between earning pocket money and maintaining good menstrual hygiene. Hence, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the best available evidence regarding the association between earning pocket money and menstrual hygiene management among adolescents in Ethiopia.
We systematically searched PubMed, Hinari, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, POPLINE, African Journal Online, Direct of Open Access Journals, and Google Scholar for studies examining the association between earning pocket money and menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls in Ethiopia, without restriction in a publication year. The Joanna Briggs Institute quality assessment tool for the cross-sectional studies was used to assess the quality of included studies. A prefabricated checklist, including variables: first author, publication year, sample size, type of questionnaire, and the region was used to extract data from the selected articles. A random-effect meta-analysis model was used to estimate the pooled odds ratio (OR) of the association between earning pocket money and menstrual hygiene management. The heterogeneity and publication bias was assessed by using I2 test statistics and Egger\'s test, respectively.
Data from nine studies involving 4783 adolescent girls were extracted. The meta-analysis revealed that adolescent girls who earned pocket money from their parents or relative had 1.64 times higher odds of having good menstrual hygiene management than their counterparts [pooled OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.16-2.34, I2:66.7%, n = 7 (number of studies)]. Similarly, the likelihood of having good menstrual hygiene management was lower by 49% among adolescent girls who did not receive any pocket money from their parents compared to their counterparts (pooled OR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.35-0.74, I2:48.4%, n = 2).
The findings revealed that adolescent girls who earned pocket money were more likely to practice good menstrual hygiene management. Progress toward better menstrual hygiene will necessitate consideration of this factor.

Increasing recognition of the difficulties women and adolescent girls face during menstruation has the prompted rapid implementation of menstrual health programmes and policies. Yet, there remains limited understanding of the influence of these interventions on individuals\' menstrual experiences. We systematically reviewed and synthesised qualitative studies of participant experiences of menstrual health interventions. Included studies were undertaken in 6 countries (India, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, South Africa) and involved over 900 participants. Interventions focused on menstrual product or education provision. Only 6 of the 12 included studies were rated as high or medium trustworthiness. Exposure to new menstrual products led to changes in women\'s and girls\' expectations of what a menstrual material should offer, with recipients highly valuing reduced fears of leakage and improved freedom of movement. After learning how to use new products or receiving educational materials, women and girls reported feeling more empowered and aware of the physiological process of menstruation, and in some cases wanted to share this knowledge with others in their communities. For each intervention, the process of introduction, trial and error, and acceptance of the new technologies or information was influenced by the sociocultural environment including parents, peers and teachers.

Management of menstruation in contexts of humanitarian emergencies can be challenging. A lack of empirical research about effective interventions which improve menstrual hygiene management (MHM) among female populations in humanitarian emergencies and a lack of clarity about which sectors within a humanitarian response should deliver MHM interventions can both be attributable to the lack of clear guidance on design and delivery of culturally appropriate MHM intervention in settings of humanitarian emergencies. The objective of this review was to collate, summarize, and appraise existing peer-reviewed and gray literature that describes the current scenario of MHM in emergency contexts in order to describe the breadth and depth of current policies, guidelines, empirical research, and humanitarian aid activities addressing populations\' menstrual needs. A structured-search strategy was conducted for peer-reviewed and gray literature to identify studies, published reports, guidelines, and policy papers related to menstrual response in emergency humanitarian contexts. Of the 51 articles included in the review, 16 were peer-reviewed papers and 35 were gray literature. Most of the literature agreed that hardware interventions should focus on the supply of adequate material (not only absorbent material but also other supportive material) and adequate sanitation facilities, with access to water and private space for washing, changing, drying, and disposing menstrual materials. Software interventions should focus on education in the usage of materials to manage menstruation hygienically and education about the female body\'s biological processes. There was clear agreement that the needs of the target population should be assessed before designing any intervention. Although there is insight about which factors should be included in an effective menstrual hygiene intervention, there is insufficient empirical evidence to establish which interventions are most effective in humanitarian emergencies and which sectors should be responsible for the coordination and implementation of such. Increased monitoring and evaluation studies of interventions should be completed and publicly shared, in order to feed evidence-based guidelines in the humanitarian sector.