Five Facts You Might Not Know About Menstrual Hygiene Day

Menstrual Hygiene Day is held each year on the 28th May with a much needed aim to raise awareness of menstrual education. We applaud this! We need this. Any conversation that we can have which will help to end period shame and all the silly stigmas that surround it is 100% welcomed by WUKA.

This year's theme is all about sharing our visions for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld- and it's clear that we need this campaign. We need to continue to fight, to break the silence and to change the negative norms that still surround one of the most natural biological events in the human body. We need to continue to smash those taboos and have those difficult conversations. And we need to help the campaign’s mission to create a world where nobody is held back by their period- where anybody can wake up and kick ass if they want to.

So obviously, here at WUKA we fully support Menstrual Hygiene Day- and seeing as we’re all about smashing taboos and raising awareness, we thought we’d share five things you might not know about the campaign itself.

1. We actually prefer the term ‘Health’ over ‘Hygiene

The official dictionary definition of ‘hygiene’ is ‘the degree to which people keep themselves or their environment clean.’

While we agree with WASH United’s view that the term hygiene focuses on ‘what women and girls need to manage their periods safely, hygienically and without shame’ we do also feel that there is so much more to menstrual education than this.

When it comes to menstruation, the word ‘hygiene’ implies that having a period is somehow unhygienic, that we should be concerned with hygiene and cleanliness rather than health when we talk about the menstrual cycle. It implies that period blood is dirty, that women are unhygienic when they’re bleeding. In our opinion, it gives the wrong impression about periods- and this can only aid in furthering the stigmas that already exist when we talk about menstruation.

In contrast, the word ‘health’ has a dictionary definition of ‘complete physical, mental and social well-being’- which we feel aligns much better with the message we want to get across. We are not ill when we bleed. We are not dirty or unhygienic. We are having a period. Our bodies are performing a very natural biological process- an amazing process which should be celebrated!

The term health can encapsulate everything we need to know and understand about periods so much better. The physiological processes that take place, the affect that hormones have on our mental heath, societal attitudes… this is where we need to get better at educating, moving away from ‘hygiene’ and taking a stand against period shaming.

2. It’s held on the 28th of May to represent the ‘average menstrual cycle’

We’ve probably all been told that most ‘normal’ menstrual cycles are 28 days long, right? Notice we put ‘normal’ in quotation marks, because who’s body actually conforms to the average norms anyway? 28 days might be average, but there’s actually quite a large range of what can be a normal cycle length for most. Your menstrual cycle can last anywhere from 21 to 42 days in reality- and the average 28 day cycle really isn't the norm for many at all.

So Menstrual Hygiene Day is held on the 28th day (to represent a 28 day cycle) of the 5th month (to represent the average cycle length of 5 days)- despite the fact that loads of us fall outside of this average every single month. 

The point here is to raise awareness of the fact that a 5 day period every 28 days is

‘normal’ for many, but might not be normal for you. Knowing your own body, your own cycle and your own flow is one of the most empowering things that you can do for yourself, so challenge this norm if it doesn’t exist for you.  

3. It's not just one day 

Menstrual Hygiene Day is observed on the 28th May each year, but this is really just the peak of year-long activity. Tireless campaigning and other work is carried out each and every other day of the year too; we need more than one day to make our voices heard and to spread our message far and wide.

Menstrual Hygiene Day was first initiated by WASH United, a German non-profit, in 2013. WASH United advocate for education with a focus on menstrual hygiene and human rights, and they set up the first awareness day on social media only, testing the waters to see if it was something that other organisations would support. 

Today, everyone is encouraged to take part, whether they’re an official partner or not. The more voices we have, the louder we roar. So look out for smaller campaigns throughout the year too. 

4. 2024 marks 10 years of the campaign

The first ever Menstrual Hygiene Day reached 22 million people. Last year, that figure stood at 705 million. Let that sink in. In just 10 years, media coverage of the campaign has grown from 89 pieces to 17,828, with 155 global partners increasing to a staggering 1003. 8000 of us were posting on social media about the campaign back in 2014, compared with 222,000 last year. So what does this year hold?

Now, more than ever we need to shout loud about the need for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld where the stigma and taboo surrounding menstruation are history. Where everyone can access the products, education and infrastructure they need.

Because there are still 500 million women and girls worldwide who don’t have what they need to manage their periods safely, hygienically and without shame. There are families, communities and entire countries suffering from the effects of menstruation-related challenges. There are still far too many women and girls across the globe missing out on valuable education and job opportunities due to their period. And this needs to end.