Angela Onwuzoo
Senior medical professionals have said it is unhealthy for girls to use clothes and tissue paper for menstruation, warning that they could expose them to the risk of vaginal infections.
The health specialists, however, identified poverty as the major factor a lot of girls can no longer afford sanitary or safe menstrual products as their prices continue to soar.
The United Nations Children’s Fund also warns that poor menstrual hygiene can pose physical health risks and has been linked to reproductive and urinary tract infections
The physicians who spoke exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise urged the federal and state governments to address the worrisome rate of period poverty in the country and make sanitary pads free for adolescent girls.
Period poverty, the the United Nations Population Fund says is the struggle many women and girls in low-income countries face while trying to access menstrual products.
A recent PUNCH Healthwise market survey showed that the cheapest sanitary pads are beyond the reach of many girls which has led those from vulnerable homes to resort to the use of clothes and tissue paper for menstruation.
A renowned Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, with over 40 years of experience in healthcare delivery and development work, Oladapo Ladipo, said girls using clothes and tissue papers for menstruation are at risk of infections that could lead to infertility later in life.
Ladipo, who is the co-founder of the Association for Reproductive and Family Health said, “The use of tissue papers and pieces of clothes is not ideal because of the risk of infection.
“Girls should not be using tissue papers for menstruation. How much will it absorb and they are not clean enough like the tampons? It may absorb but the risk of infection is there.
The maternal health expert warned, “When they get infected in the genital tract, if it gets to the upper reproductive tract, they may have pelvic infection.
“And if that happens, the two fallopian tubes may be blocked, and later on, they will face infertility problems when they get older and are married. So, we need to avoid that.”
The gynaecologist stressed that using sanitary pads is ideal for menstruation.
Ladipo said since people are not able to buy sanitary pads because of poverty, the government should make them free for young adolescents, particularly those in schools.
Also speaking, a UNICEF Health Specialist, Dr Ijeoma Agbo, stated that as a result of poverty, a lot of girls cannot afford safe menstrual products.
She noted that lack of access to sanitary pads leads to poor hygiene measures during menstruation, warning that this could pose a serious health risk.
“Of course, when they use clothes and tissue papers, you see them coming down with reproductive and some urinary tract infections. It is mainly from poor hygiene.
“We know that poverty is an issue but we also advocate that the government for once should ensure that these girls have access to sanitary facilities; clean water, clean toilets, clean sanitation, and hygiene facilities”, the health specialist said.
Agbo asked the government to make affordable sanitary products available for adolescent girls and also provide WASH facilities in schools.
“They should ensure that these girls have affordable sanitary products that they can use”, she added.
The UNICEF health specialist also recommended leveraging private organisations to support adolescent girls with safe menstrual products in schools.
In a 2021 study published in the African Journals Online titled, “ Menstrual hygiene management among adolescent school girls in Taraba State, Nigeria’ researchers from the Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Taraba State University, Jalingo, said poor personal hygiene and unsafe sanitary conditions have primarily resulted in gynaecological problems among the adolescent girls.
“A preponderance of cases of infections due to lack of hygiene during menstruation has been reported.
“Hidden micro-organisms and vaginal infections have been reported to be caused by frequent use of unclean napkins or improperly dried cloth napkins before their reuse”, the researchers stated.
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