Lara Adejoro
As the cost of goods continues to skyrocket, one product worse hit is sanitary pads, and this has led to a wide outcry among women and girls struggling to manage their monthly menstrual periods amid the economic hardship.
Medical experts are concerned that many women across the country still grapple with period poverty, which is one factor that fuels the rise in infections.
According to the United Nations Population Fund, period poverty describes the struggle many low-income women and girls face while trying to afford menstrual products.
Lamenting the situation, Abiola Iwolowa, 28, told our correspondent that the price of her choicest pad has now increased to N2,400.
“When it was between N1500-N1,600, I used to buy three at once, but now I had to buy just one now, I can’t even afford two because of other responsibilities, and things are expensive,” she added.
Another lady, Amina Yusuf said she resorted to using pieces of Ankara or toilet paper when she could no longer afford sanitary pads.
“Since I can’t afford pads anymore, I had to start using pieces of clothes or toilet paper since the beginning of this year, even though I get stained once in a while,” she stated.
Speaking on this, a former Chairman of the Association of Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, Dr Tunji Akintade said, “Ideally, once you use the toilet, you should change your sanitary pad, and you should never repeat the same one.
“People use two to three per day depending on the flow, and the average flow per month is five days, so the average pads used in a cycle are about 15. So, you need about N2,500 to keep your hygiene during your menstrual flow. Anything short of that, you are prone to infections.
“Infections can lead to infertility. Infections can lead to kidney failure. The health implication of that is that people are likely to resort to alternatives, and the alternative they always have is to get toilet rolls, roll it, and add more infections to the private part. It is not advisable to use tissue, some people can use cotton wool, and that is the challenge that we have.”
He urged women to ensure they save for sanitary pads and also called on the government to subsidise the products for women.
Also speaking, a consultant family physician and Head of Department, Family Medicine Department at the University of Ilorin, Dr Ibrahim Kuranga-Suleiman, urged girls and women to strive to be hygienic during their menstrual cycle.
“The essence is to be hygienic or else, they risk infection. This is also a time to look inward and see what works perfectly for us in the country, especially for women,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Press and Public Relations Unit, Ministry of Women Affairs, Grace Njoku, could not be reached to comment on steps taken to address period poverty, as her number could not be reached and has yet to respond to a text message sent to her at the time of filing this report.
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