In Nigeria, menstrual health continues to be a taboo-ridden battlefield, where lack of open dialogue, cultural myths, and economic constraints force many girls and women into precarious hygienic conditions.
According to experts, these deeply embedded stigmas are exacerbating a public health crisis that is under-reported and under-resourced.
In an exclusive interview in Abuja, Abdulhameed Adediran, Team Lead for Menstrual Health Initiatives at Population Services International (PSI) Nigeria, painted a stark portrait of the challenges facing the country’s women and girls. He described the state of menstrual health in Nigeria as “burdened,” pointing to gaps in demand, supply, and the enabling environment.
Myths, silence and misinformation
One of the greatest barriers, Adediran said, is ignorance of menstrual health caused by fragmented education and entrenched cultural norms. Until recently, Nigeria lacked a coherent national framework for menstrual messaging or behavioural change communication. In its absence, generations of girls have inherited myths and inconsistent advice about how to manage periods, how to dispose of menstrual waste, and how to respond to discomfort or complications.
“During our trainings, we ask what people call menstruation in their culture,” Adediran explained. Many hesitate to even utter the word “period,” preferring euphemisms or silence. This pervasive hush means a girl may struggle to ask for pads at a store, carry spare supplies, or speak to a teacher about pain or infection.
Economic constraints and product access
Even if a girl overcomes stigma, the products themselves pose a challenge. Nearly all disposable sanitary pads available in Nigeria are imported, making their prices vulnerable to foreign exchange fluctuations. In rural and low-income communities, local vendors may avoid stocking these goods, further limiting availability.
Desperate users sometimes resort to using dry leaves, rags, old socks, or even cow dung when no sanitary option is available. Such practices carry serious risks of infection and threaten dignity.
Meanwhile, wealthier women sometimes travel abroad to buy high-end menstrual products, an option closed to those with fewer resources.
Community change agents and policy gains
To combat these layered issues, PSI Nigeria has launched a flagship program, Menstrual Health – No Wahala (MH-NoW), targeting girls and young women aged 10–24 across six states: Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Kano, Lagos, Nasarawa, and Sokoto. It pairs access to products with education, and it trains a network of menstrual health champions embedded in schools, communities, and media. In just a few months, the program claims to have reached over 200,000 individuals and recruited more than 300 champions.
On the policy front, PSI has supported the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in validating Nigeria’s first National Policy on Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management. However, Adediran warns that the gap between policy and implementation remains vast—without dedicated budget lines, full adoption by all states, and political will, many plans will stall.
The long road ahead
Addressing Nigeria’s menstrual health crisis, Adediran says, requires viewing menstruation not as a niche women’s issue but as a cross-sectoral right. He argues that every level of government—Health, Education, Women’s Affairs, Standards bodies, and regulation agencies—must coordinate as part of a technical working group. Only when menstrual health is prioritized in budgets and policies, and when communities become active agents of change, can the silence be broken—and dignity restored.
“We must learn to say it, teach it, budget for it, and protect it,” Adediran urged.