THE PERIODICAL

The results of Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) 2026 are in! 

They show what is possible when thousands of organisations and individuals join forces. Advocates, NGOs, media, governments, communities, and corporates came together to drive awareness and action on menstrual health and hygiene (MHH). All with one goal: creating a #PeriodFriendlyWorld for everyone. 

In 2026, we crossed the mark of 1,500 official partner organisations.
The MH Day movement continues to grow. 💪 

And so does our impact.
This year, the team tracked more than 3,000 MH Day events, 28,300 pieces of media coverage, and 299,000 social media contributions! 

Together, these efforts resulted in a new milestone: during the campaign period from 29 April to 10 June 2026: 

MH Day collectively reached 1.135 billion people worldwide. 

Isn’t that incredible? 

That’s nearly one in seven people on the planet, and the biggest reach in the history of MH Day! 

It shows that while MHH was a niche issue a few years ago, it is becoming more and more relevant for the mainstream of society. 

  Read more about the 
numbers,  trends,  and stories 
behind MH Day 2026  

Thank you for being part of this growing movement! Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld!

Warmly,
Ina, Aya and the team at the International Secretariat of MH Day / WASH United

c/o - WASH United gGmbH Fürbringerstrasse 7 Berlin 10961 Germany

International Menstrual Hygiene Day 2026

Facts & figures about MH Day and menstrual health & hygiene

About Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day)

• MH Day is celebrated annually on 28 May to symbolize the average length of the menstrual cycle (28) and duration of menstruation (5).
• It was initiated by WASH United and was first celebrated in 2014. WASH United is an award-winning non-profit based in Berlin/Germany, founded in 2011, with a focus on menstrual health and hygiene (MHH). WASH United focuses on strengthening the global MHH ecosystem by offering free, easy-to-use solutions for awareness, advocacy, and education, and engages in strategic advocacy throughout the year.

• The mission of the MH Day movement is to create a period-friendly world.

A period-friendly world is a world in which menstruation is accepted as a normal fact of life and is no longer stigmatised. It is a world in which everyone is educated about menstruation from an early age. In a period-friendly world, everyone has access to quality and affordable period products of their choice. Everyone has access to period-friendly toilets. And in a period-friendly world, menstrual health services are available to everyone. It is a world where no one is held back just because they menstruate. (MH Day mission)

• The impact of MH Day 2025: reach of 971 million people, 25,026 pieces of media coverage, 198,132 social media contributions, more than 2,000 events, and 1,350 partner organizations.

 
About Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH)

Global perspective of menstruation

• Globally, 2.1 billion adolescent girls and women menstruate. 
  (WHO/ UNICEF, Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2024. JMP, 2025)
• On any given day, approximately 375 million women and girls worldwide are menstruating. (Own calculation)

MHH-related challenges

• Number of persons in need: More than 500 million women do not have the resources and support that they need to manage their menstruation. 
  (Amaya L. et al., Advancing Gender Equity by Improving Menstrual Health. FSG, 2020)
• Period education: Globally, only around 2 out of 5 schools provide menstruation education. 
  (WHO/ UNICEF, Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in schools, 2015-2023. JMP, 2024)(MH Day mission)

1 of 3  April 2026                                         Continued ...                                       #PeriodFriendlyWorld 

THE PERIODICAL: Your Menstrual Hygiene Day Secretariat

Dear readers,

It was a rough first three months for many of us with US Aid ending abruptly in January.
Additionally, the global pushback against gender equality and menstruation-related topics continues.
Yet, in the face of this, we continue to stand strong.
Progress in menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) is happening—
from landmark funding commitments to critical research shaping
policies and understanding worldwide.

In this edition, we bring you:

Funding Updates / Events / Publications / Lots of new research

🩸🩸🩸

My source: Email - Newsletter: The Periodical.

"Turning Red"

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Previously: 'menstruation'

My source: Various

Op-Ed: Why dignified menstruation matters?

"reproductive health rights are human rights"

individual

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group - population

self self-esteem  self-respect dignity FEMINITY awareness ignorance concepts personal beliefs  anxiety fear stress vulnerability  risk mental health trauma - abuse impact on education self-care self-efficacy health literacy  psychological privacy (this is my period - not my shame ...)

A matter of  human biology:  anatomy & physiology globally? Bangladesh, Nepal, India, other low and middle income countries  in South Asia menstruation, menstrual period adolescence, women of reproductive age wrong information life threatening ... menstrual hygiene  menstrual health management disaster response natural disaster, floods, cyclones, conflict, refugees cyclone shelters lighting physical security  physical access to toilets traditional materials - cloth physical privacy

even if it's yours? intergenerational factors... "When I was a girl..." Women's menstruation menstrual period  cultural and social beliefs Health literacy Health promotion negligence and whisper womanhood: dignity and respect public discussion  stereotype, ideas, taboos, stigma shame age old superstitions  life threatening harmful practices imposed to them by the family members, neighbours and the community [ Community care?! ] positive role models positive support of husbands and families social privacy

Human Rights Declaration United Nations in 1948 'dignified menstruation' UN Water water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) Disaster relief: 1. Male perspective; 2. Cultural taboo; 3. Menstrual health not in plans? power control  budgetary planning Public Health Policy Toilet facilities Provision of toilets Toilet-sewage infrastructure political privacy (do not compromise my privacy  by compromising my rights)

"All the stakeholders should explore all-inclusive 

and 

most comprehensive integrated approach 

to ensure dignified menstruation."

The Daily Observer, Why dignified menstruation matters? by PARVEZ BABUL

My source: HIFA

... and previously on W2tQ

#FreePeriods - Period Poverty (Schools opt-in January 2020)

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understanding awareness access	PERIOD
The RED box project Schools - must opt-in	POVERTY government funding

BBC Radio 4: 5 December 2019 [ from 20 mins...]

"After a long campaign from #FreePeriods, the Government agreed to fund a scheme to ensure all primary and secondary schools and colleges provided free period products to menstruating pupils. This was meant to start rolling out in September 2019 but has now been pushed back to January 2020. It is an opt-in scheme and so schools and colleges must sign up to receive free sanitary products. Gemma Abbott is a campaigner for FreePeriods and volunteer from the charity The Red Box Project, and Nadia Collier is a family support worker at a primary school in London, who has first-hand experience of how important these free period products can be."

Updated - Additional resource c/o RCN publications:

Promoting Menstrual Wellbeing

Publication Code : 007 856

"Menstruation is both a physiological and psychological milestone in a woman’s life. This publication has been developed to help nurses break down the stigma that can be associated with what is a completely natural process. It is important to use appropriate and flexible communication methods to ensure information on the menstrual cycle is delivered in an accessible format for women. This publication has a supporting promotional flyer (007 857) and both resources are supported by Hologic’s Wear White Again campaign."

Period. End of Sentence.

"The strongest creature on earth is not the elephant, 
not the tiger, but the girl." 
[Murugananthem] 


individual

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Individual beliefs Shame - Culture Education - Access - Awareness	Menstruation Hygiene Work: the 'Pad' Machine OR in the Fields Rags to Riches?
Period. End of Sentence. Official Trailer from Rayka Zehtabchi on Vimeo.	Riches to Rags?  income Women's Rights Freedom - Choice - Independence Human Rights Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs

And in the UK: c/o @michaelsheen & @HeyGirlsUK

Today I'm debunking the common myth that Dads can't (or won't) get involved in talking periods with our daughters. Thanks to @HeyGirlsUK for bringing Dads to the table with all we need to know #Pads4Dads https://t.co/HgfyLpZaqp pic.twitter.com/J531cEmHfn

— michael sheen (@michaelsheen) March 11, 2019