The beginning of menstruation in adolescence is a phenomenon that signals reproductive maturity.

Adolescent girls often do not receive accurate information about menstrual health because of culturally specific practices as well as poor knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene leading to incorrect and unhealthy behaviors.

Menstruation is part of female reproductive cycle that starts when girls become sexually mature at the time of puberty. It is a phenomenon unique to the females. The menstrual period lasts from three to seven days. Each period commences approximately in every 28 days if the woman does not become pregnant.

A deviation of two or three days from the twenty eight day rhythm is quite common. A woman will have approximately 500 periods in her lifetime and an estimated 50 ml to 200 ml blood loss.

Menstruation is a biological process that all women have to go through but the social and cultural stigma about menstruation often excludes women from services and opportunities.

It is unfortunate that even today, this natural phenomenon is still considered as a taboo in Nepalese society.

Inadequate menstrual hygiene management is connected with several problems that females face. Poor hygiene may affect the reproductive tract leading to the risk of reproductive tract infections and various other disabilities if not treated early.

In many parts of our country, school dropout rate among girls is higher than that of boys because they do not attend schools due to lack of clean and safe toilets to change their sanitary pads or towels along with social and religious restrictions while they are menstruating.

Due to fear of humiliation and discomfort, girls prefer staying at home than going to school. Improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities can actually increase girls’ attendance at school.

Before bringing any change in menstrual practices every girl should be acquainted with the facts and physiological implications of menstruation.

The girls should be educated about the significance of menstruation and development of secondary sexual characteristics, selection of sanitary menstrual absorbent and its proper disposal.

There is a need of compulsory sex and health education on menstrual hygiene so that they can discuss freely about it without hesitation.