Systemic shame surrounding menstruation is alive and thriving, everywhere
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We have witnessed this unfortunate reality firsthand in our work at the Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP), where we worked on Menstrual Health Management (MHM) and
allied initiatives, engaging with a wide range of citizen groups including urban poor residents, schoolchildren, government officers, sanitation workers, and business owners. Even
middle-aged women, who one might assume would have picked up knowledge over their lifetime, exhibit a lack of understanding about basic health principles. While periods are not only about
biology, medicalising this issue (and forgetting cultural aspects) has its own danger, and if nothing else, we need to impart health information.