#IMA encourages use of safe water and safe sanitary pads on World Menstrual Hygiene Day

*New Delhi, 28 May 2017*: According to statistics, between 43% and 88% of
adolescent girls in urban India use reusable cloth for their periods, but
do not clean them properly. A majority of rural women also employ rags
during menstruation. These predispose them to reproductive tract infections
as it is difficult for them to keep these used clothes and rags clean and
free of harmful bacteria.

In India, only 1 out of 2 girls have knowledge about menstruation before
their first period. Statistics also indicate that only about 12% of Indian
women are able to employ the commercially available sanitary napkins as an
alternative. Every year, 28th May marks the World Menstrual Hygiene Day.
The theme this year is “Education about menstruation changes everything”.
Menstrual hygiene is as important as food and water hygiene.

Speaking about this, *Padma Shri Awardee Dr K K Aggarwal, National
President Indian Medical Association (IMA) and President Heart Care
Foundation of India (HCFI) and Dr RN Tandon – Honorary Secretary General
IMA in a joint statement, *said,” Safe water and safe sanitary pads both
are important for maintaining menstrual hygiene. In India, there is still a
lot of ambiguity about menstrual hygiene. Using unclean cloth during
menstruation can increase the risk of infections by up to 200%. Repeated
use of unclean clothes and improper drying of used cloth before its reuse
in menstruation can harbour microorganisms and thereby cause RTI. There is
a need to conduct awareness programmes, particularly in government schools,
about the onset of periods and practicing hygiene during those days. Girls
cannot predict the onset of menstruation and therefore, schools should have
a ready supply of sanitary napkins.”

As part of the World Menstruation Day this year, the IMA is also
campaigning to encourage education and awareness on this topic which is
still considered taboo by many in the country.

Adding further, *Dr Aggarwal*, said, “This day offers the opportunity to
create awareness on the importance for women and girls to hygienically
manage their menstruation, safely and with dignity. It is imperative to
educate girls and women alike on safe and hygienic practices to be followed
during their menstrual cycle to avoid any infections and ensure good
health.”

Here are some basic menstrual hygiene tips you can follow.

– *Choose your method of sanitation* Be it sanitary napkins, tampons, or
menstrual cups, choose what you are comfortable in.
– *Change regularly *It is important to change the sanitary pad every 3
to 4 hours at least in the first two days. An excessively damp pad can
harbour microorganisms and cause infection.
– *Wash yourself regularly *Clean yourself every time you use the
washroom or change, as this will keep you away from infections and also
remove any bad odour.
– *Avoid using soaps or vaginal hygiene products *Soap can kill the good
bacteria and make way for infections. It should only be used on the
external parts.
– *Discard the used sanitary product properly *Used products can spread
infections and can smell foul. It is therefore important to wrap it
properly and discard it in a proper way.

*-Ends-*

*About IMA*: Indian Medical Association is the only representative,
national voluntary organization of Doctors of Modern Scientific System of
Medicine, which looks after the interest of doctors as well as the well
being of the community at large. It has its Headquarter in Delhi and State
/ Terr. Branches in 30 States and Union Territories. It has over 2, 60,000
doctors as its members through more than 1765 active local branches spread
across the country.