Editing Menstruation (section)

== Menstrual hygiene management ==
{{Main|Menstrual hygiene management|Feminine hygiene}}
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| image1 = Everyday_maxipad.jpg
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| alt1 = Disposable sanitary napkin
| caption1 = Disposable [[sanitary napkin]]
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| alt2 = Tampon in plastic applicator
| caption2 = The elements of a [[tampon]] with applicator. Left: the bigger tube ("penetrator"). Center: cotton tampon with attached string. Right: the narrower tube.
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| alt1 = Menstrual cup
| caption1 = [[Menstrual cup]]
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| alt2 = Cloth menstrual pad
| caption2 = [[Cloth menstrual pad]]
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Menstrual products (also called "[[feminine hygiene]]" products) are made to absorb or catch menstrual blood. A number of different products are available – some are disposable, some are reusable. Where women can afford it, items used to absorb or catch menses are usually commercially manufactured products. Menstruating women manage menstruation primarily by wearing menstrual products such as tampons, napkins or menstrual cups to catch the menstrual blood.

The main disposable products (commercially manufactured) include:
*[[Sanitary napkin]]s (also called sanitary towels or pads) – Rectangular pieces of material worn attached to the underwear to absorb menstrual flow, often with an adhesive backing to hold the pad in place. Disposable pads may contain [[wood pulp]] or [[gel]] products, usually with a plastic lining and bleached.
*[[Tampon]]s – Disposable cylinders of treated [[rayon]]/cotton blends or all-cotton fleece, usually bleached, that are inserted into the vagina to absorb menstrual flow.

The main reusable products include:
*[[Menstrual cup]]s – A firm, flexible bell-shaped device worn inside the vagina to collect menstrual flow. 
*[[Cloth menstrual pad|Reusable cloth pads]] – Pads that are made of cotton (often [[organic farming|organic]]), [[terrycloth]], or [[flannel]], and may be handsewn (from material or reused old clothes and towels) or storebought.
*[[Period underwear|Padded panties or period-proof underwear]] – Reusable cloth (usually cotton) [[undergarment|underwear]] with extra absorbent layers sewn in to absorb flow. 
Due to poverty, some women cannot afford commercial feminine hygiene products.<ref name="Kaur_2018">{{cite journal | vauthors = Kaur R, Kaur K, Kaur R | title = Menstrual Hygiene, Management, and Waste Disposal: Practices and Challenges Faced by Girls/Women of Developing Countries | journal = Journal of Environmental and Public Health | volume = 2018 | pages = 1730964 | date = 2018 | pmid = 29675047 | pmc = 5838436 | doi = 10.1155/2018/1730964 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Girls 'too poor' to buy sanitary protection missing school |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39266056 |work=BBC News |date=14 March 2017 |access-date=27 April 2019 |archive-date=27 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427120746/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39266056 |url-status=live }}</ref> Instead, they use materials found in the environment or other improvised materials.<ref>{{cite thesis |vauthors=Chin L |title=Period of shame - The effects of menstrual hygiene management on rural women and girls' quality of life in Savannakhet, Laos |date=2014 |url=https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/lup/publication/4442938 |access-date=7 December 2022 |archive-date=7 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207185900/https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/lup/publication/4442938 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = House S, Mahon T, Cavill S |title=Menstrual Hygiene Matters: a resource for improving menstrual hygiene around the world |journal=Reproductive Health Matters |date=2013 |volume=21 |issue=41 |pages=257–259 |jstor=43288983 }}</ref> "[[Period poverty]]" is a global issue affecting women and girls who do not have access to safe, hygienic sanitary products.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Period poverty|url=https://www.actionaid.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/womens-economic-empowerment/period-poverty|website=ActionAid UK|access-date=3 June 2020|archive-date=30 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030213257/https://www.actionaid.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/womens-economic-empowerment/period-poverty|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, solid waste disposal systems in developing countries are often lacking, which means women have no proper place to dispose used products, such as pads.<ref>{{cite report | vauthors = Kjellén M, Pensulo C, Nordqvist P, Fogde M | title = Global Review of Sanitation System Trends and Interactions with Menstrual Management Practices: Report for the Menstrual Management and Sanitation Systems Project. | url = https://www.susana.org/en/knowledge-hub/resources-and-publications/library/details/1556 | publisher = Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) | location = Stockholm, Sweden }}</ref> Inappropriate disposal of used materials also creates pressures on sanitation systems as menstrual hygiene products can create blockages of toilets, pipes and sewers.<ref name="Kaur_2018" /> In the UK research has shown that for women [[Allotment (gardening)|allotment]] growers, access to sanitation for menstrual hygiene management is limited.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Cox |first=Elizabeth |date=2023-12-12 |title=Leaks and pees: How women allotment gardeners manage bodily mess and the remains of early loss |url=https://thesociologicalreview.org/magazine/december-2023/mess/leaks-and-pees/ |journal=The Sociological Review Magazine |language=English |doi=10.51428/tsr.tour5403|s2cid=265560522 |doi-access=free }}</ref>