Management Of Menstruation Research Articles

KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE AMONG RURAL ADOLESCENT FEMALES: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY ON CHINGUSPUR VILLAGE, BOGURA SADAR, UPAZILLA OF BANGLADESH

Adolescent’s reproductive health is a serious concernin Bangladesh. The present study was based on primarydata of 150 rural adolescent females of Chinguspur village, Bogura Sadar, Upazilla of Bangladesh. Objectives of the study was to assess the socio-demographic features of sample rural adolescent females and to explore the level of knowledge and awareness to demonstrate the role of the information and education (media, counseling, services facilities) in the management of reproductive health issues. The mean age of the respondents was 16.2 years. The religion of the surveyed population were found 92% Muslim while 8% Hindu. A large number of rural adolescent females have been found to discontinue education after a few years of schooling. Only 14% girls are currently enrolling and reading in class nine or more. Most of the girls (36.33%) in the study population used pieces of old cloths/rags (nekra) as pads during menstruation, while some did not use anything. 39% of the rural adolescent females used rags that were wet or had not been dried in a hygienic fashion. Among all most of them were not known or received any information about the management of menstruation before their first menstruation. The study revealed that 72.41% of adolescents were suffering at least one complication or problems of menstruation, were not visitedor seeking any consultation or treatment from any serviceproviders available. Only 27.59% taken consultation from the service providers. While 41.66% go to traditional or herbal practitioners (locally called Kobiraj) but 33.33%visited to qualified doctors. The study indicated that the rural adolescent femalesof the study area poorly informed about most of the reproductive health issues. They have misconceptions regarding healthy management of menstruation and a big gap between their knowledge, attitude and practice.

Menstrual Management in U.S. Public Schools: A Qualitative Case Study

The World Health Organization describes menstruation management as “using a clean menstrual management material to absorb or collect menstrual blood that can be changed in privacy as often as necessary.” The menstrual equity policy landscape in the United States, specifically pertaining to the needs of students in public schools, has gained considerable traction within the past decade. Since 2017, 16 states in the United States have signed legislation mandating the provision of menstrual products to public school students. This study explored the experiences of students from a public high school in Massachusetts where there is currently no state policy. The research is driven by the following questions: (1) How do students at the high school manage menstruation while at school? (2) How do students describe the impact of menstruation upon their physical and mental health and their participation in school-related activities? To address these questions, this study utilizes qualitative data, including student focus groups and interviews. Both focus groups and interviews were audio recorded with permission and analyzed using AtlasTI software. The researcher noted and incorporated themes and questions in an iterative and emergent manner. In total, three focus groups were conducted; one consisted of a group of five seniors and the following two included 10th-grade students. The researcher also conducted a total of 11 student interviews. This study ultimately finds that a lack of menstrual management support for high school students may be creating and perpetuating a condition in which students experience social, even academic, exclusion.

Menstrual hygiene among the school-going early adolescent girls (10-14 Years): A socio-cultural study in Bankura District, West Bengal, India

The onset of menstruation is a significant milestone in female puberty, marking the transition from girlhood to womanhood and initiating the reproductive phase of a woman's life. In Indian society, menstruation is associated with a myriad of traditions, myths, misconceptions, taboos, and superstitions. Open discussions about menstruation management are rare. Various socio-cultural influences propagate negative or erroneous information among girls, detrimentally affecting their understanding of menstrual hygiene and safe practices. This cross-sectional study focuses on early adolescent girls (aged 10-14 years) from a high school in the Bankura district of West Bengal, illuminating the socio-cultural factors that prevent them from gaining appropriate knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning menstrual hygiene. The study found that 11.87% of the girls viewed menstruation as a result of a divine curse, 1.70% perceived it as a disease, and 54.23% lacked a clear understanding of this crucial life phase. Additionally, the majority were ignorant of the source of menstrual bleeding. A mere 8.47% of the girls had knowledge of menstruation before experiencing their first period (menarche). Most of girls didn’t even hear about menstruation before menarche. Thus, menstruation and its associated practices are overshadowed by prevalent taboos and socio-cultural misconceptions.

Global Health Priorities and the Neglect of Menstrual Health and Hygiene

Comfortable management of menstruation is a fundamental need for all women of reproductive age, and its absence is a denial of their basic rights. Yet millions of women and girls do not have access to menstrual hygiene facilities. Through archival research and qualitative document analysis of reports from several multilateral organizations, this paper shows that the issue of menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) has been largely absent from the global development agenda, despite its significant impact on women’s health, education, income, and well-being. It argues that three issue attributes—measurability, cultural sensitivity, and background characteristics of the affected population—have hindered the recognition and prioritization of MHH. The paper contributes to the interdisciplinary literature on agenda-setting, global health, and social movements, and to development studies more broadly. It draws attention to an under-researched subject and is the first, to my knowledge, to examine why MHH was not adopted as an issue of significance within global health. By doing so, this paper offers valuable insights for scholars and practitioners interested in advancing women’s reproductive health and rights and gender equality.

Menstrual Rights Programs and Policies for Childbearing-aged women and girls: A Systematic Review

Objectives: In order to increase the awareness of health service providers about the difficulties and consequences associated with the violation of menstrual rights, it is necessary to conduct a review study of existing programs in this area. This study aimed to review the menstrual rights programs and policies for reproductive-aged women and girls. Methods: In this systematic review, we searched international databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science, as well as Iranian ones, such as IranMedex, Magiran, MEDLINE, and Embase, for relevant studies without considering publication year. Finally, of 832 results, including articles, reports, and governmental documents, 27 studies were included in this review study. Results: "Menstrual rights" is not viewed as a major issue, even in the international vision programs. The results indicate that the programs in this field were mainly focused on four aspects: laws and policies, empowerment in menstruation management, normalization, and support for menstrual justice. Despite the increase in programs to achieve menstrual health, dealing with the legality of these programs has been completely marginalized. Conclusions: Since instructions and plans can play a vital role in implementing health policies, our findings emphasize the need for an evidence-driven plan to improve women and girls’ menstruation and reproductive health and rights that is consistent with long-term developmental goals. Attracting partnerships from the private sector, charities, and activists in this field can be very beneficial to achieving these goals.

Men and menstruation: views and perspectives influencing participation in adventurous activities

ABSTRACT Menstruation impacts participation in adventurous activities but there are gaps in reported research on the views and perspectives of men. This study examines the ways in which people who menstruate (inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ community) perceive and report attitudes to menstruation and the menstrual cycle by men, and the ways in which cis-males themselves articulate their knowledge and actions. This research takes a biological, social and cultural approach explored through a survey of those who menstruate (n=800) and interviews with cis-males in adventurous activity leadership roles (n=6). Rich qualitative data on the lived experiences of all respondents indicate embarrassment as a major emotion by menstruating individuals and in respect to the limited knowledge felt by cis-males. More experienced cis-male leaders were confident in their strategies and engaged openly in discussions about menstruation management with participants, but all felt that they could learn more. The key recommendations from this research are: The provision of suitable toilet and waste disposal facilities where possible with free period products; more education and training around menstruation and its management in the outdoors for men and women with shared discussions of good practice; and the encouragement of open dialogue with participants around menstruation management to promote an inclusive and accessible participatory environment.

Knowledge on female hygiene and its associated diseases: a mini review

PurposeMenstruation is a part of the female reproductive cycle that begins with adolescence. Menstruation is a natural change; it relates to several malpractices and misconceptions that may contribute to adverse health outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe authors have searched relevant papers using Google Scholar and PubMed to write this mini review.FindingsDuring menstruation, poor hygiene maintenance can cause serious illness, which includes the urinary tract and reproductive tract infection. Menstruation management is a hygienic system, and it is essential for females because poor hygiene maintenance during menstruation can cause some infections and numerous sexually transmitted diseases. There are a few nanotechnology-based products that have come into the market to offer some relief to females during their periods.Originality/value This mini review will help researchers to design innovative female hygiene products that can relieve the discomfort caused to women during their reproductive age.

Abolee: way forward in rural markets

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes of this study are as follows: Teaching Objective 1: Students will describe specific characteristics of the rural market in India and will draw out the differences vis-a-vis the urban markets. Teaching Objective 2: Students will describe about the push versus pull strategy and various channels of distribution in rural areas. Teaching Objective 3: The students will explain the 4As of the rural marketing mix and apply the same in the context of the case. Teaching Objective 4: The case can be applied with respect to the health-belief model to help students analyse the behaviour change model. Teaching Objective 5: Students will analyse the challenges associated with supply chain and logistics in rural areas. Case overview/synopsis This case study looked at a start-up company Rugved Hygienecare Industries Private Limited and their sanitary napkin brand “Abolee” designed and targeted for rural women in India. Onkar Charegaonkar and Mithila Charegaonkar started this venture in December 2017, realizing that sanitary napkins solved a greater purpose of helping women hygienically manage menstruation, and at the same time, there was no threat to this product because over a period of time, it became a necessity of life. Onkar and Mithila believed in giving back to the society and at the same time generate revenue for their company. Onkar and Mithila needed to make a decision with respect to the distribution structure for Abolee to improve penetration in different rural areas of Maharashtra. Onkar and Mithila needed to strategize to create a remarkable impact in the rural areas. There were multiple challenges that were faced by Abolee, such as: creating awareness about hygienically managing menstruation options among women, ensuring that women consumers continue to use hygienic menstruation management material, creating a preference for Abolee among women consumers and deciding on whether to focus on driving sales through existing channel partners or to invest in finding out alternative avenues for selling “Abolee” in rural areas. Complexity academic level This case study was primarily written for understanding rural marketing aspects of marketing management courses at both the undergraduate level and the postgraduate level. This case study also indicated about the role of gender and its impact on consumer behaviour in rural areas. Although this case study was related to the rural Indian market, it can also be related to other emerging economies. Supplementary material Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS8: Marketing.

A Review on In Vitro Regeneration of Ethnomedicinal Plant Turkey Berry (Solanum torvum Swartz)

In this review, we report on the different plant growth regulators (PGRs) affecting the callus induction, callus-mediated regeneration, organogenesis, somatic embryogenesis from different explants and micropropagation through shoot tip and nodal cultures in Turkey Berry (Solanum torvumSW). The fruits of this plant guard against liver and kidney damage, stop certain cancers, and regulate blood sugar levels. They benefit digestion, the management of gout and menstruation, the treatment of anaemia and diabetes, the prevention of intestinal worms, cardiovascular disorders, and strokes. The protocol developed for the induction of callus can be utilized to isolate pharmaceutically important secondary metabolites in S. torvum, and the regeneration protocols optimized in this study can be used for genetic transformation and conservation of S. torvum, not only as a medicinal plant but also a model system.

“Sometimes I just forget them”: capturing experiences of women about free menstrual products in a U.S. based public university campus

BackgroundStudies have proven that lack of access to menstruation products negatively affects school attendance, academic performance, and individual health. Implementing “period policies,” or programs offering free menstruation products, are becoming popular in schools, businesses, and communities in high-income countries. U.S.-based Purdue University announced in February 2020 that free pads and tampons would be stocked in all women’s and gender-neutral restrooms in campus buildings. This study aimed to capture the experiences of menstruators about free menstrual products and the impact of a university-wide free menstruation management product policy and program. A second purpose was to understand how access to menstrual management products is intertwined with broader socio-cultural experiences of a menstruator.MethodsAs part of a larger study, virtual focus group discussions (n = 32 across 5 focus groups) were conducted in February 2021. Eligible participants were student-menstruators attending Purdue University. We used thematic analysis techniques for data analysis, allowing for a constant comparative approach to data contextualization and theme identification.ResultsFocus group discussions revealed vivid menarche and menstruation experiences, shifting period culture, recollections of shame and stigma, and use of various technologies to manage menstruation. Recommendations for community-based programs offering free products included maintaining stock, making informed product choices, and broadly distributing program information to increase awareness of free product placements.ConclusionsFindings offer practical recommendations that will contribute to menstruation management and period poverty solutions for university communities.

Using human-centered design to co-design dedicated menstrual health spaces with people who menstruate in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement, Uganda: Learnings for further adaptation and scale in humanitarian settings

BackgroundMany people who menstruate in low- and middle-income countries struggle to manage their menstruation safely, hygienically, and with dignity. This is exacerbated in humanitarian settings with limited access to menstrual products and safe, private spaces for changing, washing, and disposing of menstrual products. To address these challenges, Youth Development Labs (YLabs) used a human-centered design approach to co-design the Cocoon Mini, a safe, physical structure for managing menstruation in the Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement in Uganda.MethodsThe study comprised five phases, including background research, design research, rough prototyping, live prototyping, and a pilot study. A total of 340 people, including people who menstruate, male community members, and community stakeholders, participated in interviews, focus groups, and co-design sessions. Solution prototypes were created, evaluated, and iterated upon in each successive project phase. The final intervention design, the Cocoon Mini, was evaluated qualitatively for feasibility and acceptability during a three-month pilot using structured interviews with 109 people who menstruate utilizing Cocoon Mini structures, 64 other community members, and 20 Cocoon Mini supervisors.ResultsResults showed widespread desirability and acceptability of the Cocoon Mini among people who menstruate and other community members. Overall, 95% (104/109) of people who menstruate stated the space had made menstrual health management easier, primarily by providing designated waste bins, solar lights, and additional water sources. The Cocoon Mini provided an increased sense of physical and psychological safety in knowing where to privately manage menstruation. Furthermore, the Cocoon Mini demonstrated that an intervention could be run and maintained sustainably at the household level in humanitarian contexts, without continued external stakeholder intervention. Each Cocoon Mini structure costs approximately $360 USD to build and maintain and serves 15–20 people who menstruate, leading to a cost per person of $18-$24. Furthermore, attaching an incinerator to the structure for easier and quicker disposal of waste bin contents (compared to transporting full waste bins elsewhere) costs $2110 USD.ConclusionsPeople who menstruate lack access to safe, private spaces for menstrual health and product disposal in humanitarian settings. The Cocoon Mini provides a solution for the safe and effective management of menstruation. Customizing and scaling up dedicated menstrual health spaces should be considered a high-priority intervention in humanitarian settings.

Addressing menstrual stigma through sex education in England- taking a sociomaterial turn

ABSTRACT Menstruation and menstrual stigma have recently attracted the attention of education policymakers in England. In 2019, the Department for Education (DfE) published new guidance on delivering relationships, sex and health education that included teaching about menstrual wellbeing and in 2020 made menstrual products freely available in all state-funded primary and secondary schools in England. The DfE argue that these dual interventions are important for tackling menstrual stigma by normalising menstruation in school. However, these interventions emphasise the management of menstruation in terms of physical health while this article argues that foregrounding how menstruation features in young people’s everyday experiences and routines could also be important for addressing stigma. This theory-focussed paper invites a turn away from a humanist positioning on menstruation and menstrual stigma. It discusses existing human-centred research on menstruation and draws on ideas from relational sociomaterial theory to highlight how researching the role of material things in young people’s engagements with menstruation can influence understandings about menstrual stigma and young people.

Amalan Pengurusan Kebersihan Haid Menurut al-Quran dan al-Sunnah

Menstruation is a natural process that happens to all women. However, today's era of modernization shows a lot of confusion among women about the practice of personal hygiene management during menstruation. The problems that occur involve personal hygiene,care of female genitals and the use of products related to menstrual blood management.Therefore, this writing is carried out to identify hygiene management practices during menstruation that are organized in Islam. This article uses a qualitative design.In achieving these objectives, the study was conducted with data collection methods by document analysis. The findings show that the Islamic religion emphasizes the correct guidance and practice in the management of menstruation as it is closely related to health, hygiene and worship for Muslim women.Even the hygiene of clothes, body, private parts,and the use of sanitary pads are very important and need to be taken care of at all times. The implications of this writing are expected to contribute to all women to pay full attention to aspects of self -care whether before, during or after menstruation.

Knowledge and Practice on Menstrual Hygiene among Urban Adolescent Girls in Bangladesh

Introduction: Menstruation-related poor knowledge and understanding among adolescent girls may lead to unsafe personal health care practice that ultimately increases the risk of genito-urinary tract infections, drop-out from school, poor academic performance, and overall poor quality of life. Being a developing country, it is an unrecognized problematic area in Bangladesh. Therefore, it is crucial to assess knowledge and practice on menstrual hygiene among urban adolescent girls in Bangladesh.
 Methods: This was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Community Medicine of Rajshahi Medical College among 495 purposively selected urban adolescent girls. Data were collected using a semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire.
 Results: The majority (57.2%) of the respondents in the study were more than 15 years old, and most (93.3%) were Muslim. Most of the girls (82.5%) have experienced menarche within the age range of 12-15 years, and the majority of respondents, 259 (52.32%), were informed about menstruation before menarche. Their source of information about menarche was mothers in most cases. Out of 495 adolescent girls who participated in this study, 70.9% had good knowledge of menstruation. About 82% of girls used commercially made sanitary pads, and 35.2% changed pads or clothes more than three times a day during menstruation.
 Conclusion: The majority (70.9%) of adolescent girls had good knowledge of menstruation, and 73.3% had a good practice on menstrual hygiene. Therefore, there is a need to design and implement universal awareness creation and advocacy programs to improve their knowledge of safe and healthy menstruation management and promote good hygienic practices by creating an appropriate supportive home and social environment for all the adolescent girls.
 TAJ 2022; 35: No-2: 01-11

Managing menstruation with dignity: Worries, stress and mental health in two water-scarce urban communities in India

ABSTRACT An emerging body of literature examines multiple connections between water insecurity and mental health, with particular focus on women’s vulnerabilities. Women can display greatly elevated emotional distress with increased household water insecurity, because it’s them who are primarily responsible for managing household water and uniquely interact with wider water environments. Here we test an extension of this proposition, identifying how notions of dignity and other gendered norms related to managing menstruation might complicate and amplify this vulnerability. Our analysis is based on systematic coding for themes in detailed semi-structured interviews conducted with twenty reproductive-age women living in two water insecure communities in New Delhi, India in 2021. The following themes, emerging from our analysis, unfold the pathways through which women’s dignity and mental health is implicated by inadequate water: ideals of womanhood and cleanliness; personal dignity during menstruation; hierarchy of needs and menstruation management amidst water scarcity; loss of dignity and the humiliation; expressed stress, frustration and anger. These pathways are amplified by women’s expected roles as household water managers. This creates a confluence of gendered negative emotions – frustration and anger – which in turn helps to explain the connection of living with water insecurity to women’s relatively worse mental health.

A human rights assessment of menopausal women's access to age- and gender-sensitive nondiscriminatory health care in prison.

Women represent about 6% of the global prison population of 11 million. The female prison population has increased significantly in the past decade. Where attention is devoted to women's unique sexual and reproductive health needs in prison, this is largely focused on menstruation management and ante/postnatal care. There is no explicit guidance regarding imprisoned menopausal women's health care in the United Nations normative standards of detention (Mandela Rules, Bangkok Rules). A human rights assessment of menopausal women's access to age- and gender-sensitive nondiscriminatory health care in prison since 2010 was conducted. Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review methodology was adhered to. A systematic search was conducted using detailed MeSH terms on CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, ProQuest Central, PsycInfo, Scopus, and the Web of Science. All published materials in the English language in the time frame of 2010-2022 were collated (n = 268). Fourteen duplicates were removed. Two hundred thirty-four were excluded after title and abstract screening, with five records remaining. Hand searching yielded an additional 11 records. Sixteen records were charted and analyzed thematically using a human rights lens. Themes were the following: environmental conditions and menopausal sequelae, gender-sensitive nondiscriminatory free health care, evidence-based age/gender-sensitive prison health policies, and medical insensitivity and incompetencies in menopausal care. Menopausal women have the right to the underlying environmental determinants of health in prison and rights to nondiscrimination and equivalence of care, essential medicines, medical care and treatment, preventive health services, and participation in the generation of prison policies and support initiatives. The lack of visibility regarding their health needs in policies and healthcare provisions is reflected in the realities of life in prison, with glaring gaps in the practical medical and lifestyle supports of menopause. Further research is warranted to inform evidence-based prison reforms to improve the quality of life of older women in prison.

Impact of health education on knowledge, attitude and practices about menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls of a college in Vijayapura

Background: Menstrual hygiene is an issue that is inadequately recognized. Lack of privacy and sanitation for the adolescent girls make them susceptible for physical and psychological problems especially during the days of menstruation. Education about menstrual hygiene is a vital aspect for the wellbeing of the adolescent girls.Methods: Pre and post-test was done regarding the knowledge, attitude and practice of the Adolescent girls towards the menstrual hygiene.Results: Total of 68 adolescent girls studying in Pre university were enrolled in the study which was conducted for the period of 5months from March to July 2019. Mean age of the participants was 16.5years. 89.7% were residents of Urban area. In our study, we found that they were not properly maintaining the menstrual hygiene. Only 88% of girls knew that menstruation is a physiologic process, 37% knew that menarche is caused by hormones. 85% of them used the pads during the menstruation but 15% disposed it unhygienically.Conclusions: Embracing high quality menstrual hygiene will play an important role in prevention of reproductive Tract Infection, pelvic inflammatory diseases and Cancer of cervix among the women population. Therefore, endorsing positive approach towards management of menstruation and related problems among the adolescents is the need of the hour.

Management of Menstruation in Transgender and Gender Nonbinary Adolescents.

A growing number of adolescents in the United States identify as transgender and gender nonbinary, and many will seek medical management of menstruation. In this evidence-based review, we recommend a model of gender-affirming care grounded in the tenants of reproductive justice, emphasizing patient autonomy and the development of holistic management plans centered around the patient's unique goals for affirming their gender identity. We then review strategies for achieving menstruation suppression for transgender and gender nonbinary adolescents, including dosing considerations, menstruation, ovulation, contraceptive effects, and metabolic considerations specific to the adolescent population.

HEALTH CARE SEEKING BEHAVIOR OF ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN RURAL AREAS OF KHULNA DISTRICT

The health care seeking behavior is a growing concern which in realizing the characteristics of health as well as level of health care knowledge of the adolescent girls in Bangladesh. The study aimed to explore the health care seeking behavior of the adolescent girls who were belonged to the age group of 13 to 19 in three villages under Batiaghata Upazilla of Khulna district. Following survey research design a self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) was used to collect data from 157 respondents by using simple random sampling. Findings reveal that majority of the respondent (66.9 percent) were Islam believers and accomplished secondary level (60.5 percent) of education. Moreover, maximum respondents were practicing allopath (66 percent), treatment received from pharmacy (42 percent). More than 50 percent (50.3%) maintained menstruation management by using sanitary napkin as well as taking primary knowledge from school (10.8 percent). However, household income was significantly associated with place of treatment (p<.024). In addition, education of mother was positively associated with level of health care knowledge (p<.004). Furthermore, household income is strongly correlated with cost of treatment of the respondent (r =.577, p = .000). Even year of schooling of the respondent is related with level of health care knowledge (r = .185, p = .035). Finally, it can be concluded that there is a necessity for taking proper initiatives by GOs and NGOs to improve the health care seeking behavior of adolescent girls in rural areas of Bangladesh.

Effects of Menstrual Health and Hygiene on School Absenteeism and Drop-Out among Adolescent Girls in Rural Gambia.

Poor knowledge and management of menstruation impacts girls’ school attendance and academic performance. This paper aims to explore how menstrual hygiene management practices and related factors influence school absenteeism and drop-out among primary and secondary school girls in rural Gambia. Mixed-method studies were conducted among students and key informants from 19 schools from July 2015–December 2017. Focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, cross-sectional surveys, menstrual diaries, and school water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facility observations were used. Key findings from the interviews were that menstrual pain, cultural beliefs, fear of peers knowing menstrual status, and poor school WASH facilities led to school absenteeism, however, they had no impact on school drop-out. Of the 561 girls surveyed, 27% reported missing at least one school day per month due to menses. Missing school during the most recent menstrual period was strongly associated with menstrual pain (extreme pain adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 16.8 (95% CI: 7.29–38.74)), as was having at least one symptom suggestive of urinary tract infection (AOR = 1.71 (95% CI: 1.16–2.52)) or reproductive tract infection (AOR = 1.99 (95% CI: 1.34–2.94)). Clean toilets (AOR = 0.44 (95% CI: 0.26–75)), being happy using school latrines while menstruating (AOR = 0.59 (95% CI: 0.37–0.93)), and soap availability (AOR = 0.46 (95% CI: 0.3–0.73)) were associated with reduced odds of school absenteeism. This study suggests menstrual pain, school WASH facilities, urogenital infections, and cultural beliefs affected school attendance among menstruating girls in rural Gambia.