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Every new beginning comes from
some other beginning's end
We're already seeing some trends we predicted for 2020 coming to fruition before our eyes! That's the beautiful thing about menstrual health - everything always comes full cycle.
This memo is gushing with news around inclusivity, important new period policies, innovation in MHH, brand new research and a new collaboration worth praise!
Yours forever,
P.s. Don't miss the EXCITING events happening around
March 8, International Women's Day
(including a few online)!
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News from Nairobi:
We must listen to the voices of all menstruators
ADVOCACY
Saturday, February 8th kicked off a monthly series of conversations aimed at including everyone’s voice in the fight for menstrual equity in Kenya. The series launch was hosted in Nairobi by Inua Dada and Janet Mbugua, a menstrual health activist and author of a collection of period experience stories, and perspectives titled “My First Time”. The conference provided a forum for cross-sector players including members of the public, government, civil society, and corporates to share, learn and brainstorm what more ought to be done to end period poverty in Kenya.
Florence Akara of Femme International wrote this guest post summarising the event
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Period Products coming to UK schools
POLICY
In England, all state schools and education organisations that serve learners from 16 to 19 will now be able to provide free period products to all menstruators who need them. The policy underscores the need for inclusion, highlighting that non-binary and transgender students are eligible and requires that any language and communication about the policy should reflect this. With this new policy, students will now be allowed to access free period products whenever they’re in need. How bloody great is this?!
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2020 is the year for Innovation in MHH
INNOVATION
Taking place April 2nd, 2020 is UNICEF's 8th Annual Virtual Conference on MHM in Schools, which normally brings in over 1000 participants from all over the world. Contributors will share the latest research and programming - including successes and failures - around the theme ‘Innovation in MHM: Putting Girls at the Center’. This conference aims to highlight national examples of new ways to identify and address barriers to safe and dignified MHM in development programming.
Check out all the ways to get involved here.
Additionally, Duke University and UNICEF have come together to create the Duke-UNICEF Innovation Accelerator, with the first year’s cohort focused on developing and scaling MHH innovations in East Africa. Check out the 6 enterprises that have been announced for the 2020 cohort!
There’s more! The first menstrual cup to be designed and made in India (including a case that will also work as a cleaning kit for the cup), was selected as one of the 14 finalists at the National Innovation Challenge in New Delhi on January 19 for Youth Co:Lab, supported by United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and NITI Aayog. The cup was designed in India by Pramod Priya Ranjan, and the prototype is being made in Bangalore.
Let’s carry on this innovation around menstruation well into 2020!
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Diva International announces unique menstrual education partnership with Plan International Canada to reach Indigenous youth
A COLLABORATION WORTH PRAISE
Diva International Inc. have partnered with Plan International Canada, supporting the Jays Care Foundation’s James Bay Girls At Bat program for young people of the Mushkegowuk Territory in Northern Ontario. The partnership will give $10,000 to Plan International Canada and will distribute Diva’s menstrual cup to attendees of the James Bay Girls At Bat Youth Champion Retreat alongside menstrual health educational workbooks about the cycle, PMS symptoms and remedies, period tracking and overall body literacy.
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Blood Tests Can Predict Timing of Final Menstrual Period
RESEARCH
Isn’t it wild that in this day-and-age, we can only tell if menopause has happened if your period has stopped? Surely there’s a better way to know then just, like, waiting, right? Well, according to new research published in Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, blood tests could predict when a woman is approaching menopause. The study found that the levels of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) could anticipate when a woman’s final menstruation would happen. How? Women have a limited supply of eggs which decreases as they approach menopause. AMH can indicate how many eggs a woman has left and, consequently, can predict when menopause will occur. Science for the win!
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RESEARCH updates
in collaboration with
When talking about MHH, it is essential to refer to evidence-based research to ground claims about important links between menstruation and school absenteeism. For example, the statistic that 1 in 10 girls in Africa miss school because of menstruation has proven to be wildly incorrect misinformation, yet it continues to appear in articles or on the home page of many organizations working to eradicate period poverty.
It’s time to get accurate! WoMena recently put together this fact sheet based on a literature review of MH research around the link between school absenteeism and menstruation. They also put together a research Matrix, to help researchers and practitioners better understand the complicated linkages between context - i.e., managing menstruation in emergencies or not having MH education - with negative outcomes, like reproductive tract infections (RTIs) or missed school.
Here are 5 new pieces of research for your consideration:
2. Schlievert et al., 2019: Effect of non-absorbent intravaginal menstrual/contraceptive products of Staphyloccus aureus and product of superantigen TSST-1. Vitro tests conducted to evaluate three types of tampons, including (1) stationary flask, (2) shake flask, and (3) tampon sac and non-absorbent products such as menstrual cups, contraceptive diaphragms, and menstrual discs for effect on Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1). Findings: Product composition did not affect bacterial growth or TSST-1 production. Tampons showed no effect on S. aureus growth, but they showed enhanced TSST-1 production as a function of trapped oxygen in stationary cultures and tampon sacs but not in shake flasks. The non-absorbent products also showed no enhanced S. aureus growth or TSST-1 production.
3. Thomson et al., 2019: What's missing in MHM? Moving beyond hygiene in menstrual hygiene management. This article argues that Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM)’s definition should not only mainly focus on provision of technical interventions like providing menstrual products and adequate sanitation for menstruators, but other key factors such as pain management, the wider community within which menstruators exists, security and safety of menstruators, taboos and stigma surrounding menstruation, transgender men and others who menstruate, groups facing specific challenges related to menstruation, the roles of other sectors beyond WASH and Education in MHM should be included in the MHM policy to ensure menstruators’ rights, dignity, and well-being.
4. Valiaveettil et al., 2019: High prevalence of abnormal menstruation among women living with HIV in Canada. A cross-sectional study was conducted to measure the prevalence and correlates of abnormal menstruation among 1422 women aged 16 and over living with HIV in British Columbia (BC), Ontario, and Quebec in Canada. Findings: Over half (56%) of women living with HIV reported abnormal menstruation. Abnormal menstruation was associated with genetic, socio-behavioral factors (province of residence and current smoking), Hepatitis B coinfection, and current ART use. The prevalence of abnormal menstruation was higher among women who reside in BC compared to residence of Ontario and Quebec.
5. Arafa et al., 2019: Association of sleep duration and insomnia with menstrual symptoms among young women in Upper Egypt. A cross-sectional analytical study carried out among 4122 young women aged 12 to 25 years and residing in Beni-Suef City, Egypt to detect the association between sleep problems and menstrual symptoms among young women. Findings: Young women who reported sleep < 8 and < 7 h/day had more premenstrual spasm than those who slept ≥ 8 h/day. 11.6% of the young women had insomnia during the previous 6 months. Compared with those without insomnia, young women with insomnia were more likely to report premenstrual spasm, nervousness, fatigue, headache, breast pain, weight gain, Gastrointestinal disturbance, and dysmenorrhea. No conclusive association was identified between sleeping hours and menstrual disorders.
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Menstrual & Female Health Events
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Standards for
Disposable Sanitary Pads
February 26, 2020
7:30am EST / 1:30pm CET
Online / Webinar
Register here
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The Period Junction
March 7 + 8, 2020
Bangalore, India
Event info
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"Periode ist Politisch"
by Franka Frei
Book launch party (in German)
March 6, 2020
Berlin, Germany
Event info
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Let's talk about periods
X OH SHIT
Short films. Period Comedy. Music.
March 7, 2020
Berlin, Germany
Event info
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International Women's Day March: PERIOD BLOC
March 8, 2020
1:30PM CET
Berlin, Germany
Event info
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How Do We Measure Progress? Monitoring Menstrual MHH
March 10, 2020
8:00AM EST
Webinar / Online
Register here
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FemTech:
The Future Purpose is Female
March 10, 2020
6:00 - 8:30PM
Berlin, Germany
More info
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MHM Virtual Conference
April 2, 2020
6:30 - 10:30 EST
Online
Register here
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Social Innovation Symposium
Exploring Social Impact: Period
April 3, 2020, 1:00 - 5:00 PM EST
Duke University, North Carolina, US
Event info
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PMDD & Me Conference
Managing your PMDD:
Symptoms and Solutions
April 24 + 25, 2020
University of Winchester, UK
More info here
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