The Cost of Menstrual Cycle and its Association with Hygiene among the Women of Bhaktapur, Nepal

Abstract

Introduction: Menstruation is a normal physiological process occuring every month in a woman’s life. Purchasing menstrual products, which being costly, possesses a barrier to accessibility, leading to poor menstrual hygiene. This study is aimed to find the average cost of the menstrual cycle and its association with the hygiene of women.

Methods: A total of 324 women aged 18-45 years of Madhyapur Thimi Municipality participated in this quantitative, cross-sectional study. The study was conducted via a semi-structured questionnaire which was designed in English and Nepali. Data collection was done through face-to-face interview methods.

Results: The total average monthly cost of a menstrual cycle was found to be NPR 358.12 and an average menstrual cost for a lifetime was found to be NPR 163,302.72. 23.1% of the participants were unable to afford sanitary pads most of the time, 53.3% often avoided changing pads due to their high cost, 65.4% had poor menstrual hygiene practices and the association between menstrual cost and menstrual hygiene was found to be statistically significant (p = 0.001 i.e. < 0.005).

Conclusions: The unaffordability of sanitary products due to their high cost has resulted in poor hygiene practices. The constitution of Nepal affirms as a fundamental right under Article 38(2), the rights of women include the right to safe motherhood and reproductive health, considering menstrual products as a basic necessity for women, the tax imposed on menstrual products should be removed to reduce the price of the sanitary products.