Awareness Class on Menstrual Health and Management for Girls

Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is an essential aspect of hygiene for women and adolescent girls between menarche and menopause. Good menstrual hygiene is essential for the health and dignity of girls and women. Discussions on menstrual hygiene are important for adolescent girls to clarify existing myths and misconceptions around menstruation. Improving menstrual hygiene is important from the point of view of personal comfort and increased mobility. It also reduces the likelihood of infections resulting from poor hygiene practices during menstruation. Providing girls with knowledge and skills on maintaining menstrual hygiene improves school attendance among girls and help them to be aware about how to manage their periods and menstrual health.

Menstrual Hygiene can be promoted in the community and in schools. It is best to start with adolescent girls. Based on that understanding, Science Department and Health Club of St.Peter’s Senior Secondary School conducted an Awareness class on Menstrual Health and Management for Girls of 5th - 8th grade classes on 26th July 2022.

The programme was conducted as a joint venture of Science Department and Health Club. The class was planned as two different sessions; an introduction on menstruation and hygiene for 5th and 6th grade girls and menstrual health management and hygiene for 7th and 8th grade girls.

Resource persons for these classes were Dr. Ancy P.S.( Consultant Gynaecologist,MBBS,DNB,DGO), Dr. Rakhi(IMA) and Dr.Devika from Malankara Orthodox Syrian Christian Hospital,Kolenchery. The first session was arranged for 7th and 8th grade girls. The session started at 9.10 am after a silent prayer and with an official introduction by Mrs. JayamalaT.R.( Science Department).Welcome speech was by Ms. Hain Anna Jain(Secretary, Health Club).

Dr. Ancy handled the session for another one hour covering various topics in relation to menstrual health and management. The class was supported with visual aids and students’ feedback. The session covered health education to girls on menstrual hygiene, female reproductive system, the concept of menstruation, proper use of sanitary products, enabling safe disposal of sanitary products1, hygiene practices 1and the ill effects of poor menstrual health and management. The session was concluded at 10.10am and students interacted personally with the resource person after the session.

The second session started at 10.20 am for 5th and 6th grade girls. This session also was taken by Dr.Ancy and her team. Mrs. Sindhu Chandhran(Science Department) officially introduced the resource persons. The class covered the concept of menstruation by teaching about our reproductive organs, growth changes and puberty. Visual aids helped the children to understand the changes associated with growth in an effective manner. Menstrual hygiene, physical and menstrual health and proper use of sanitary pads and its disposal were also covered during the session.

Question and Answer session was also allowed both in groups and in person. Vote of thanks was by Ms. Niya Sabu (Secretary, Health Club) and the session concluded by 11.40 am. The resource persons were provided with refreshments in between and the team had an interaction with School Principal and the leadership team. Students’ feedback on both sessions were as informative and very useful learnings. Students’ cooperation and interaction also helped the class to become more effective.