Several girls and women report that due to economic hardship, they cannot afford to purchase necessary sanitary products during menstruation. They note that they are forced to use old cloth scraps, a practice that, according to doctors, can lead to serious gynecological illnesses. These girls believe that the affordable sanitary pads available in Afghanistan’s markets lack proper quality and are often past their expiration dates. Additionally, some girls state that a lack of awareness about menstrual hygiene has led to uterine infections.
Some of these girls, who have had distressing experiences during menstruation, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that, alongside economic challenges, the lack of awareness and cultural education about menstrual hygiene, combined with the taboo surrounding the topic in families, has compounded their difficulties. They emphasize that in many families grappling with severe poverty, meeting basic needs like food takes precedence, and women’s and girls’ hygiene concerns are overlooked. These girls also note that even in schools and educational centers designated for women, basic facilities and suitable spaces for addressing menstrual hygiene needs are absent.
Aysha, a 14-year-old girl living on the outskirts of Kabul, contracted a uterine infection due to a lack of menstrual hygiene knowledge. She recounts that during her first menstrual experience, she was overwhelmed with shock and anxiety. Her family had previously warned her that “no one must know about this.” This fear led her to secretly use an old cloth that her sister had used months earlier.
With tearful eyes, Aysha says: “We’ve always been told that menstruation is shameful, and anyone who talks about it is shameless. So, for my first time, I used my sister’s clothes because I was embarrassed. I didn’t know it would have such consequences. Later, I noticed clotted blood, felt severe pain, and there was a bad odor, but because of shame, I couldn’t discuss it with my mother.”
This young girl urges families to pay attention to their children’s hygiene, not just their daily sustenance, to prevent other girls from enduring the same painful and bitter experiences she faced.
Zohra, Aysha’s sister, says that during her first menstrual experience, she had no knowledge of personal hygiene and thus could not pass on such information to her sister. She adds, “In our household, this topic was never discussed. It was always said to be a shameful matter that no one should know about.”
Zohra calls on families to break the silence and educate their daughters about menstruation, as proper education can prevent many illnesses and protect girls’ health.
Sumaya, a 17-year-old girl, says that until cultural taboos surrounding menstruation are eliminated, women and girls will face increasing challenges. She stresses that the closure of schools to girls has not only deprived them of academic education but also of essential knowledge about their bodies and personal hygiene. She adds: “The media isn’t fulfilling its role effectively in this regard. Schools, which could have been a good platform for awareness, are closed, and now girls suffer even more. These struggles sometimes turn into painful lifelong memories.”
This young girl believes that if girls have sufficient education, they will no longer face such distressing experiences.
According to some doctors, many women and girls in Afghanistan are at risk of severe uterine infections, infertility, and even cervical cancer due to the continuous use of unsanitary materials or unclean cloths.
Najm-ul-Sama Shafajo, a gynecologist, says that research indicates 70 percent of infertility cases in women stem from poor menstrual hygiene practices.
This obstetrician-gynecologist adds: “Women should change their sanitary materials every two hours. If they must use clothes, they should dry them in direct sunlight to eliminate bacteria. Research shows that about 70 percent of infertility cases result from poor menstrual hygiene, as microbes enter the uterus and block the fallopian tubes.”
Shafajo warns that women should pay attention to the packaging, ingredients, and expiration dates of sanitary pads when purchasing them. Families should also support their daughters to properly understand this matter and stay safe from the risk of diseases.
Najiba Abdaal, another doctor, says that dozens of women and young girls visit medical centers daily with issues such as fungal infections, ovarian cysts, and pelvic inflammatory diseases. She identifies a lack of awareness and poor menstrual hygiene as the primary causes of these conditions.
Abdaal adds: “Women in Afghanistan are often illiterate and don’t take many issues seriously. These days, most patients who visit us have severe uterine infections. If menstrual hygiene is not maintained, menstrual blood can clot and, in some cases, block the fallopian tubes. Additionally, during menstruation, some individuals use painkillers arbitrarily to reduce pain, which itself causes complications.”
Girls and women in Afghanistan suffer from unhealthy menstrual conditions, as menstruation is still considered taboo among people, and the necessary knowledge and awareness about it are not adequately conveyed in homes, schools, or other educational institutions.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
در سایه فقر و ناآگاهی؛ قاعدهگی و بیماریهای زنانهای که دیده نمیشوند
