{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T14:51:43Z","timestamp":1792680703313,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,16]],"date-time":"2025-10-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760572800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Reprod. Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Period poverty, the lack of access to menstrual products, adequate sanitation, and reliable health information, continues to undermine the health, dignity, and opportunities of millions of girls and women in Nigeria. Closely linked to gender inequality, the problem is compounded by stigma, inadequate infrastructure, and economic barriers, especially for low-income and marginalized groups. While civil society initiatives and isolated government gestures exist, Nigeria still lacks a comprehensive national menstrual health policy. In contrast, countries such as Scotland, Kenya, and Colombia have advanced reforms through product subsidies, menstrual education, and integrated WASH systems. Drawing on these global experiences and local efforts by Nigerian organizations, this commentary calls for a coordinated, government-led response that embeds menstrual health into public health, education, and social protection frameworks. Achieving menstrual equity will require sustained political commitment, structural investment, and culturally responsive policies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/frph.2025.1686031","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,16]],"date-time":"2025-10-16T05:32:13Z","timestamp":1760592733000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["From period poverty to policy change: advancing menstrual health as a public health priority in Nigeria"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"7","author":[{"given":"Francisca Ogochukwu","family":"Onukansi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","article-title":"\u201cPeriods don\u2019t stop for pandemics\u201d \u2013 WaterAid implores stakeholders to take urgent action on water, sanitation and hygiene to help women and girls manage menstrual health with dignity [Internet]","year":""},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"17","DOI":"10.1186\/s12905-024-03542-w","article-title":"A comparative study of menstrual poverty among urban and rural female learners in government schools of Zambia","volume":"25","author":"Bwalya","year":"2025","journal-title":"BMC Womens Health"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2571","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18052571","article-title":"Understanding period poverty: socio-economic inequalities in menstrual hygiene management in eight low- and middle-income countries","volume":"18","author":"Rossouw","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e20240567","DOI":"10.1590\/0034-7167-2024-0567","article-title":"Period poverty: a scoping review","volume":"78","author":"de Paula","year":"2025","journal-title":"Rev Bras Enferm"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"183","DOI":"10.4082\/kjfm.22.0206","article-title":"Period poverty: a neglected public health issue","volume":"44","author":"Jaafar","year":"2023","journal-title":"Korean J Fam Med"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.1186\/s41256-024-00358-x","article-title":"Transforming adolescent menstrual health through policy: the role of value added tax exemptions in improving access to sanitary products","volume":"9","author":"Shomuyiwa","year":"2024","journal-title":"Glob Health Res Policy"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2073","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina59122073","article-title":"Menstruation among in-school adolescent girls and its literacy and practices in Nigeria: a systematic review","volume":"59","author":"Uzoechi","year":"2023","journal-title":"Medicina (Mex)"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"970","DOI":"10.1111\/tmi.13817","article-title":"Menstrual hygiene management inequalities among school girls in Badagry, Nigeria","volume":"27","author":"Uwadia","year":"2022","journal-title":"Trop Med Int Health"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100196","DOI":"10.1016\/j.puhip.2021.100196","article-title":"Period during a pandemic: the neglected reality of Nigerian girls and women","volume":"2","author":"Odey","year":"2021","journal-title":"Public Health Pract"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e62004","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0062004","article-title":"A systematic review of the health and social effects of menstrual hygiene management","volume":"8","author":"Sumpter","year":"2013","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"31","DOI":"10.1080\/26410397.2021.1911618","article-title":"Menstrual health: a definition for policy, practice, and research","volume":"29","author":"Hennegan","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sex Reprod Health Matters"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1302","DOI":"10.2105\/AJPH.2014.302525","article-title":"Comfortably, safely, and without shame: defining menstrual hygiene management as a public health issue","volume":"105","author":"Sommer","year":"2015","journal-title":"Am J Public Health"},{"key":"B13","article-title":"Finance act 2019: 20 Basic Food Items, Sanitary Pads, Others make list of VAT Exemption list","year":""},{"key":"B14","article-title":"Despite VAT waiver on sanitary pads, Nigeria\u2019s economic woes push more women into period poverty","year":""},{"key":"B15","article-title":"End the taboos and stigma about menstruation!","year":""},{"key":"B16","article-title":"Menstrual Hygiene Day 2023: WaterAid trains school boys, girls and teachers across 39 schools in Lagos","year":""},{"key":"B17","article-title":"NGO donates over 2,000 sanitary pads to 500 Imo schoolgirls [Internet]. 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