Do Menstrual Hygiene Practices Reduce Sexual Diseases? A Cross-sectional Study

Menstrual unhygienic practices have negative impacts on the reproductive and maternal health of women. This chapter aims to investigate menstrual hygiene practices and their associations with sexual diseases among women. Primary household survey data were included in the analysis to fulfil the chapter objectives. Multivariable logistic regression analyses examined the association between menstrual hygienic practices and sexual diseases. Overall, 81% of women in Koch Bihar district use hygienic products during menstruation. Only 53.6% of women who have unimproved toilets use hygienic methods. More than half of the women (60%) have experienced at least one sexual disease. Rural women (AOR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.24–1.30) are more vulnerable to sexual diseases than urban women are. This chapter finds that menstrual hygienic practices (AOR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.58–0.72) are significantly associated with various sexual diseases. Interventions that ensure women have access to private facilities with water for menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and that educate women about safer, low-cost MHM materials could reduce sexual disease among women. Further studies on the effects of specific practices for managing hygienically reusable pads are needed.