Menstrual Health Supplies Workstream
The Menstrual Health Supplies Workstream provides a forum to include in the RHSC’s work on supplies and supplies-related issues, menstrual health and the issues which prevent women from gaining access to affordable, quality menstrual health supplies. Workstream members come together to forge a common language for understanding menstrual health supplies-related challenges and draw on existing approaches and expertise present within the RHSC.
Publications
- Brief: Market-Based Approaches for Menstrual Health: Brief (English / Spanish)
- Webinar Report: Periods Are Everyone’s Business: Canada’s Journey to Accelerate Gender and Menstrual Equity
- Menstrual health supplies options kit: Managing Menstruation - Know your options
- Menstrual product standards - A pathway to quality product access (French / Spanish)
- Development and compliance of quality standards for disposable and reusable menstrual health pads in LMICs
- Operational Guidance: Standardization of Disposable & Reusable Sanitary Napkins in India
- Blog: Access to Menstrual Health Supplies during COVID-19: what have we learnt?
Focus Area
Market-Based Approaches for Menstrual Health
The provision of free or subsidized menstrual products has not and cannot meet the scale of need for those who menstruate globally. Market-based approaches for menstrual health are a critical pathway to ensuring that all those who menstruate can access a wide range of quality, affordable menstrual products. What are market-based approaches for menstrual health? And how do they work?
Learn more in the newly published theory of change and corresponding brief created by RHSC’s Menstrual Health Supplies Workstream, in collaboration with the Market Development Approaches Working Group.
These resources are intended to be used to raise awareness around the importance of leveraging market-based approaches to expand menstrual health access across LMICs.
Additional resources on market-based approaches
In addition to the theory of change, there are several existing resources on market-based approaches for menstrual health and why they matter. We will continue to add to this list of resources as more become available:
- Landscaping Supply Side Factors to Menstrual Health Access (RHSC and Mann Global Health)
- Webinar: Market-Based Approaches to Menstrual Health (Global Menstrual Collective and RHSC)
- Menstrual Product Standards: A Pathway to Quality Product Access (RHSC)
- Development and Compliance of Standards for Menstrual Products in South Asia and Africa (RHSC and Development Solutions Inc)
- Scaling Up Access to Menstrual Health in the Global South: Improving Product Quality and Access to Reusable Options (Hystra)
- A Business Case for Selling Reusable Menstrual Health Products in the Global South (Hystra)
- Well-Functioning Markets as a Lever for Improving Menstrual Health (Columbia Journal of International Affairs)
