Hold your horses. This will be a story full of facts and figures. On May 28, it’s already the 10th Menstrual Hygiene Day (this year’s theme: a #PeriodFriendlyWorld). It’s also the 10th time that we support this international campaign on Period! Magazine.
Why do we celebrate this day?
Millions of women and girls around the world are prevented from reaching their full potential. Just because they menstruate. On 28 May, we’ll unite to change this. Menstrual Hygiene Day brings together non-profits, governments, the private sector, and millions of individuals. Together, we’ll increase awareness and act towards our common goal: a #PeriodFriendlyWorld. A world where the taboos and stigma surrounding menstruation are history. Where everyone has access to quality menstrual products, period education, and period-friendly toilets. But Menstrual Hygiene Day is more than just an awareness day. In the past ten years, the movement has grown tremendously. Today, more and more of us are also working towards a #PeriodFriendlyWorld beyond 28 May (28 refers to the average menstrual cycle of 28 days, 5 to the average menstrual length).
Who is participating?
Well, do you have a moment? The MH Day movement has grown enormously in the past decade. In 2023, this day received media attention 17,828 times and 222,000 contributions appeared on social media. In total, over 705 million people in the world were reached. Back in 2014, numbers were quite different: only 89 times media attention and 22 million people reached. The number of partners and ambassadors has also increased explosively: from 155 to more than 1,000. Period! has been one of them since the very first edition in 2014. This year we participated in the special countdown campaign.
What has happend in the past ten years?
That’s almost impossible to express in numbers. Not only has the attention for MH Day grown enormously, but so has the general interest in menstrual hygiene and health. Or, perhaps a better way to put it: the collective outrage about the fact that menstruation is still a taboo subject and can lead to disadvantages. Everywhere, you read more about the subject, you hear more about it, and more organisations are involved in it. Not only in developing areas, which was the initial focus, but also in the modern Western world, where attention and awareness is also desperately needed. Although it took a while before the penny dropped. To illustrate: only in 2017, one small-scale MH Day event was organised in the Netherlands for the first time.
What’s this year’s theme?
In a PeriodFriendlyWorld (this year’s theme), you can go to school and work when you have your period. You don’t have to adhere to strange cleanliness rules that exclude you from public life. Plus, you know when to visit the doctor (so what’s normal and what isn’t). You won’t be bullied about the fact that you were born with a uterus.
Doesn’t sound like too much to ask, does it? In a world where about 2 billion people menstruate. On a day like today, there are as many as 800 million.But for 500 million women/girls/menstruators in the world, it’s still not possible to menstruate without shame and health risks. In the past ten years, major strides have been made. But we’re not there yet. We’ll all have to do our best to achieve the goal of MH Day before 2030. Because that’s the purpose of MH Day.So we have (only) six years left!
What can you do to help achieve this goal?
The theme this year is, as mentioned: a #PeriodFriendlyWorld. The great thing about this year’s theme: you can customise this hashtag to your own liking. #PeriodFriendlyNederland, #PeriodFriendlyBerlin, #PeriodFriendly (enter the name of your company or school here). Start a taboo busting conversation within your own circle with the question: how do you envision a #PeriodFriendlyWorld? To reinforce your story, you can wear a Menstruation Bracelet (28 beads, five of which are red) on Menstrual Hygiene Day (or Menstrual Day in the Netherlands, internationally even as Menstrual May). Don’t forget the hashtags #WeAreCommitted and #MHDay2024 if you’re going to put ‘menstruation’ on the agenda.
Happy #MHDay2024!
More information on Menstrual Hygiene Day? Check the website.
More on MH Day in previous years? Find out here.
Period! is an independent, online magazine about all aspects of menstruation. Period! is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. If you’re suffering from medical complaints, always visit your doctor or GP. Editorial articles can contain affiliate links. Sponsored collaborations can be found in the category Spotlight. Do you have any questions? Check our Contact page.
