A review study led by the IDIAPJGol has confirmed that menstrual inequity negatively affects the health of women and people who menstruate. The review, published in the international journal Reproductive Health, analyses 74 scientific articles published between 1990 and 2023, covering various geographical and sociocultural contexts and age groups. The study concludes that menstrual inequities, such as lack of menstrual products, adequate facilities, or information, along with taboo and stigma, poverty, and limited access to health services, are linked to both physical and emotional health problems.
Regarding physical health, the study identifies an association between difficulties in menstrual management and menstrual poverty with an increased risk of urinary and reproductive tract infections, as well as other genital discomforts such as itching and irritation.
In the emotional sphere, the study reports the presence of anxiety, distress, and depressive symptoms, often related to menstrual taboo and stigma, lack of menstrual education, and barriers to accessing menstruation-related healthcare. The review emphasizes that ensuring menstrual equity is a matter of health and rights, and that inequities in this area can have deep social and clinical consequences.
A still limited research field
Despite the global scope of the review, the researchers note that most of the existing scientific literature focuses mainly on menstrual management, while other aspects such as gender norms and roles remain underexplored in terms of their influence on health. Moreover, beyond genital and urinary infections and emotional health problems, other potential health effects have been little studied.
The review study was led by IDIAPJGol researcher Laura Medina Perucha, with Andrea García Egea and Georgina Pujolar Díaz as first authors. The authors highlight that, to fully understand the phenomenon of menstrual inequity, it is necessary to consider factors such as gender, social class, migration, and functional diversity, among other social determinants of health. “This review raises the challenge of moving beyond culturalist perspectives in menstrual research and advancing towards more equitable and contextualized approaches,” they state.
The study also notes that menstrual research is largely led by institutions from the Global North, which may influence the definition of priorities and perspectives in existing studies and contribute to the underrepresentation of knowledge and realities from the Global South.
A public health and social justice challenge
The review article points out that menstrual inequity does not affect everyone equally, it is more severe among women and people living in poverty, migrants, those experiencing homelessness, and those who do not identify as women (for example, non-binary and trans people who menstruate). For this reason, the research team calls for more longitudinal studies to understand the long-term health impacts of menstrual inequity. The study underscores the importance of promoting participatory research designs and equitable collaborations.
The authors stress that the available evidence is solid enough to consider menstrual inequity a public health issue. The researchers warn that “it is essential that this evidence be translated into public policies and into the practices of healthcare and other professionals,” and they call for “legislation that promotes coordinated political and community action, taking into account the different needs arising from social health inequities.”
Article reference
García-Egea A, Pujolar-Díaz G, Hüttel AB, Holst AS, Jacques-Aviñó C, Medina-Perucha L. Mapping the health outcomes of menstrual inequity: a comprehensive scoping review. Reprod Health. 2025 Sep 2;22(1):156. doi: 10.1186/s12978-025-02103-0. PMID: 40898260; PMCID: PMC12406439.
