Exciting day for everyone interested in menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and spreading awareness about it: I have today created a new Wikipedia article on MHM, see here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_hygiene_management

Previously, the content was part of the article on Menstrual Hygiene Day (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_Hygiene_Day) but I felt it was time for a dedicated article now.

Who is available to help me improve it? In particular the section that I have called "Approaches for improvements" needs beefing up. So far, we talk a lot about the problems but not yet so much about solutions.

Dear Petra:
While writing this post I came back to your post from 3 years ago. I don't know why I didn't act on your suggestion back then (must have been lack of time and then forgot) but I have now! Sorry for not acting on it earlier. I have now added citations to two of the articles from that Waterlines 2015 issue (www.developmentbookshelf.com/toc/wl/34/1) and more could be done with those articles. This blog post from Sanitation Updates would be another valuable source for this Wikipedia article: sanitationupdates.blog/2018/01/15/menstr...nitarian-situations/ as well as this one from May of this year: sanitationupdates.blog/2019/05/23/water-...al-hygiene-day-2019/

Would be great if someone is inspired to collaborate with me on improving this new Wikipedia article further. Here's your opportunity to make sure your own publications get cited!
Remember: anyone can edit Wikipedia articles. If you haven't edited before it might be best if you touch base with me by e-mail as there are some rules and regulations to be aware of, and common pitfalls to avoid.

Regards,
Elisabeth

Dear Elisabeth,

One of the Waterlines articles which I also find mentionable for the Wikipedia article is the paper on applying games as a qualitative method for researching menstrual hygiene management (MHM).
It describes the process of adapting a focus group discussion (FGD) tool for rural Bolivia into a interactive board game (MHM game) as a method to ease girls’ discomfort discussing menstruation and elicit richer data on stigmatized or sensitive issues.

The authors conclude that the MHM Game proved to be an innovative method to engage rural Bolivian girls and understand menstruation-related challenges in school. Furthermore could the existing game also be adapted to focus on other WASH-related behaviours by simply interchanging key questions of the guide.

Long, J.L., Caruso, B.A., Mamani, M., Camacho, G., Vancraeynest, K., Freeman, M.C. (2015). Developing games as a qualitative method for researching menstrual hygiene management in rural Bolivia. Waterlines 34, (1): 68-78. DOI: 10.3362/1756-3488.2015.007

Best,
Petra Kohler
Eawag/Sandec

Dear Petra,

Thanks for this hint. Could you please help me out by telling me which statements, examples or facts should be taken onboard in the Wikipedia article (and then with which citation from the articles in that Waterlines issue)? That's better than providing just another general link under Further Reading.

One of the articles in that journal dealt with menstrual cups by the way, and that one we have already included in the Wikipedia page on menstrual cups:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_cup

Just to give you an example of how such a citation can be included:

The menstrual cup has been explored as a means of menstrual hygiene management in developing countries such as Kenya and South Africa, where access to affordable sanitary products may be limited.[16]

and

Whilst menstrual cups can also be used by females in developing countries, a lack of clean water and soap for handwashing before inserting the cup can be a problem, especially in rural areas.[16]

Reference 16 is:
Mason L, Laserson K. F., Oruko K., Nyothach E., Alexander K. T., Odhiambo F. O., Eleveld A., Isiye E., Ngere I., Omoto J., Mohammed A., Vulule J., Phillips-Howard P. A. (2015). "Adolescent schoolgirls' experiences of menstrual cups and pads in rural western Kenya: a qualitative study". Waterlines 34 (1): 15–30. doi:10.3362/1756-3488.2015.003.

And could you please also tell us more about your work at Sandec on MHM (in a new thread)?

Thanks.

Regards,
Elisabeth

Dear Elisabeth,

This is a great contribution to Wikipedia!

Regarding high quality inputs you could also add the Waterlines, Jan 2015 issue on Menstrual Hygiene Management:
sanitationupdates.wordpress.com/2015/02/...-hygiene-management/

Warm regards,
Petra

Great to see this event gaining steam! And I can't help but make the connection to the various campaigns around the world that are trying to change the classification of menstrual hygiene products from taxable (as they routinely are now) to tax-exempt (which they should be!). Here's an article that details what I'm referring to - one that's sure to make your blood boil!

Good news! We have a Wikipedia article about Menstrual Hygiene Day!
12 days to go until this year's Menstrual Hygiene Day...

High time to ensure that journalists who are looking for information about this day on Wikipedia will find something...

Therefore, I had proposed to create a Wikipedia page on Menstrual Hygiene Day. Denise Reck and Ina Jurga from WASH United followed my proposal. Denise wrote the first draft of the article. I then put it into Wikipedia language (trying to take out any bias, making it sound encyclopedic), added more references and photos, used the standard headings we had developed in the WikiProject Sanitation and voilà, here is the brand new Wikipedia article on Menstrual Hygiene Day:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_Hygiene_Day

While putting it together I realised we needed information about Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) in there. In fact, as I wrote on the talk page of the article (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Menstrual_Hygiene_Day):

Newly created page, explanations

I have set up this page; I added a redirect from menstrual hygiene management (MHM). An alternative option might have been to set up a new page called menstrual hygiene management, but I decided to do it this way - the menstrual hygiene day is a day to raise awareness for better menstrual hygiene management. If the page grows a lot in future, it could be split in two. But for now, I think the two topics go nicely hand in hand together. Feedback, comments and further improvements are welcome. EvM-Susana (talk) 13:31, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

I invite anyone with an interest in MHM to help improve this article in any of the following ways:

• Read what we have written, correct any typos or make language improvements to make it easier to understand for the layperson (note: you don't need a Wikipedia login for that, just click on the edit button at the top of the Wikipedia page; if you do decide to get a Wikipedia login, then be sure to turn on the Visual Editor which is more comfortable to use, see here )
• Please avoid any words that may introduce bias (good explanation about that is here ) - this is actually a bit of a switch in mindset, as we are used to - on other websites - to glow a bit about our work.
• Add citations whereever I have put the tag: {{citation needed}}. When you are citing a big report, also add the page number. Refrain from using copy & paste, even if it's tempting but rather paraphrase (mind you, for the definition of MHM I chose to quote directly).
• I have already cited the documents on MHM that I thought were very important (i.e. the ones that I had listed as key documents here: forum.susana.org/forum/categories/24-men...l-hygiene-management); but of course nothing speaks against citing other high quality sources (please no blog posts or forum posts as sources though; even citing websites is borderline but can be done in certain cases)
• Propose additional photos.
• Add additional content.

This can be your own personal contribution to celebrating Menstrual Hygiene Day in 2015!

Regards,
Elisabeth

P.S. Giacomo, you could add key statements from the paper that you recommended in the post above mine. Normally (at least for articles on medical topics) review articles are preferred over primary research articles. But when there is a lack of publications then this kind of article is also valid, I would say.