For as long as anyone can remember - Menstruation and menstrual practices have remained hidden and are framed in a certain light due to taboos and socio-cultural constraints around the biological curse of menstruation. Wait, CURSE? That's not what I learnt in biology class...

As a result, often adolescent girls remain ignorant of the necessity of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) practices and its associated implications (Betteridge 2013:42). Adolescent girls constitute a vulnerable group, especially in rural areas where female children are neglected.

Especially in India, Menstruation is regarded as something unclean or filthy in society. Thus, the reaction to menstruation depends on the awareness and knowledge about the subject. Although menstruation is a normal process in the female body; it is often associated with fallacies and poor hygiene practices.

Consequently, adolescent girls often experience adverse health effects. MHM practices are imperative for women to implement during menstruation as unhygienic practices can result in implications such as reproductive tract infection (RTI).

There is a strong correlation between the socio-economic status and menstrual hygiene management of adolescent girls found in previous literature (Khanna, Goyal & Bhawsar 2005:101). Millions of girls who have not been taught to effectively practice MHM are often victims of RTI due to mismanagement of their menstrual hygiene (House, Mahon & Cavill 2012).

Girls who have a better knowledge and understanding of MHM are less vulnerable to RTI (Betteridge 2013:45). Leading to females who are taught about menstruation from a young age to feel strongly towards safe menstrual practices and thus helps mitigate the grief experienced by millions of females.

Governments and social institutions need to implement a "Puberty Policy" where female girls are educated around menstruation and safe hygiene/management practices to ensure our upcoming generation is enlightened and aware of the implications associated with poor menstrual hygiene management and how they can successfully manage it on their own.

This policy should be implemented is schools; where the issue is not avoided or neglected from the curriculum but rather incorporated into the teaching agenda to advance the knowledge, awareness and safe practices around menstrual hygiene management.