This analysis emphasizes the need for equitable access to menstrual health services, highlighting ICPD's vision for gender equity.
Key Messages Menstrual health is inextricably linked to outcomes outlined in the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action to accelerate reproductive health outcomes and strive for a world of gender equity. Without elevating access to menstrual health and establishing an enabling environment to create access to menstrual health information, products, services, and facilities, the bold vision of ICPD will not be possible. A pathway for addressing these outcomes is facilitating healthy market structures for destigmatized, unbiased access to menstrual health information, products, services, and facilities and cross-sectoral impact on areas such as family planning, water and sanitation, and education. To ensure sustained access and cross-sectoral impact, investments to strengthen menstrual health markets should prioritize innovation and choice, explore integrated delivery of products and services (beyond just menstrual products), and address structural market barriers across the value chain, with leadership from key stakeholders in the Global South.
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Webb et al. (2025) studied this question.
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