Menstrual Hygiene Day 2027 is on Friday

About Menstrual Hygiene Day

UNICEF estimates that 1.8 billion people menstruate every month, yet many of them lack affordable period products, private toilets with water and soap, or basic information about their own bodies. Shame and taboo make the problem harder to fix, because issues people won't talk about rarely reach budgets or policy. The day exists to bring those conversations into the open, from classrooms and workplaces to health ministries.

The Berlin-based nonprofit WASH United started the day. In May 2013 it ran a 28-day social media campaign about menstruation, and on the back of that response it proposed making May 28 a global day from 2014 onward. The first Menstrual Hygiene Day in 2014 drew 155 partner organizations, according to WASH United, which still serves as the day's international secretariat. Local partners plan and run the events in each country.

The date is symbolic. May is the fifth month, reflecting a period that lasts about five days on average, and the 28th reflects an average cycle of about 28 days, as World Vision and other partners explain. Instead of a new theme each year, the organizers now rally behind one long-term goal they call a "period friendly world," where menstruation no longer holds anyone back from school, work or public life. The day is not a UN General Assembly observance, though UN agencies such as UNICEF take part.

Sources: Menstrual Hygiene Day (WASH United): About, Society for Menstrual Cycle Research: guest post by WASH United on the 2013 campaign, World Vision International: Menstrual Hygiene Day 2019, UNICEF: Menstrual hygiene. How we check dates.

How to mark Menstrual Hygiene Day

• Talk about periods plainly at home, using correct terms, so children grow up seeing menstruation as a normal part of health.
• Donate unopened period products to a local food bank, shelter or school pantry that accepts them.
• Check whether the restrooms at your school or workplace have bins, soap and water, and suggest fixes if they don't.
• Learn which period symptoms, such as very heavy bleeding or severe pain, are worth raising with a doctor, and share that information.
• Join or host a local Menstrual Hygiene Day event, such as a talk, a product drive or a workshop for young people.

Menstrual Hygiene Day dates