ArticleBMC women's health2023
"I stretch them out as long as possible:" U.S. women's experiences of menstrual product insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article in BMC women's health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effect of menstrual cups on vaginal health, reproductive tract and urogenital infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.EBioMedicine · 2026Pooled it
- Period poverty, housing and food insecurity, and mental health among college students in Hawai'i.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026Article
- Mapping the health outcomes of menstrual inequity: a comprehensive scoping review.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- Period Poverty and Barriers to Menstrual Health Equity in U.S. Menstruating College Students: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Bleeding Through a Pandemic: Women's Lived Experiences with Heavy Menstrual Bleeding During the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of women's health · 2025Article
- Experiences of mental health and poverty in high-income countries during COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-aggregation.PLOS mental health · 2024Article
- School nurses and menstrual communication: Destigmatizing the stigma among adolescents.Women's health (London, England)Article
- A bleeding shame: Period poverty, stigma and menstrual equity in a regional Australian university setting.Women's health (London, England)Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundA growing body of evidence highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated gender inequalities in the US. This resulted in women being more vulnerable to economic insecurity and decreases in their overall well-being. One relevant issue that has been less explored is that of women's menstrual health experiences, including how inconsistent access to menstrual products may negatively impact their daily lives.
methodsThis qualitative study, conducted from March through May 2021, utilized in-depth interviews that were nested within a national prospective cohort study. The interviews (n = 25) were conducted with a sub-sample of cis-gender women living across the US who had reported challenges accessing products during the first year of the pandemic. The interviews sought to understand the barriers that contributed to experiencing menstrual product insecurity, and related coping mechanisms. Malterud's 'systematic text condensation', an inductive thematic analysis method, was utilized to analyze the qualitative transcripts.
resultsRespondents came from 17 different states across the U.S. Three key themes were identified: financial and physical barriers existed to consistent menstrual product access; a range of coping strategies in response to menstrual product insecurity, including dependence on makeshift and poorer quality materials; and heightened experiences of menstrual-related anxiety and shame, especially regarding the disclosure of their menstruating status to others as a result of inadequate menstrual leak protection.
conclusionsAddressing menstrual product insecurity is a critical step for ensuring that all people who menstruate can attain their most basic menstrual health needs. Key recommendations for mitigating the impact of menstrual product insecurity require national and state-level policy reform, such as the inclusion of menstrual products in existing safety net basic needs programs, and the reframing of menstrual products as essential items. Improved education and advocacy are needed to combat menstrual stigma.
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Registered trials
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