Lived experiences of menstrual health for Indigenous girls in a remote Australian town

Abstract

Remote-living and Indigenous Australians can experience menstrual health and hygiene challenges. The topic is not often openly discussed as it is considered private ‘women’s business’. We were invited into a remote Indigenous town and community to discuss the lived experience of menstruation with female students as well as clinical, educational and community workers. Our yarning circles and interviews collated 16 barriers in four clusters: structural living situation; knowledge, culture and behavior; discomfort and public life; and finances. Targeted efforts by relevant organizations, including schools and government agencies, were identified by participants to better support menstrual health and hygiene without associated pain, ranging moods and a sense of shame.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge and thank everyone involved in our project, including the Indigenous women and men, students, and school community, local organisations in the Western Cape, and academic researcher colleagues.

Data availability statement

There are no publicly available data to share with this article.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare there is no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

Our research was supported by the University of Queensland’s Early Career Researcher Grant (Reference UQECR1833473).