AHF Poland Joins Calls for Period Equity on Menstrual Health Day

LUBLIN, Poland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Join AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Poland for a Menstrual Health Day commemorative event at the Center for Culture on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at 16.00 to address the stigma, cultural taboos, and lack of menstrual hygiene access that undermine dignity and increase HIV risk among women and girls/people who menstruate. Menstrual Health Day is observed annually on May 28.

Globally, women and girls, particularly in regions like sub-Saharan Africa, face a disproportionate HIV burden. The lack of access to sanitary pads forces many to miss school, increasing the likelihood of dropping out. This often leads to increased transactional or transgenerational sex, limiting their ability to negotiate safer sex and raising the risk of acquiring HIV.

AHF’s Menstrual Health Day commemorations worldwide are part of broader strategic prevention efforts that highlight the link between menstrual health and HIV, promote the availability and accessibility of menstrual products, and integrate sexual and reproductive health information and services—ensuring women and girls/ people who menstruate have access to sanitary pads, HIV testing, condoms, and essential care.

Therefore, on the occasion of this year's Menstrual Health Day, AHF Poland will:

• Donate menstrual hygiene products to women refugees from the Center for Foreigners in Łuków.
• Provide equipment for the "Pink Boxes" at the Lublin University of Technology, the Youth Spaces network in Lublin, and integration spaces—Spilno Lublin and Baobab. The donation of menstrual products to Lublin University of Technology will be accompanied by a lecture titled "Menstrual Health Taken Seriously."
• Organize a special workshop with a urogynecological physiotherapy specialist and doctor, who will debunk common myths about menstruation ("That's just how you are," "PMS is a natural part of life") and demonstrate how movement techniques and massage can help relieve period discomfort. The workshop will also feature free pads and tampons, information on sexual health, quick HIV testing, live music, drinks, and snacks. The event will be international and conducted in both Polish and English.

WHAT: PERIOD POWER! Menstrual Health Workshop

Featuring:

• Natalia Brzozowska-Struska, urogynecological physiotherapist
• Michalina Pytka, doctor and menstrual health expert at Kulczyk Foundation
• Live music performance by Ev, an artist, poet, actress, and screenwriter from Zimbabwe
  During the workshop, menstrual pads and tampons will be distributed, and free HIV tests and informational materials on sexual and reproductive health will be available.

WHEN: Saturday, May 31, 2025
TIME: 16:00 – 20:00

WHERE: Center for Culture (Centrum Kultury), Peowiaków 12

WHO:

• Natalia Brzozowska-Struska – urogynecological physiotherapist
• Michalina Pytka – doctor and menstrual health expert at the Kulczyk Foundation
• Ev – artist from Zimbabwe
• Girls, young women, and adult women from Lublin, both locals and those who have come from different parts of the world, including Zimbabwe, Ukraine, and Belarus
• AHF Poland team

NEWS DESK NOTE & VISUALS: Media materials and information on reproductive health will be available on-site.

"The fact that Poland is located in the heart of Europe does not mean that the topic of menstruation is frequently discussed in public spaces. Both young girls and adult women still do not feel comfortable speaking openly about their experiences with menstruation. Many false beliefs and harmful myths persist, such as the inevitability of menstrual pain, which significantly affects women's daily lives," says Anna Szadkowska-Ciężka, AHF Poland’s Country Program Manager. "The lack of support from healthcare professionals regarding menstruation leads to women feeling abandoned in other, more complex health matters as well. This is not a good practice!"

Nearly 2 billion people menstruate globally, yet 500 million will experience period poverty—including the lack of access to menstrual health products, safe and clean facilities, and accepting communities. These barriers, along with stigma, can lead to poor health outcomes, missing school or work, and adverse effects on mental health. This Menstrual Health Day – let’s fight period poverty and end the stigma.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 2.2 million clients in 48 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare