Why Menstrual Hygiene Day Needs a Rebrand (and a Bigger Conversation)

Today is Menstrual Hygiene Day, and while I’m 100% behind its mission, I also believe it’s time to expand the conversation.

This global awareness day, created in 2014 by the organisation WASH United, was designed to break taboos, fight period poverty, and push for better access to menstrual products and sanitation worldwide. It’s done brilliant work, particularly in highlighting the very real struggles many women and girls still face around the world when it comes to safe period care.

But here’s where I want to gently challenge it:

The word “hygiene” doesn’t sit quite right with me.

Hygiene implies our periods are dirty.

It frames menstruation as something to be dealt with, cleaned up, hidden, or managed discreetly, when actually, our menstrual cycle is a powerful, natural biological process that impacts so much more than just the week we bleed.

It affects:

• Energy levels

• Emotional regulation

• Motivation and focus

• Confidence

• Communication

• And even the way we experience stress

Yet we’re often only taught how to use a tampon, and not much else.

The menstrual cycle isn’t one week. It’s four distinct phases.

Each phase brings its own hormonal shifts, strengths, and vulnerabilities. If you’ve ever wondered why you feel like Beyoncé one week and a drained, tearful gremlin the next, this is why.

Let’s break it down:

• Menstrual (Inner Winter): A time to rest, reflect, and release.

• Follicular (Inner Spring): Rising energy, fresh ideas, more motivation.

• Ovulatory (Inner Summer): Peak power, connection, confidence.

• Luteal (Inner Autumn): Slowing down, sensitivity, emotional honesty.

Understanding these phases is like unlocking a cheat code to your own body and brain. It explains the mood swings, the energy crashes, the overwhelm before your period, not because you’re broken, but because your hormones are shifting. That’s normal. That’s powerful. That’s data.

So, what if we rebranded this day?

Instead of Menstrual Hygiene Day, what if we called it Menstrual Health Awareness Day?

A day to:

• Educate people about the full menstrual cycle

• Talk openly about hormonal health and its impact on our daily lives

• Teach both women and workplaces how to support the full cycle

• Move from shame and silence to empowerment and understanding

Because the truth is, menstrual health isn’t just a women’s issue. It’s a human issue. A wellbeing issue. A workplace issue. And it’s time we treated it that way.

What we need now:

• Better education in schools and workplaces

• Safe, inclusive spaces to talk about hormonal changes

• Leaders who understand how to support their team members across the cycle

• Women who feel equipped to advocate for themselves with confidence, not just emotion

This isn’t about asking for special treatment. It’s about creating informed environments that acknowledge what so many of us are moving through every single month.

Because when we understand our cycles, we show up more consistently, set better boundaries, and build more sustainable success.

And that’s what we should be shouting about.

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Want to learn more about the 4 phases of your cycle and how to work with them?
I’ve got tons of resources to help you get started, from free guides to workshops to 1:1 support.

Together, let’s go beyond hygiene. Let’s step into knowledge, confidence, and power, all cycle long.

– Kasi x