One of the most pervasive impacts of improper menstrual hygiene is absenteeism from school. Put simply, girls are missing school because of their periods. Many girls are afraid of leakage due to improvised methods for absorption or even forbidden from attending school during menstruation. At many schools, there is also no private space for girls to change pads or wash, which can make it very difficult for girls on their periods to care for themselves properly throughout the day.

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While some girls are not able to attend school at all during their period, many girls who are active participants in class will sit quietly in the back out of fear that they are emitting an odor or leaking, squandering their opportunity for effective education.

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Girls who are not able to have proper menstrual hygiene are placed at a disadvantage as they enter secondary school because they have missed so much class they are often behind on the material. Absenteeism also decreases the odds that girls will continue education at all and many drop out because they cannot make up the time they missed.

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Sources: 1, 2, & 3