International Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28 2026

The date of International Menstrual Hygiene Day was not chosen at random. May 28 symbolically reflects the menstrual cycle: the number 28 corresponds to the average length of a cycle, while May – the fifth month of the year – refers to the average duration of menstruation, which is about five days. The Day was first promoted by the non-governmental organization WASH United in 2013 and celebrated for the first time on May 28, 2014. Since then, the goal has remained the same: to break the taboos that still surround menstruation and foster a culture of menstrual health free from stigma.

Having a sanitary pad on hand when needed may seem like a minor detail. For many women and girls, however, it is anything but. Even today, menstruation continues to be a reality often accompanied by embarrassment, sacrifices, and, in some cases, genuine hardship, including the difficulty of easily accessing adequate menstrual products and safe, dignified spaces. We often speak of  menstrual insecurity: the difficulty of consistently accessing adequate menstrual products, accurate information, and safe spaces to manage menstrual flow. This is a condition that can have tangible consequences on quality of life, social participation, and even the educational and professional paths of those affected. Even in economically developed contexts, in fact, the menstrual cycle is often still considered an exclusively private matter, with the result that many needs remain invisible. Addressing this issue within a university therefore means recognizing that academic settings are spaces that help shape cultural norms. Providing menstrual products on campus means acknowledging a real need and introducing a principle of substantive equity. More than just a practical gesture, it is a cultural message. 

Too many women, they point out, grow up believing that the pain and discomfort associated with menstruation must simply be endured – a mindset that leads to the downplaying of significant symptoms and delayed diagnosis. Endometriosis is the best-known example: a chronic condition that still suffers from significant diagnostic delays today, in part because menstrual pain is too often considered “normal.” This same silence, they add, has long influenced scientific research; for decades, women of childbearing age have been underrepresented in clinical trials, resulting in models and protocols developed primarily based on male data. Today, medicine is moving toward a more balanced and inclusive approach, but much remains to be done regarding product safety as well, with their composition now the subject of growing scientific attention.

Read the in-depth article “Menstrual Health, Equity, and Culture: Why USI’s Menstrual Stations Are Much More Than a Service” by two specialists from the USI Faculty of Biomedical Sciences: Professor Maria Luisa Gasparri, gynecologist and breast specialist, Head of Service at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at EOC and founder of the GO WINneRS association - Women in Research, Gyn&Ob, and Professor Stefania Rizzo, a radiologist, Deputy Head of the Radiology Clinic at IDISI-EOC and a member of the committee of the same association. Their message is clear: talking openly about menstruation helps reduce stigma and misinformation.

In the restrooms on the campuses of the University of Italian Switzerland, free menstrual products are available. The “Menstrual Stations”– dispensers designed to offer immediate support to female students, staff, and visitors in times of need were created with a specific goal: to help raise awareness about menstrual health and, at the same time, promote well-being, inclusion, and the quality of university life. The project is part of a broader vision of the role of the contemporary university. Inclusion, in fact, is not an abstract principle; it is built through concrete choices and daily attention. Recognizing needs often considered invisible and creating spaces more attuned to people’s realities means contributing to a more aware university environment. Because progress is also measured by institutions’ ability to listen to small, everyday needs and transform them into concrete actions.

International Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28.

For more information on the initiative, please contact the USI Equal Opportunities Service.