Nursing Students' Menstrual Experiences and Period Poverty

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the menstrual experiences and period poverty status of nursing students. The study was conducted with 234 students who were menstruating, using Personal Information Form and Menstrual Practice Needs Scale(MPNS) in May-June 2023. An average of 18.63±9.26 pads was used during one menstrual period. Of the students, 14.1% had problems accessing menstruation products in the last year, 9.4% were hesitant to obtain menstruation products, 48.3% had financial difficulties while procuring the products, with 23.5% not using sanitary pads. The MPNS mean scores of the students were 2.31±0.40 for the material and home environment needs subscale, 1.88±0.55 for the transportation and school environment needs subscale, 1.70±0.64 for the material reliability concerns subscale, and 2.42±0.49 for the replacement and destruction insecurity subscale. As a result of the study, some students had financial difficulties in obtaining menstrual products, therefore they used menstrual products for longer than they should be used.