A public health expert has called on Nigerian organisations to adopt deliberate workplace policies addressing menstrual disorders, warning that the condition is quietly eroding productivity and limiting female participation in the workforce.

Roselynn Etukudo-Modi, head of human resources at the Society for Family Health, made the call on Friday in Abuja during a webinar organised to mark International Women’s Day 2026.

Ms Etukudo-Modi, who also serves as SFH’s gender champion, cited studies suggesting menstrual disorders were highly prevalent among Nigerian women, with some research among specific populations reporting rates as high as 90.4 per cent.

“These menstrual disorders do not only bring discomfort; they affect your performance, and for school-age girls, many of them miss school because of menstrual problems,” she said.

She argued that the high prevalence should compel organisations to reclassify menstrual disorders from a private hygiene matter to an occupational health concern, warning that failure to do so would limit women’s potential contributions.

“When you have a pervasive issue affecting a significant number of your workforce, you need to begin to look at it not as a personal issue but as an organisational issue,” she said.

Ms Etukudo-Modi outlined a framework for response built on three pillars: recognition, response and measurement, urging organisations to institutionalise structured interventions.

She called for training managers to handle menstrual health disclosures with empathy and recommended policies such as flexible work arrangements, adequate sanitary facilities and provisions for employees experiencing severe symptoms.

Recalling a university colleague who required monthly hospitalisation due to debilitating symptoms including anaemia, vomiting and fainting, she said such cases demanded systemic responses rather than reliance on individual goodwill.

Constance Shehu, a senior consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, provided a clinical overview of menstrual disorders. She described menstruation as a normal physiological process that should not be stigmatised.

Ms Shehu explained that menstrual disorders presented in various forms, including absence of menstruation (amenorrhea), irregular cycles, infrequent or frequent periods, and heavy menstrual bleeding.

She noted that such conditions often disrupted daily life and, in severe cases, led to complications such as anaemia.

Drawing from experience, Ms Shehu said delayed diagnosis, often driven by stigma and poor awareness, worsened suffering.

She recounted a secondary school peer whose severe monthly pain was dismissed as an exaggeration, only for it to later be identified during medical training as endometriosis, a treatable condition.

Ms Shehu urged healthcare workers, especially family physicians, to take menstrual complaints seriously and provide appropriate clinical guidance, noting that some patients were often dismissed.

She also encouraged women and adolescent girls to track their menstrual cycles using diaries or mobile applications, noting that accurate records could support timely diagnosis and care.

(NAN)