Title
Recognizing May 2026 as Menstrual Health Awareness Month.
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WHEREAS, Menstruation is a natural biological process in which the uterine lining sheds blood and tissue when pregnancy does not occur; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 1.8 billion individuals, or 26% of the global population, menstruate monthly, affirming that menstrual health is a critical public health issue; and
WHEREAS, At any given time, 800 million women and girls worldwide are menstruating, including 86 million in the United States; and
WHEREAS, This year's theme, What's Been Normalized Isn't Normal, calls attention to the need to stop accepting painful, disruptive, and debilitating menstrual symptoms as simply "part of being a woman"; and
WHEREAS, Menstruation can significantly impact both physical and mental health, often compounded by school systems and workplaces that dismiss or minimize these symptoms; and
WHEREAS, 1 in 3 women experience severe menstrual bleeding, and women wait an average of 4 to 11 years for an endometriosis diagnosis, reflecting major gaps in care driven by limited research, leaving conditions such as fibroids, endometriosis, and PCOS underdiagnosed and affecting millions; and
WHEREAS, 70-80% of women will be diagnosed with fibroids by age 50, and approximately 6,000 women in the United States enter menopause each day; and
WHEREAS, The World Bank estimates that 500,000,000 people globally lack access to menstrual products, and 1 in 5 students miss school due to their periods; and
WHEREAS, This lack of access for young women and girls highlights the inequity of limited resources for a natural biological process and emphasizes the need for schools and institutions to better support menstrual health; and
WHEREAS, A recent national report from Dignity Grows shows Period Poverty in the United States is increasing, rising from 35% in 2023 to 42% of women affected, leading to missed school, job loss, and health issues, underscoring the urgent need for legislative a...
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