WOMEN and girls across Africa continue to suffer in silence from undiagnosed menstrual health disorders, limited access to specialised healthcare and persistent stigma, prompting organisers of this year’s Women’s Health Summit to call for a broader understanding of period poverty.
The summit, scheduled for August in Johannesburg under the theme Access Granted, will bring together healthcare professionals, policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors and community leaders to champion sustainable solutions to what organisers describe as Africa’s silent menstrual health crisis.
In an interview with NewsDay, Gynae Warriors Network founder Bianca Nyamuparadza said period poverty extends far beyond the lack of sanitary pads.
She argued that inadequate healthcare, delayed diagnoses, misinformation and the high cost of treatment continue to leave millions of women and girls without the care they need.
Nyamuparadza, whose women’s health organisation has spent the past 16 years advocating for menstrual health awareness, said the summit was inspired by her personal experience and a determination to ensure that no girl suffers in silence because of a lack of information or access to healthcare.
“My journey started because of the lack of information,” she said.
“As a young woman, I kept complaining about the symptoms I was experiencing during my period, but I was constantly told that what I was experiencing was normal.
“Eventually, I stopped talking about it.”
It was only after researching her symptoms online that she realised she was living with a recognised menstrual health disorder.
“When I discovered Google, I realised I was not crazy.
“Everything I was experiencing was documented.
“The problem was not that the conditions did not exist, but that people simply didn't know about them.”
The discovery inspired her to establish what was then known as Shine in 2010, a movement dedicated to educating women and building support networks for those living with menstrual and gynaecological disorders.
Over the years, Nyamuparadza said the organisation has expanded beyond Zimbabwe into several African countries through a network of ambassadors and representatives.
It is also working on a book and a magazine dedicated to menstrual health education.
Despite growing awareness, she said stigma remains one of the biggest barriers preventing women from seeking medical help.
“Many women don’t want to be seen as part of the movement because society immediately associates menstrual disorders with infertility,” Nyamuparadza said.
“They prefer to suffer behind closed doors rather than face judgement.”
She said the silence has left many girls, particularly those in rural communities, without access to life-changing information or specialist healthcare.
“I kept asking myself, what about the little girl in a village in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Ghana, Kenya or Nigeria who cannot access Google?
“What happens when her parents don’t know and her teachers don’t know?
“That is when I realised we needed to reach people differently.”
While many organisations focus on distributing sanitary pads, Nyamuparadza believes period poverty should be viewed far more broadly.
“Period poverty goes beyond donating sanitary pads,” she said.
“There are girls living with undiagnosed diseases for years.
“There is bullying, untreated trauma, lack of healthcare, lack of education and the inability to afford specialist treatment.”
She said access to menstrual healthcare remains beyond the reach of many women, with specialist consultations costing more than US$100 before additional diagnostic tests and treatment are considered.
Even those who can afford the fees often face lengthy waiting periods because specialists are booked months in advance.
According to Nyamuparadza, addressing the crisis requires a co-ordinated effort across all sectors of society rather than treating menstrual health solely as a women’s issue.
She said teachers need training to recognise menstrual health challenges among schoolgirls, while the tourism and hospitality sectors should be equipped to support travellers living with severe menstrual disorders through accessible facilities and appropriate services.
“If a seven-year-old starts menstruating while at school and the teacher has never been trained, that teacher can unintentionally become part of that child’s trauma,” Nyamuparadza said.
“Every ministry has a role to play because menstrual health affects education, tourism, workplaces, families and communities.”
She added that improving menstrual health outcomes requires governments, healthcare institutions, educators and communities to work together to create lasting solutions rather than relying on short-term interventions.
For Nyamuparadza, however, the summit is about far more than an annual gathering.
“It is not simply about recognising successful women; it is about tracking our progress, identifying where we are falling behind and finding sustainable solutions that ensure every woman and girl, regardless of where she lives, has access to the information, healthcare and support she deserves,” she said.
Nyamuparadza believes Africa can only overcome its silent menstrual health crisis when society stops viewing menstrual disorders as a private women's issue and begins recognising them as a shared development challenge that demands collective action.