A Healthcare practitioner, Ms Adedoyin Amurawaiye, has urged adolescent girls to maintain optimum hygiene during menstruation to avert infections.

Amurawaiye, also a Registered Nurse, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

She underscored the importance of hygiene during menstruation, saying that the female body at that time is porous to infections, hence the need to observe optimum cleanliness.

She, therefore, urged women and girls to take a bath or do thorough cleaning two to three times a day and change sanitary pad at least within six hours intervals.

Amurawaiye, who explained that menstrual period signifies that a girl is ready for pregnancy, noted that teenagers should be adequately educated about what is going on in their body at puberty.

She added that “menstruation is a normal and unique growth process for the female. It is special and normal and nothing to be ashamed of.

“Menstrual period teaches resilience and strength. Science reveals that every woman must go through the process of menstruation.”

She, therefore, called for increased education on menstrual pain management to provide women and girls with the right information.

She explained that some menstrual pains might be natural, while others may be due to infection, fibroid or other diseases, but many people do not know because they assumed it to be normal for women to undergo pains.

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She added that the normal/natural menstrual pains were considered to be primary; while the secondary menstrual pains were the ones caused by infections and would require the services of a specialist/gynecologist.

She advised young girls and women who experience severe menstrual pains to seek medical attention as that might be a sign of a health condition. NAN