‘Who Thinks of Pads in the Middle of Airstrikes?’: Myanmar Women Fight for Menstrual Dignity

Inside a crowded displacement camp in Chin State, western Myanmar, rows of makeshift bamboo-and-tarpaulin shelters stretch across the muddy ground. Seated on the floor of one such shelter, 21-year-old May Thazin cuts an old piece of cloth into narrow strips, folding each one with care.

She uses the cloth strips in place of sanitary pads during her periods — a routine she has relied on ever since fleeing her home in Lashio, a major city in northern Shan State, in late 2023 after intense fighting forced thousands of residents to escape. Like thousands of displaced women across Myanmar, Thazin has learned to improvise as menstrual hygiene products have become increasingly difficult to obtain.

Since the military, the Tatmadaw, seized power in February 2021, Myanmar has descended into a brutal civil war that has displaced nearly four million people and devastated the country’s healthcare system. United Nations, the World Health Organization, and health professionals say military checkpoints and restrictions on aid have made it increasingly difficult to deliver essential supplies — including menstrual hygiene products — to conflict-affected communities. Aid workers say authorities often suspect such items could be diverted for medical use by resistance groups. 

But relying on cloth carries health risks.

“In the rainy season, when everything is wet, we have no choice but to use the wet cloth again, which has increased skin infection, irritation, and other issues in many girls,” Thazin said, as she brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Girls suffer silently as sanitary items have become a luxury.”

The civil war in Myanmar has spiralled into one of Asia’s most devastating conflicts. Thousands of women across regions like Chin and Sagaing face chronic shortages of menstrual hygiene supplies, though the lack of functioning healthcare facilities makes comprehensive data collection difficult.

Matupi, a town in western Myanmar's Chin State, October 2014, before the Civil War. (Salai Tinaung/Wikimedia Commons)

Shwe Sin, a 23-year-old displaced student living in Chin State, described menstruation as the hardest part of life in displacement after air strikes destroyed her village, Hpruso, in 2025.

“We left our homes with few things, including some food, and fled to forests,” Sin said. “Who thinks about pads in the middle of airstrikes? I use the same cloth shared by around six girls here and hide that in a small box. Privacy is nowhere now.”

An Object of Control

The military regime has established checkpoints across Myanmar, particularly in border regions, tightening control over the movement of goods and humanitarian supplies and making it increasingly difficult to transport essential items into conflict-affected communities.

A social worker involved in humanitarian relief efforts, who requested anonymity, said aid groups have repeatedly tried to deliver menstrual hygiene supplies to displacement camps through informal routes.

“We used to transport sanitary pads through local networks, but checkpoint inspections and restrictions have made deliveries increasingly difficult," the social worker said.

These restrictions mirror the military’s long-standing “Four Cuts” (Pya Ley Pya) strategy, which seeks to weaken armed resistance groups by cutting off their access to food, funding, intelligence and recruits. As humanitarian access has narrowed, essential health supplies—including menstrual hygiene products — have increasingly become collateral victims of the conflict.

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“Targeting menstrual products might seem small compared to bombings and executions,” said a women’s rights activist who spoke anonymously from Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar. “But it is a serious threat to women survivors of war who need menstrual supplies to stay healthy. This has become a tool, another way for conflict to control women’s bodies.”

Beyond direct violence, wars frequently disrupt healthcare systems and restrict access to basic reproductive health supplies. In 2024 alone, more than 3,600 attacks on healthcare facilities were reported in conflict areas like Myanmar, Gaza, and Sudan, depriving millions of women of reproductive healthcare. 

Myanmar’s menstrual health crisis reflects a pattern seen across conflict zones worldwide. In Gaza, the United Nations Population Fund estimates that nearly 700,000 menstruating women and girls face severe shortages of sanitary products, clean water, and private sanitation facilities amid ongoing conflict. In Sudan, aid agencies report attacks on healthcare facilities and mass displacement disrupting access to menstrual supplies. 

“Whenever help comes, people care about food and medicines. Nobody talks about menstruation,” Thazin said. “Everyone is already going through so much.” 

A Ray of Hope

Along the banks of the Irrawaddy River in Sagaing, 260km away from Chin State, the sound of birdsong is often interrupted by the distant hum of military aircraft. Deep inside the forests, where tarpaulin shelters blend into the trees to avoid detection, nurse Wai Thin from the Sagaing region moves between makeshift camps carrying basic medicines and menstrual supplies.

“Before the conflict, a packet of sanitary pads cost less than one USD,” Thin said. “After the ban, it has reached nearly three to four USD. We are suffering silently and prefer food for their families over discussing menstruation, as pads have become a luxury item.”

The consequences extend beyond health, creating yet another barrier to girls’ education. Thin described that hundreds of girls in displaced camps avoid community classes during their periods, afraid of leaking blood.

A group of 10 women, led by Thin, have started an initiative to offer temporary relief. They distribute donated fabric and sewing kits to around 50 women every month, so that women can use fresh cloth to stitch their own menstrual products. 

International agencies like the United Nations Population Fund have also attempted to fill the gap. They distributed “dignity kits" containing sanitary pads, soap, underwear, and hygiene supplies through local partners and mobile clinics.

But in 2025, major USAID programs, responsible for civilian foreign aid and international development, were dismantled, forcing some local organisations to scale back services.

“In war, people think survival means staying alive,” said Thin. “But survival means keeping your dignity, confidence, and sense of human being alive.”

Back in Chin State, the evening rain drummed softly against the tarpaulin roof of Thazin’s shelter. The 21-year-old dreams of returning to university and becoming a software engineer once the war ends.

As she spoke, her voice softened. She recalled a time when her days revolved around classes, friends, and plans for the future, rather than displacement and survival. Pausing for a moment, she looked down and wiped away tears.

“That was the life I dream of living again,” she said quietly.

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