Period poverty in Nigeria: a scoping review of its drivers and implications among women of reproductive age

Abstract

Abstract Background Period poverty, broadly defined as the lack of access to menstrual products, safe water and sanitation, and menstrual health education, disproportionately burdens women and girls in low- and middle-income countries. In Nigeria, an estimated 37 million women and girls are affected, yet evidence on the drivers and implications of period poverty remains fragmented across settings and population groups. This review systematically maps the existing evidence to inform policy, programming, and future research. Methods A scoping review was conducted following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reported according to the PRISMA-ScR guideline. PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and grey literature sources were searched for studies published between 2016 and 2026. Evidence was synthesized narratively and interpreted using the Socioecological Model. Results Sixteen studies were included from 240 retrieved records after screening and eligibility assessment. Most were cross-sectional studies conducted among adolescent schoolgirls, predominantly in Southwest Nigeria. Five thematic domains were identified: menstrual hygiene practices and material access; menstrual health knowledge and sociocultural beliefs; period poverty and socioeconomic inequalities; psychosocial, health, and educational consequences; and WASH and institutional barriers. Economic and sociocultural barriers emerged as the most consistently documented drivers across included studies, with high menstrual product costs, structural poverty, and entrenched menstrual stigma reported across the majority of the evidence base. WASH-related barriers, particularly inadequate sanitation infrastructure in public schools, were the next most consistently documented domain, closely followed by gaps in menstrual health education. Health outcomes included reproductive and urinary tract infections, and significant school absenteeism and reduced academic participation were documented across studies. An emerging association between financial dependence on male partners for menstrual materials and exposure to sexual coercion was also identified. Conclusions The available evidence suggests that period poverty in Nigeria is a multidimensional public health and social equity challenge requiring coordinated responses across the health, education, WASH, gender, and social protection sectors. However, the evidence base remains dominated by cross-sectional studies, highlighting the need for stronger longitudinal and intervention research.