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Seven in 10 low-income women in Turkey lack regular access to period products, as the country’s prolonged inflation crisis pushes many women and girls into “period poverty,” the Cumhuriyet daily reported.
According to the Deep Poverty Network (DYA), a civil society group working in disadvantaged neighborhoods, many women from households living on or below the minimum wage have begun relying on unsafe alternatives such as reused cloth, cotton or toilet paper because sanitary pads and tampons have become increasingly unaffordable.
A package of sanitary pads has nearly tripled in price over the past two years in Turkey, the group said, amid a prolonged economic crisis marked by high inflation and a sharp decline in the value of the Turkish lira.
Gynecologist Yeşim İşleğen warned that inadequate menstrual hygiene can increase the risk of infections and other health complications.
“Women are more vulnerable to infections during menstruation, so hygienic products are necessary,” İşleğen said. “Products used in unhealthy conditions can cause vulvar and vaginal diseases.”
In severe untreated cases, such infections can affect reproductive organs and potentially contribute to infertility, she added.
The problem is particularly severe for students, İşleğen said, warning that girls who cannot access period products may struggle to attend school during their periods, deepening educational inequalities.
She called for free period products to be distributed in schools, particularly for students from low-income families.
Turkey has no nationwide program providing free period products, although some opposition-run municipalities have distributed them through local social aid programs.