Dubai doctor releases menstrual care handbook for people of determination

A Dubai doctor has released a handbook which guides caretakers of females with severe mental and physical disabilities to deal with issues of body safety and menstrual health.

Dr Mehnaz Abdulla, Specialist Obstetrics and Gynecology at Aster Women Clinic in Al Qusais, has channelled her experience working with people of determination to put together the book which details how to handle various issues pertaining to women.

It was an incident during her days as a medical student that led the doctor to focus on this field. “An aged couple came with their approximately 35-year-old daughter who was intellectually disabled, saying they couldn't manage her menstrual issues anymore, and that they wanted a hysterectomy done,” she told Khaleej Times. “So that led me to doing a three-year research on what kind of problems girls and women of determination face and the hurdles caregivers face pertaining to feminine hygiene.”

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She said the most common issue that caregivers faced was maintaining hygiene and getting their wards to comply. “The girls, especially within the age group ranging from 12 to 37, don’t often understand hygiene issues,” she said. “It is hard for the caregivers to get them to wear a pad and teach them not to rip it out. There is also a lack of support for mothers or the caregivers in this particular aspect.”

Training methods

According to Dr Mehnaz, it is important to train caregivers on how to teach their wards about menstruation. “They have to teach children about menstruation very early on,” she said. “The approach has to be different to that used for neurotypical children. Caregivers must use flash cards and visual aid to explain about menstrual cycle and how to maintain personal hygiene. They have to show sanitary napkins with red food colouring in it. So when the time comes, they are prepared for it. We have seen that the compliance is much higher among children who have been trained with such visual aids.”

She said that in her experience, most caregivers face doubts and mental trauma about the decisions they are forced to make. “During my research, I came across many caregivers who had to make heart-wrenching decisions,” she said.

“They spend sleepless nights feeling guilty about it. Some have even done hysterectomy on youngsters who are less than 15 years old because it was difficult to manage them. Mostly, women of determination, especially those with autism hit puberty early and often have very heavy bleeding and cramps.”

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