Period Poverty: Some women now use baby diapers in place of sanitary pads

A startling new trend is sweeping across urban and rural communities, as millions of women now swap traditional sanitary pads for disposable baby diapers due to the economic downturn. 

Economy&Lifestyle discovered that this trend is not just driven by a punishing economic landscape but also recent medical scares regarding standard menstrual care.

The improvised “life hack” has rapidly transformed from a viral social media trend into a widespread public health dilemma.

However, for many women who spoke to us, the primary catalyst is purely financial. 

Over the past few years, skyrocketing inflation has sent the cost of imported and locally manufactured sanitary pads soaring. 

A pack of high-quality pads now command prices that conflict with basic food budgets, causing  period poverty to reach an all-time high.

Mrs. Nefisat Amadu, a health care worker said:  “I used to spend a significant chunk of my salary just managing my heavy flow every month.

“A single pad barely lasts three hours for me. But with a single size-2 baby diaper cut down the middle, I can get through an entire workday without a single stain or leak.

“Economically, it just makes sense, even if it feels incredibly degrading to buy baby products for myself.”

Cost and chemical fears

The shift has been further accelerated by a recent wave of digital anxiety and public concern over a widely circulated online report detailing  domestic study that detected volatile organic compounds and heavy metals, including lead and arsenic, across dozens of popular sanitary pad brands. 

For thousands of women already experiencing skin irritation and contact dermatitis, the study provided a reason to dump standard pads altogether.

Mrs. Jadesola Akinmorin, a lecturer, narrated how she contracted skin infection after using a particular brand of pad.

She added: “I just tore one of my Ankara wrappers in pieces. That is what I am currently using during my menstrual cycle, because the pad I was using almost made me run mad.”

A looming health crisis

However, medical professionals are sounding an urgent alarm, warning that this desperate economic trade-off could trigger a wave of severe reproductive tract infections.

Dr. Marvel Abubakar, a gynaecologist said: “Baby diapers are fundamentally engineered to absorb urine, which is a light, rapidly dispersing liquid.

“Menstrual discharge is entirely different; it is thicker, containing clotted blood and cellular tissue. 

“Diapers lack the specific distribution layers required to handle clots, causing fluid to pool at the surface.”

He noted that diapers are built to hold large volumes over extended periods, which tempts women to wear them much longer than a standard pad. 

The heavily plasticized, bulky design traps extreme heat, sweat, and moisture against sensitive vulval skin. 

In humid climates, this creates a literal incubator for pathogenic bacteria and fungi, exponentially increasing the risk of bacterial vaginosis and severe urinary tract infections.

He warned that citizens shouldn’t have to choose between financial ruin and physical illness, while urging local regulatory agencies to rapidly investigate chemical exposure in hygiene products while pressuring governments to eliminate tariffs on basic menstrual care. 

“Until systemic changes are made, the sight of adult women altering infant diapers will remain a stark symbol of a missing social safety net”, Abubakar concluded.