Setting the Standard for Menstrual Hygiene Around the World

How ISO Technical Committee 338 is Advancing Human Health and Dignity

Every day, an estimated 300 million people around the world depend on menstrual products, yet no ISO standard exists to assure those products are safe, consistent, or effective. This Menstrual Hygiene Day, May 28th, that is changing: with input from nearly 60 countries across the globe, ISO Technical Committee (TC) 338, Menstrual Products, is developing the first ISO standards for safe, quality menstrual products.

These efforts reflect the mission to support a world where safe menstrual products are a global standard.

ISO TC 338: Setting the Standard Globally

Standards safeguard an enormous range of products that people rely on daily, from medical devices to hygiene products. Yet the same rigor applied to other personal-use products has not been extended to menstrual products—with real consequences for safety, access, and consumer protection. Menstrual health encompasses physical, mental, and social well-being. The standards that ISO TC 338 is developing are designed to strengthen the safety and reliability of products that affect all three.

The scope of TC 338 covers all manufactured menstrual products, including those intended for single or multiple uses. The committee's objectives include:

• improving product safety and quality of life during menstruation,
• expanding global access and availability,
• fostering open, informed conversations about menstrual health,
• improving consumer access to information, and
• creating pathways for standards adoption in low- and middle-income countries—including identifying common challenges, engaging policymakers and regulators, and supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises, particularly for reusable product implementation.

U.S. Stakeholders: Get Involved and Help Set the Standard

Participation in this work offers a meaningful opportunity to shape these critical standards and advance menstrual equity on a global scale. ANSI administers the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO TC 338, coordinating U.S. input to the international committee. Interested stakeholders are encouraged to join the U.S. TAG and visit committee.iso.org/home/tc338 to learn more.