Menstrual Hygiene Day, 28 May: how to mark it in India

Pinkishe Foundation

8/11/2026

Menstrual Hygiene Day, 28 May: how to mark it in India

Every year, 28 May is Menstrual Hygiene Day. Around the world, people use the day to talk openly about periods, and to ask what girls and women still need.

How far India has come

India has made real progress. Among women aged 15 to 24, the use of a hygienic method during the period rose from 57.6% in NFHS-4 (2015-16) to 79.2% in NFHS-6 (2023-24).

But 1 in 5 young women still go without a hygienic method (NFHS-6). In villages, 1 in 4 young women lack safe period products (NFHS-6).

On 30 January 2026, the Supreme Court recognised menstrual health as part of every girl's right to life under Article 21. Its directions cover classes 6 to 12. They include free sanitary pads, vending machines or other set places to get them, safe disposal, toilets with water, awareness for teachers and students, and periodic inspections.

Legal position as of 8 November 2026.

Ways to mark the day

In a school

Hold a short session for girls, and one for boys too.
Read The Period Fairy, our free comic about the first period, in 29 languages.
Check the girls' toilet: water, a door that closes, and a bin.

At work

Talk about periods at work, plainly, for one hour.
Stock pads in the women's washrooms.
Plan something bigger with us: write to info@pinkishe.org.

At home

Talk to your daughter, and your son, before the first period comes.
Save our menstrual helpline, 85888 70999, free and confidential, at any hour.

For girls you will never meet

₹1,100 covers one girl's menstrual protection, education and support for a year. Donate once, or every month.

Donating from India and from abroad

In India: please use our India donation page. Your donation is eligible for tax deduction under Section 133 of the Income-tax Act, 2025 (earlier Section 80G). Add your PAN when you pay if you intend to claim the deduction.
Indian citizen living abroad (NRI)? Please give on our India page, from your own savings. The tax deduction helps only if you pay tax in India.
Foreign passport or OCI card? Please use our international page. $25 covers two girls' menstrual protection, education and support for a year. A donation from abroad carries no Indian tax benefit.

Donate from India →

Donate from abroad →

About us

Pinkishe Foundation is a non-profit working on menstrual health since 2017. We work in schools and communities across India, so every girl and woman can manage her period with dignity. We are rated five stars on Google by over 2,400 people.

Choosing where to give? Read our guide, How to choose an NGO to donate to in India.

🌸 Period & Ovulation Calculator

Track your cycle, predict your fertile window and plan ahead.

First day of last period

Cycle length (days)

Period duration (days)

Please enter the first day of your last period.

📅 Your 3-Month Cycle Calendar

Period days

Ovulation day

Fertile window

Other days

While you track your cycle

₹1,100 covers one girl's menstrual protection, education and support for a year.

Eligible under Section 80G · Over 8 lakh girls and women supported since 2017

Help a Girl Today →

Common questions about tracking your cycle

A few things people often ask us about cycles and about this calculator.

How accurate is this ovulation calculator?

It uses the standard calendar method. Ovulation is estimated at about 14 days before your next period, and the fertile window as the five days before ovulation plus ovulation day itself. For a fairly regular cycle it is a good guide. It cannot sense what your body is doing on a given day, so please treat it as an estimate rather than a test.

What exactly are my fertile days?

They are the days when pregnancy is possible. Sperm can survive up to about five days, and the egg lives for roughly a day after ovulation. That is why the calculator marks a window of about six days rather than a single day.

What if my cycle is irregular?

The calculator assumes your cycle stays close to the length you entered. If it varies by more than a few days from month to month, the predicted dates will move as well. Noting your actual start dates for two or three months, which is what our printable tracker is for, gives you a far better picture than any single calculation.

Can I use safe days to avoid pregnancy?

Please do not rely on it. This calculator is not a method of contraception. Calendar based methods have a high failure rate in ordinary use, and they are least reliable for irregular cycles, for teenagers and around menopause. For contraception, please speak to a doctor about a method that suits you.

What does the three-month calendar show?

Your expected period days, your ovulation day, your fertile window and the remaining days, for this month and the two that follow. It is a planning aid, for travel, exams, or simply knowing when to keep supplies handy.

What the calculator cannot do

It is not a pregnancy test and cannot confirm or rule out pregnancy.
It is not a method of contraception, and should not be used as one.
It cannot diagnose PCOS, thyroid problems or any other condition.
It cannot account for hormonal contraception, which changes your cycle.

Worth speaking to a doctor about: periods that stop for three months or more without pregnancy, bleeding that soaks through protection every hour for several hours, periods lasting longer than seven days, severe pain that stops you going about your day, or bleeding between periods. None of these mean something is certainly wrong, but all of them are worth a professional opinion rather than a calculator.

Get the free three month period tracker

A simple printable sheet that marks your period days, your fertile window and your ovulation day. We will email it to you now.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

We will send the tracker and a few gentle menstrual health emails from Khyati at Pinkishe. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

Prefer to work out your dates now? Open the free ovulation calculator

Questions people ask

When is Menstrual Hygiene Day?

Every year on 28 May.

How can a school mark Menstrual Hygiene Day?

With a short session for girls and boys, a reading of a comic such as The Period Fairy, and a check that the girls' toilet has water, a door that closes and a bin.

How can I support girls on Menstrual Hygiene Day?

Talk openly about periods, and if you can, donate. ₹1,100 covers one girl's menstrual protection, education and support for a year.

Before you go

Right now, a girl in India is missing school because of her period.

Not because she wants to. Because she has a torn piece of an old saree and nobody has ever explained her own body to her. You just read an article about yours. ₹1,100 covers one girl's menstrual protection, education and support for a year.

Donate ₹1,100 for one girl's year

Eligible for deduction under Section 80G. Receipt emailed instantly · Giving from outside India?

8 lakh+Girls and women supported since 2017

6,000+Menstrual health classes

12AB and 80GFCRANSE Social Stock Exchange5★ on Google from over 2,400 people

₹1,100 gives one girl a year. Donations are eligible for deduction under Section 80G.

Donate Now

Read Other Blog Posts