Researchers say multiple factors are likely impacting early puberty, including obesity, stress and endocrine-disrupting hormones which are widespread in the environment. SDI Productions/Getty Images/E+ hide caption
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Girls at a primary school in Sheno, Ethiopia. In partnership with UNICEF, the Sheno Primary School developed a program to educate both girls and boys about menstruation — and provide sanitary pads. A new UNICEF report says that only 39% of the world's schools offer such instruction. Zacharias Abubeker/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
As the war between Hamas and Israel continues, Palestinian women and girls are often unable to find needed menstrual products â and even running water and toilets. Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Another layer of misery: Women in Gaza struggle to find menstrual pads, running water
A scene from the popular Ethiopian soap opera Yegna, which sends messages about health and well-being to its teen viewers. Topics range from child marriage to menstrual pads. @yegnaplayer via YouTube/ Screengrab by NPR hide caption
After witnessing the social media debate about whether to sell sanitary pads on trains, university student Wendy Kou made posters about fighting "period shame" and hung them around her campus. Wendy Kou hide caption
Barbora Krejcikova, top right, and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic, celebrate after beating China's Shuai Zhang, bottom left, and Belgium's Elise Mertens during the final of the women's doubles at the Wimbledon tennis championships in July. Wimbledon is relaxing its requirement for all-white clothing to allow female players to wear colored undershorts. Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP hide caption
Writer and health educator Marni Sommer is co-author of A Girl's Guide to Puberty & Periods, which aims to help young people ages 9 to 14 understand the changes that happen in puberty and what to expect when. Grow & Know/Screenshot by NPR hide caption
Licensed practical nurse Yokasta Castro, of Warwick, R.I., draws a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe. The vaccines have now been linked to minor changes in menstruation, but are still considered safe. Steven Senne/AP hide caption
COVID vaccines may briefly change your menstrual cycle, but you should still get one
A modern menstrual hut. Amol Thaware hide caption
It's not a known side effect, but some people are experiencing changes to their menstrual cycles after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Reports have led some researchers to take a closer look at the possible connection. Scott Eisen/Getty Images hide caption
Why Reports Of Menstrual Changes After COVID Vaccine Are Tough To Study
Scottish Parliament member Monica Lennon (right) joins supporters of the Period Products bill she sponsored, at a rally outside Parliament in Edinburgh on Tuesday. The legislation would make Scotland the first country in the world to make products like pads and tampons freely available. Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images hide caption
From left: Sekou Sheriff, of Barkedu village in Liberia, whose parents died at an Ebola treatment center; a polio vaccination booth in Pakistan; a schoolgirl in Ethiopia examines underwear with a pocket for a menstrual pad; an image from a video on the ethics of selfies; Consolata Agunga goes door-to-door as a community health worker in her village in Kenya. From left: John Poole/NPR; Jason Beaubien/NPR; Courtesy of Be Girl Inc.; SAIH Norway/Screenshot by NPR; Marc Silver/NPR hide caption
A menstrual shed sits among trees in the village of Narsi in western Nepal. Poulomi Basu/VII hide caption
These toilets in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh were designed to be friendlier for pregnant women by giving them something to grab onto when using a squat latrine. At left: A long bamboo pole was installed next to a latrine from Oxfam International. At right: A metal handle sits alongside a squat toilet provided by the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society supported by the Danish Red Cross. Maggie Schmitt/Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health hide caption
A toilet at a refugee camp in Malawi. Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images hide caption
A menstrual cup — this one is made of silicone rubber — is designed to collect menstrual blood. The bell-shaped device is folded and inserted into the vagina. The tip helps with removal. Science Source hide caption
Sarah Groustra, a Brookline High School graduate, wrote a column in the school newspaper about period stigma last year. It led to Brookline officials voting to offer free pads and tampons in all town-owned restrooms. Jesse Costa/WBUR hide caption
Student Spurs Brookline, Mass., To Offer Free Tampons And Pads In Public Buildings
Manisha Jaisi, 16, poses at the shed outside her house where she sleeps when she has her period. Jaisi got her period two months after her neighbor, Dambara Upadhyay, died of unknown causes while sleeping in a similar shed in 2016. Jaisi says she never goes without her phone in the shed because she's scared after Upadhyay's death. Sajana Shrestha for NPR hide caption
Producer Melissa Berton (center) and director Rayka Zehtabchi (right) accept an Oscar for their documentary 'Period. End of Sentence.' Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption
Millions of women joined hands along a highway in Kerala to form a "women's wall" on New Year's Day. For participants, the goal is gender equality. AFP/Getty Images hide caption
U by Kotex "Sleek" tampons, regular absorbency, have been recalled because of a quality defect. Courtesy of Kimberly-Clark hide caption