Sanitary Pads Brand Laurier Supports Menstrual Hygiene Awareness through GANBATE Campaign (Change Pads Every Four Hours)

During menstruation, maintaining hygiene in the vaginal area becomes crucial and Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) needs to be promoted and practiced by all women. According to the survey conducted by Laurier in 2023, only 28% of Indonesian women change their sanitary pads every 4 hours, while the majority change their pads above 4 hours or even as long as 11 hours. This can have negative implications for women's reproductive health as it can lead to the growth of germs and bacteria, causing issues such as urinary tract infections, reproductive tract infections, skin irritation, unpleasant odors, and bacterial infections in the vaginal area.

Changing sanitary pads every 4 hours^*1 during menstruation is one of the efforts recommended by experts to maintain the health of the skin in the vaginal area and reproductive organs. This is in addition to other practices such as wiping from front to back after using the toilet and using cotton underwear. Therefore, Laurier takes on the role of providing education, starting with school-age teenage girls, to raise awareness about the importance of Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) from the moment they enter first menstruation periode.

"Laurier acknowledges the importance of Menstrual Hygiene Management and recognizes the existing gap with the current situation in society. As a response, we are launching the GANBATE campaign, which is expected to make a significant impact on Indonesian women in maintaining hygiene in the vaginal area, especially during menstruation. Additionally, we hope that the GANBATE campaign will be a well-received innovation, particularly by teenage girls, in enhancing their knowledge and awareness of MHM from an early age," said Rosita, the Associate Vice President of Marketing at Kao Indonesia.

Not only through the GANBATE campaign, but Laurier has also been consistently conducting education to millions of teenage girls in Indonesia since 1997, in thousands of schools across the country. This education aims to provide information and knowledge about reproductive health, especially related to menstruation in teenagers. In 2023, Laurier has already educated 64,758 teenage girls in 398 schools, and they are planning to reach out to another 53,375 teenage girls in 437 other schools throughout Indonesia.

In this opportunity, Laurier has partnered with Girl Up, an internationally supported organization under the United Nations and United Nations Foundation, dedicated in supporting education, health, and safety for teenage girls. SMPN 2 Petir was selected as a representative school to be the target of GANBATE campaign, which aims to provide direct benefits to the school community through education sessions and the provision of Laurier sanitary pads to support the implementation of Menstrual Hygiene Management for female students.

"We appreciate and support the educational activities conducted with a primary focus on school-age children. Hopefully this activity will contribute to the realization of the Healthy School Campaign at the national level, with healthy students as its main goal. The Healthy School Campaign consists of three pillars: Sehat Fisik (Physical Health), Sehat Bergizi (Nutritional Health), and Sehat Imunisasi (Immunization Health). The menstrual hygiene education carried out by Laurier aligns with these pillars and can contribute to the achievement of physical health, nutritional health, and immunization health. Our hope is that through Laurier's initiatives, more teenage girls will be healthy and successful," expressed Engkos Kosasih, the Head of Education Development Division at the SMP Education Office in Kabupaten Serang.

The lack of information on proper menstrual hygiene management is undoubtedly one of the reasons why many women do not practice it. According to research conducted by UNICEF^*2, 1 in 4 girls in Indonesia never received information about menstruation before their first period. As a result, they often feel embarrassed, scared, and unprepared when they experience their first menstruation. This situation is further aggravated by the lack of valid information they receive from their parents, who should ideally be the primary source of information.

"Maintaining menstrual hygiene is one of the key factors for women's reproductive health and, fundamentally, can be easily accomplished. To ensure menstrual hygiene, it can be done both internally by maintaining a nutritious diet, regular exercise (remaining active), and externally by regularly changing sanitary pads every 4 hours or as soon as they feel damp or full, even if it hasn't been 4 hours yet," explained Dr. Anggara Mahardika, an Obstetrician and Gynecologist.

Indeed, Laurier provides several tips that can be followed during menstruation, including:
1. Ensure a nutritious diet and adequate fluid intake.
2. Change sanitary pads every 4 hours, even if they are not fully filled, to maintain cleanliness.
3. Use cotton underwear that can absorb sweat.
4. Wash the vaginal area from front to back to avoid the transfer of bacteria.
5. Choose Laurier Natural Clean sanitary pads, which contain an antibacterial layer.

Laurier Natural Clean is equipped with 3 antibac protections: Betel leaf, which can eliminate odor, sage leaf extract known for its anti-fungal properties, and an antibacterial agent that combats bacteria growth. With Laurier Natural Clean, menstruation becomes more comfortable, odor-free, dry, and protected from bacteria. This innovative product aims to provide women with a better and more hygienic experience during their menstrual periods.

Through this ongoing campaign and the GANBATE movement (Change Sanitary Pad Every Four Hours), Laurier consistently supports schools and pesantrens (Islamic boarding schools) in Indonesia by providing education about reproductive health and menstrual hygiene to women from a young age.