Introduction Many women and people who menstruate in Brazil and around the world live in precarious living situations, where the basics of nutrition and hygiene are lacking, even affecting the ability of these people to have access to sanitary pads or other means to contain menstruation, the so-called menstrual poverty. This situation affects both the physical and mental health of women, so the objective of this study was to verify what is available in the literature on menstrual poverty and its repercussions.

Methods This is an integrative review, with research in the following databases: Pubmed, Scielo, Tripdatabase and Virtual Health Library (VHL), Google Scholar, in Portuguese, English and Spanish, and on Federal Government websites, IBGE and similar, from November 2023 to February 2024.

Results According to a study carried out in Brazil, adolescents miss, on average, around 45 days of school per school year due to a lack of menstrual resources. Another article demonstrated that more than 4 million Brazilian students study in places without sufficient hygiene infrastructure. Of this number, almost 200 thousand do not have any basic hygiene items at school. The same study also points out that 713 thousand girls do not have access to any bathroom in their homes, and another 632 thousand live in places without any common bathroom on the land or property. The main problems related to inadequate management of menstruation were: allergy and irritation of the skin and mucous membranes, urogenital infections such as cystitis and candidiasis and Toxic Touch Syndrome. Among the emotional damages, discomfort, insecurity, stress and increased discrimination against girls and women were most cited, with a decline in well-being, development and opportunities, and withdrawal from leisure activities, physical activity and others.

Conclusion Menstrual poverty has been the reason for several physical and emotional problems in the lives of women and people who menstruate, which leads to losses in their lives and greater demand on health services. In Brazil, the promulgation of Law 14,214/2021 is being processed in the Federal Senate, which creates the Menstrual Health Protection and Promotion Program, aiming at the free distribution of sanitary pads in places such as schools and health services, with an ongoing public consultation. Therefore, it is necessary for the topic to be increasingly discussed and analyzed, seeking to create strategies and projects that help this population to have their dignity and health preserved.