Fecal incontinence
FI is a sign or a symptom, not a diagnosis, and represents an extensive list of causes. Usually, it is the result of a complex interplay of several coexisting factors, many of which may be simple to correct. Up to 80% of people may have more than one abnormality that is contributing. Deficits of individual functional components of the continence mechanism can be partially compensated for a certain period of time, until the compensating components themselves fail. For example, obstetric injury may precede onset by decades, but postmenopausal changes in the tissue strength reduce in turn the competence of the compensatory mechanisms. The most common factors in the development are thought to be obstetric injury and after effects of anorectal surgery, especially those involving the anal sphincters and hemorrhoidal vascular cushions. The majority of incontinent persons over the age of 18 fall into one of several groups: those with structural anorectal abnormalities (sphincter trauma, sphincter degeneration, perianal fistula, rectal prolapse), neurological disorders (multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, spina bifida, stroke, etc.), constipation/fecal loading (presence of a large amount of feces in the rectum with stool of any consistency), cognitive and/or behavioral dysfunction (dementia, learning disabilities), diarrhea, inflammatory bowel diseases (e.g. ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease), irritable bowel syndrome, disability related (people who are frail, acutely unwell, or have chronic/acute disabilities), and those cases which are idiopathic (of unknown cause). Diabetes mellitus is also known to be a cause, but the mechanism of this relationship is not well understood.
Menstrual Hygiene Day
In a 2014 study conducted in India, the researchers found that as many as 42% of women who participated in the study did not know about sanitary pads or from where in their anatomy menstruation originated. "Most of them were scared or worried on first menstruation." Worldwide, in 2018, one in three women does not have access to a working toilet at all. Menstrual hygiene management issues have been ignored by professionals in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector, and in the health and education sectors, too.
Poor MHM may affect the reproductive tract but the specific infections, the strength of effect, and the route of transmission, remain unclear. In India, a majority of girls are at risk for reproductive tract infections (RTI) because of poor MHM and RTI can lead to various disabilities if not treated early on. Reproductive tract infections are the cause of 30–50% of prenatal infection. Due to prejudices surrounding the issue, some women in India do not eat or take showers during their menstruation.