Tablets used to delay periods can cause negative side effects but without access to water and hygiene products, women in Gaza say they have no choice but to use them.
Many Palestinian women have resorted to taking menstruation-delaying pills due to the desperate, unsanitary circumstances they have been forced into as a result of the continuing Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Facing displacement, overcrowded living conditions, and a lack of access to water and menstrual hygiene products such as sanitary napkins and tampons, women have been taking norethisterone tablets – ordinarily prescribed for conditions such as severe menstrual bleeding, endometriosis, and painful periods – to avoid the discomfort and pain of menstruation.
According to Dr Walid Abu Hatab, an obstetrics and gynecology medical consultant at the Nasser Medical Complex in the southern city of Khan Younis, the tablets keep progesterone hormone levels raised to stop the uterus from shedding its lining, thus delaying a period.
The pills may have side effects such as include irregular vaginal bleeding, nausea, changes to the menstrual cycle, dizziness, and mood swings, according to medical professionals, but some women like Salma Khaled say they have no choice but to take the risk amid Israel’s relentless bombardment and blockade of Gaza.
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