Despite growing recognition of menstrual health as a public health issue in India, major gaps persist across systems. Many women and girls still lack access to accurate information, quality products, timely and appropriate health care. From overlooked menstrual pain to debilitating heavy bleeding, menstrual health remains under integrated in public health systems leaving needs unmet across the life course.
Dr. Arundati Muralidharan has spent 25 years thinking about how to change that. As co-founder of Menstrual Health Action for Impact (MHAi), a policy research think tank, she leads a small team working at the intersection of health systems, market reform, and advocacy – bringing together policymakers, researchers, manufacturers, and practitioners to improve product quality, expand access to affordable solutions, and integrate menstrual health within broader health systems in India and low and middle income countries. For Arundati, the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey came at a pivotal moment in building MHAi. Coaching was transformative – giving her space to pause, reflect, and stay anchored to her purpose amid the daily demands of running a young organisation. “Every time I have felt stuck about a decision or partnership, I’ve gone back to what my coach said: does this meet your purpose?”
The peer connections she formed through WomenLift Health also offered a rare space to engage with women outside her immediate orbit. That community, she says, is something she genuinely values. One of those connections led directly to a collaboration: she reached out to a cohort member to partner on the labour force participation dimensions of menstrual health work that has since produced a joint roundtable and a published brief.
MHAi is now expanding its reach across sectors, improving how menstrual health is addressed in both policy and practice. “I would love it if a woman can go to a health facility and be able to discuss her menstrual pain and get the timely care that she needs,” Arundati shared. “For me, that is long-term success.”