Framing menstrual regulation as a pathway to advancing reproductive autonomy in restrictive legal contexts

While 60 countries have expanded legal abortion access over the past three decades, implementation gaps persist, necessitating innovative approaches beyond conventional law reform. This paper examines the concept of menstrual regulation, which refers to actions taken to bring back a late period for an individual who may or may not be pregnant. Although only formally institutionalized in Bangladesh, the practice of menstrual regulation has resonance to how women in diverse contexts perceive delay