DATA & TOOLS
Menstrual Health Product Policy Simulation and Equity Tool
This adaptable Excel-based model helps users assess how taxes, duties, levies, fees, and market conditions affect menstrual health product prices and affordability. It simulates potential tax reforms and estimates their impact on consumer prices, affordability, and equity across income groups.
On this page:
What the Tool Enables
This Excel-based model enables users to adapt the model to a country context, test tax-reform options, and assess potential effects on product prices, affordability, and equity.
Country Application
Adapt key assumptions to reflect national market conditions, policies, prices, and consumer groups.
Identifying Cost Drivers
Quantify how different costs build across the value chain and impact retail prices.
Tax-Reform Scenarios
Compare tax-reform options and estimate their effects on consumer prices, affordability, and equity.
Evidence-Based Advocacy
Generate country-specific evidence to support informed, coordinated, and actionable advocacy.
Key Features
Customize demographic, income, market, pricing, consumption, tax, and distribution assumptions to reflect a specific country context.
Test different combinations of VAT, duties, levies, fees, and other fiscal reforms for imported and locally manufactured products.
Estimate how much of the savings generated by tax reform could reach consumers through lower retail prices across formal and informal channels.
Compare affordability outcomes across income quintiles and assess which population groups are most likely to benefit from different reforms.
Compare the financial benefits of lower consumer prices for lower-income households with the fiscal cost of government revenue foregone under each reform scenario.
How to Use the Tool
Learn how to download the Excel-based model, review the built-in guidance, update the country inputs, and test tax-reform scenarios.
Download the blank template and/or the Kenya and India country applications. The country examples show how the model can be adapted to different market and policy contexts. The Kenya application may be particularly useful as a reference for other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Begin with the Worksheet Summary, Overview, and Glossary tabs. These explain the model’s purpose, structure, terminology, required inputs, and limitations. Each worksheet also includes guidance on what the sheet does and how to interpret it.
In the Input Assumptions tab, update values in the Value column to reflect the country context. These inputs establish the baseline market used throughout the model. Required inputs include:
- Demographic and income data (e.g., total menstruating population, income by quintile)
- Market size and pricing data (e.g., total market value, retail prices, product mix)
- Consumption assumptions (e.g., units per cycle, cycles per year)
- Market structure assumptions (e.g., informal versus formal share, pass-through inputs)
Use the Data Sources Guide within the worksheet to identify and validate appropriate country data.
In the Input—Taxes & Fees tab, enter the fiscal and regulatory costs applied to imported and locally manufactured menstrual health products. Update the rates in the Value column to reflect current policy or the assumptions being tested.
The worksheet guidance explains each cost parameter and provides examples of potential data sources.
Use the Scenarios tab to select the reforms you want to simulate. Review the definitions and notes provided for each option before choosing individual reforms or combinations of reforms.
Use the Results—Pass-Through tab to compare baseline and reformed retail prices. The results estimate how much of the fiscal savings may reach consumers through lower prices.
Results are presented for:
- Price reductions and affordability gains
- Imported and locally manufactured products
- Formal and informal retail channels
- Different population and income groups
Use the Results—Equity Measures tab to assess how reforms affect affordability across income quintiles. Compare baseline and reform scenarios to identify which groups are likely to benefit and how outcomes vary across the income distribution.
Review the results alongside the model assumptions, data limitations, and supporting policy materials. Use the findings to identify promising reform options, strengthen policy dialogue, and support evidence-based advocacy for improved menstrual health product affordability and equity.
Methodology
The tool first establishes a country-specific baseline using demographic, income, market, pricing, consumption, and distribution inputs. Users can then test selected policy reforms and assess their potential effects on the product cost stack, retail prices, affordability, and outcomes across income groups.
The Menstrual Health Product Policy Simulation and Equity Tool supports users to:
- Establish the baseline market context
- Map costs across the value chain
- Model imported and locally manufactured products
- Apply selected tax-reform scenarios
- Estimate pass-through to consumer prices
- Compare formal and informal market channels
- Assess affordability across income quintiles
- Assess benefits relative to fiscal costs
Related Resources
Review the full Framework, Approach, and Methodology document for detailed information on the model structure, calculations, assumptions, indicators, and limitations.
Download the Tool
Access the Tool
Ready to get started? Download the Excel templates and case studies.
Check Out the Full Report
Eager to learn more? Check out the full report and key findings.
Advocate for Meaningful Change
Ready to translate your results into impact? Check out our advocacy resources to get started.
Explore the Evidence
Review the literature review and methodology.
Have Questions About the Tool?
If you have questions about how to use the tool or need clarity on a specific application of the tool, we’d love to hear from you.