Myanmar's military government has widened its prohibition on the distribution of menstrual products, alleging that resistance fighters use sanitary towels for treating wounds — a claim medical experts have dismissed as medically unfounded. The ban, which began in August in areas under opposition control and has since expanded, is believed to be part of the junta's "four cuts" strategy, a longstanding military doctrine aimed at severing insurgent access to food, funds, intelligence, and recruits. The restrictions are forcing women — including the more than 3.5 million internally displaced since the 2021 coup — to resort to unsafe alternatives such as rags or leaves, raising serious public health concerns including urinary and reproductive tract infections, while black-market pad prices have tripled to roughly the equivalent of a full day's minimum wage.