How much did your last period cost?

[MrsCipo]

Out of interest, what did your last period cost you in monetary terms? Including san pro, pain killers, time off work, ruined clothes and anything else you had to pay for? I had a conversation about period poverty the other day, but those involved have reusable san pro, not particularly heavy periods, etc, so didn't really 'get it'. I thought a cross section sample from a lot more women would be a bit more representative. Also wondering what other costs, in addition to those above, have been missed out

£20 ish at the moment as I am perimenopausal, having 2 week long,ery heavy periods with very bad period pains.
(Cost includes a variety of pads and tampons - at night I have to double up a tena pad, night time towel and have a tampon, paracetamol and codeine, iron tablets and prescription cost for tranexamic acid)

There have been times when I have spent a lot less and times when I have spent more.

£4 for two packs of tampons, £3 for night time pads which I use as back up to tampons (very heavy peri-menopausal periods here). I can’t tolerate a menstrual cup and use brands I know are reliable and don’t irritate me. I also spend about £4 on pain relief - I’m in Scotland do could technically get them on prescription but that feels a bit cheeky when I can afford OTC painkillers.

So each 6 weeks or so it’s about £11 in supplies. I usually lose a days work due to pain and flooding so if you were including loss of income it could be anywhere between £150 to £400 for the day depending on what I was due to do that day.

Very little last month. I bought a packet of pads £2 and had tampons left. I only wear tampons when I go out.
Maybe 50p for some painkillers.

There were tears and probably some terrible food decisions though.

Nothing. I have a mooncup and a meluna cup. I don't take painkillers for it, I do use a hot water bottle..so electricity for that? Also I did buy both cups at one point and reusable pads. I'm also about to buy another meluna cup as this was second period since third baby and I think I need a different size

Years ago boxes of tampons in mini, regular and super would last a few months, plus a pack of sanitary towels. I can see how period poverty could happen. Especially for teens where they don't know what size or type to use. Plus while it's more cost effective long term to use reusable, it just isn't affordable it even an option for some people.

Interesting thread. 7 day period, very heavy for the first two days so around £6 in sanpro as I need a combination of pads and tampons. Maybe 50p in painkillers? I actually had to get my shift covered at work over the weekend due to my period, never had to do that before in about 10 years, so will be worse off next pay day.

£0 as mooncup and don’t get period pain.

Keep meaning to buy pads for night time though.

I get pads from aldi that cost 50p. I use maybe 1/3 of a pack for a period. I have really light periods that last 2 or 3 days.

I dont need painkillers for them and I've never had to take time off work for them.

My last period was the end of december, the one before that was october and the one before that was May so arguably 50p in the last 8 months, or just over 15p per period.

I reckon I use between 12 and 16 tampons per period. So less than a full box which costs around £2.

Maybe 2 ibuprofen tablets from a box costing 30p.

@mywrencalls there may be more than one female in household that needs products. X that amount by 4 or 5 could be a lot of money for some budgets.

Not rtft
I spent nothing.

Period before that I spent about £2 on two packs of boots night time towels. And about £8 on boots tampons in multi buy deals.

I don't replace pants that get blood on them, just wash and I am not bothered about residual stains. That may sound awful but... meh. It's ok. It's only me that sees my pants and they are washed.

No painkillers and I appreciate I am lucky now as I used to get bad period pains before I had my children.

So maybe £5 average. But again o appreciate I am lucky to be able to access a boots and had a tenner to spend on lots of tampons and towels. It's not always been the case (e.g. when I was a student).

I just don't understand period poverty. Some people are bones of their arse poor. It’s really not a difficult concept.

I have heavy periods so use two or three packs of night time towels which are just under £5 for the brand that suits me best. Pain relief is well under £1.

About 20p, if that. Light and short (this time, it varies!). Aldi tampons and a couple of panty liners. I'm very lucky.

£12 for 56 pads in 2 weeks.. fibroids

2 quid for a pack of night pads. I just use toilet paper the rest of the time. My flow is heavy for a day then just streaking. Usual bathing, maybe a few paracetamol the week before... More is spent on the wine tbh to self medicate the bloaty rage the week before... I'm 46 and have had two babies if that's relevant.

Most of my periods have cost about 5 euro but my last period cost me a fortune. I flooded. I had to go to the gp and I'm in ireland and so I paid 55 euro, got a skrip for provera and cyklopapron another 40euro.

I was going through pads like there was no tomorrow, and I also bought a bottle of floradix because I lost so much blood. I know this isn't usual, but my last period cost me over 100 euro (and I used up a day's leave to go to the GP as well)

Less than £1.50 and I still have pads and tampons left over. I have a copper iud and ridiculously light periods. I think I used 2 tampons and a pad day one Max. Worries me sometimes.

Around £8 to £9.
2 boxes of tampons.
2 packs of night time.pafs
Half a pack of normal pads.
Half a pack of fem fresh (supermarket brand) wipes at work.
Very heavy periods here.

I suppose you could factor in extra laundry as well or the fact I buy cheap black pants I can throw away if need be just for the heaviest days. I sleep on a bath towel folded over incase of leaks. I get through more than 1 pair of tights s day at work sometimes too if I leak.

About £2 or so. They can be heavy but if I wash clothes/pants with biological detergent (rub it into stain first) I find it comes out fine.

I use a mooncup, and have had that for years, so I'd say maybe a few pence. Have, thankfully, never had periods so debilitating as to need time off work, and I appreciate that others are not so lucky. Might need the occasional paracetamol, but again, that's pence. So, maybe 10p in total?

Have bled through many items of clothing and many bed clothes, and even mattresses, but have never in 30 years considered throwing something out because of that, because they are all easily washed.

However, having said all that, I am a solvent 40 something. If I was a 15 year old in dire poverty and had no access to mooncups or washing machines, then I could, ironically, not afford to have a period that only cost me a few pence...

I live in Wales so my supply of tranexamic acid is free. I use a mooncup so that reduces the cost significantly but my periods are very heavy and painful, so I always buy painkillers and pads too.

As a teen I didn’t feel able to ask my parents for sanitary protection so used to help myself to the stock of tampons my mother kept in the bathroom. They weren’t enough for my heavy periods so would back up with toilet paper.

We could buy huge pads in school for 2p though, and that helped enormously.

Nothing. I live in Scotland where the government did a free trial of reusable pads at the end of last year. I got sent a reusable kit for nothing and am now converted.

Painkillers £7 I usually get on prescription but forgot to put my repeat in so OTC Naproxen
Also a pack of off brand Imodium for £1 (I get upset tummy with my period)
Towels £5 but that will do me 2 months
Tampons £3 but again, that will do me 2 months
I impulse bought a magazine I didn't read, and some sweets and chocolate which I ended up giving to the kids at £4
Also, bought a takeaway as was feeling crap and couldn't be bothered to cook which usually happens on day 1 so £20 for that
I stained some pyjama bottoms and 2 pairs of knickers which I replaced for £8 (thank you sales!)
A packet of fem fresh wipes £1.50 and a packet of the kids baby wipes about 50p

Too expensive and terrible for the planet I don't cope well with my hormones

X1 chocolate bar about £1

Cocodamol £2.89

I use washable pads so no cost there

1x tampon for swimming--20p maybe?

I’m rather enjoying seeing bars of chocolate in the totals here!

Less than £3 a pack of supermarket regular tampons and light tampons. My period only last 4 to 5 days and the last days are so light I can get away with a pantyliner. So a box of supermarket pantyliners too. These will more than likely do next month aswell. Only need painkillers on day 1 so at the most 6 paracetamol. Never had ruined underwear or a day off work