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

Basically free I think. I’ve had the same mooncup for a few years (I’m on my third now) and I occasionally use my post-baby cloth pads. I haven’t had particularly bad period pain for a while so I just tend to bitch about it or use a hot water bottle. I’m lucky!

How is the government removing VAT for sanpro going to make expensive brands any cheaper? I'd like to know.

Should sanpro be free for all? If so, how would girls and women access this?

@Normandy144 not to pick on you but your comment “average 4 tampons a day for a heavy day” illustrates how subjective a concept “heavy” is when related to periods.

I appreciate I was at the far end of the scale but on a “heavy“ day I’d need to change a tampon every 90mins at least. Would also need to double up with pads for inevitable flooding. “Heavy” would last probably 5 days.

The range of experience for women is vast

I buy nurofen plus which is about £8 for a large pack. Then whichever cheap sanitary towels for a heavy flow are in whichever shop I go to. I always leak on to the bed sheets every month without fail, no matter what I wear at night but that's not a problem for me cost-wise. I can see how it would be extra laundry/expense for some that may be unaffordable. I don't know if food banks give out sanitary towels or tampons in general but I have donated them to our local one and they've not said no to them.

I also have a mooncup and don't tend to need painkillers so my last one cost £0. I bought the mooncup with an amazon voucher I had so it technically cost me nothing but I realise it's a luxury most people don't have. Period poverty is a very very real issue and it must be awful for those affected. I didn't even realise how expensive sanpro was until I moved out (my mum always bought it for me) and that's when I decided to get a mooncup

£3.89 Iron tablets for the anaemia
£9 prescription for clotting agent
£1.89 nurofen
£2.00 for nighttime towels - use reusable for day time, but bleed to heavy to use at night
£4.99 box bio d laundry bleach for blood soaked pyjamas!

However much a washing machine cycle costs. I have a cup and use reusable pads/pants. So less than a £1. I don’t have particularly light periods and this month I leaked out of both my cup and pad but didn’t ruin any clothes thankfully.

When I was using disposable products I was using at least a box of tampons and a packet of pads, I needed both due to the heaviness so not cheap.

Oh and I don't work at the moment. When I did work I was sent home a few times on the first day of my period. I didn't know there were stronger painkillers available than basic paracetamol/ibuprofen back in those days though. Might cope better now

About £2-3 in sanitary towels? Can't think of the last time I marked clothes or bedding that wouldn't wash out and I rarely need to take paracetamol for them. I'm on the pill and generally run two packs together so one period every two months.

I think a bigger issue is less the affordability (for most, obviously not all) but actually the education side of things and parental responsibility. Parents/guardians need to understand enough to keep suitable supplies in, in the same way they would provide loo roll and toothpaste, and girls need to not be too embarrassed to ask for them when required.

I don't know, but it's an interesting exercise and I'm going to keep note of the next one!
Generally these days, it's not much; I have only a couple of heavy days and then it tails right off. And I work at home and am at home most of the time, so don't often get caught out and have to nip into Boots and/or buy new knickers or replace clothes, which did used to happen when I had office jobs.
Painkillers is probably not much, TBH; I have (touch wood) maybe half a day of bad enough pain to want to take something, and I always buy bog-standard paracetamol from Savers anyway.
Chocolate, cake and crisp costs probably go up a bit, though

I have very heavy periods lasting about 7 days and often double up with tampons and pads so I use more sanpro than most people on here. I’ve spent about £7 on sanpro and have bought about 3 packs of painkillers (but cheap ones) so nearly £10 in total.

I use reusable pads I swapped one by one as they can be expensive (£10 per pad) I started 5 years ago I probably have 12 pads. Since swapping my periods have been noticeably shorter and so much lighter, for example pre swap I'd get through a super plus tampon in 2-3 hours and have to wear sanitary towels as a back up. I change my reusables 3 times a day because I chose to not because they need changing, they have never leaked and my 6 day period now lasts 4 days

I had a mirena coil fitted to help with period pain issues as well as contraception. That cost the nhs £88 plus 3 gp appointments but lasts 5 years. Then they are light enough for one pack of reusable pads which keep going. I have to get new knickers occassionally but less than when i used disposable pads.
In my twenties it was more expensive and i has time off work from the pain occassionally. I also had surgery for endo thinking about it. That helped with the pain.

Mywren... I volunteered for the red box project and unfortunately had to deal with ignorant views like yours a lot. Them 24P pads you can get are bloody awful, lots of the girls I spoke to said they'd make them itch or they leaked. Lots of girls live in rural areas so massive chain supermarkets are a bus ride away, the bus passes here cost £350 a year for teens and can't be used at weekends. Not everyone has a car to get to massive supermarkets. Cheap pads don't ever work for me either. Some young women didn't have the family dynamics to ask for pads (poor family; maybe living with only men and find it embarrassing) there's a million reasons women find periods a strain and funnily enough 24P ASDA pads aren't the answer

I have reusable sanpro. They have more than paid for themselves over the time I have had them. That said, i understand period poverty and know I am lucky to have been able to afford the initial outlay.
I will be buying the same for DD when she starts (has already expressed a preference).
I do think it is on the parents to provide for their children though. As some have said upthread sanpro can be quite cheap at the discount stores.

Around £4 a month, I use a certain brand/type of pad as my periods start very heavy and they don’t leak for or irritate me(some cheaply one have left me so sore and irritated in the past) and I use a couple of packets over my period. I also notice we go through loads more loo roll when I have my period.

My periods are practically non existent now I'm on the Pill.

However they used to be horrendous and I would go through around 3-4 packs of night time towels each time, lose underwear and pyjamas, ruin bedsheets, and sometimes have to take time off school/uni/work. The cheapest part was the food because I felt too sick to eat!

My naproxen was free because Scottish prescriptions. God knows what I would've paid if I were in England.

I use a mooncup now, but when talking about period poverty I think it's also important to consider the implications of the availability of facilities. It's never as simple as 'a pack of pads costs Xp'

I haven't needed to buy new underwear or clothes when I've flooded because I have constant access to clean, cold running water to rinse it out quickly, stain remover, and a decent washing machine. Im also not on a water or electricity meter. My periods have only somewhat stabilised in my later 20s. In my teens and early 20s they were very erratic unless I was on the pill (which I hated) so I went through a lot more san pro, more underwear, bedding, and pyjamas due to unexpected leaking.

Add to that issues with getting to a supermarket for cheaper products (which might not actually be suitabley protective if you have a heavy period), choosing between san pro and topping up your meter or buying food, needing additional loo roll, and other issues that have already been pointed out, and I can absolutely believe how widespread this issue is.

Usually around £3. I am really heavy so use the kotex night time pads as no others are absorbent enough.

Lots of Always maxi night pads and other always towels for when it’s lighter, about £12, two packs of feminax ultra, £10 and paracetamol but that cheap. I also had to get a prescription for iron but that will last a while. I hate my periods but at least I can afford the Sandro and painkillers. Other aren’t so ‘lucky’. I can work at home thankfully.

*sanpro

Also lots of extra washing of sheets, pyjamas etc, again not an issue financially for me but for some it must be so difficult.

I find it so frustrating when people suggest the cheaply 25p san pro. They may be fine for some but when I have used cheap pads(and I mean own brand not the really cheap ones) I experienced both leaks and also sore raw skin where they irritated me. I don’t have sensible skin, no products irritate me usually so I am sure I am not alone.

£0

I used up my leftover maternity pads this time around. I normally have light, painless periods. This was first period post birth so heavier than normal and I took 2 paracetamol.
We always have cheap paracetamol in the cupboard and I’ve never ruined clothes or needed time off work. A box of tampons lasts me 2 periods normally. So I suppose £1.50 max per time normally.

I don’t know anyone in real life that has the heavy periods described here. Not saying they don’t exist as they obviously do, but they are over represented on mumsnet, just like the missed miscarriage etc

@MyShinyWhiteTeeth

Do you mind me asking which reusable ones you use that are good for heavy periods? I tried some reusable pads but I didn’t find them very good. maybe another brand would be worth a try.
Thanks