to think that girls shouldn't be missing school because their families can't afford sanitary products?

[MummyMummyMummyyyy]

.... and to think that mumsnetters could really make a difference to the numbers behind this petition?

https://www.change.org/p/theresa-may-mp-free-sanitary-products-for-girls-on-free-school-meals-freeperiods?recruiter=61821224&utmsource=shareepetition&utmmedium=copylink&utmmcampaign=sharepetition&utmmterm=sharepetition

Like being a teenager isn't hard enough without worrying about things like this.

I too know what it's like to try and make a pad last a whole day when your very heavy or scrapping together 80p for a pack of pads. Have vowed my 3DDs will always have everything they need so should every other woman in the country!

Haffiana how about we do a big MN trial of mooncups I (and any other MNers who also have heavy periods who wish to take part) could come and sit on your sofa while wearing them. To see how reliable they are.

How is a woman telling other women what they should use or put in their body any different from a man telling them what reproductive/sanitary choices they should make. A male poster would be ripped to shreds on here for saying what women should be doing or using just by dint of them being poor. Its not any better when a woman posts it.

If any wish to try a mooncup then fine. But that should not be their only choice just because they are poor.

That kind of attitude is a bit Lady Bountiful.

Signed.

I'll never forget coming on my period at college, I didn't have any pads with me and all my friends were boys so no one to ask. I asked at the office only to be told that they couldn't provide me with any and that there was a vending machine in the loos. They knew I was on free school meals so unlikely to have any cash on me and there was no offer of any help.

That was a hideous day for me so it's awful to think that is a regular occurrence for some girls.

I wish a charity would hand out mooncups instead. It would solve the whole issue of spending money every month for your entire reproductive life on disposable products

I’m not a charity but I do run a service which provides various services and items to woman and girls (alongside male children but obviously they are no really relevant to this topic)

At the suggestion of a mumsnetter some years ago I switched out disposable pads and tampons and exchanged them with Meluna cups from the care packages we put together, I did this at great expense to myself.

It didn’t work, I trialed it for 18 months, it was just not wanted nor was it manageable for the client group, we switched back

It doesn't have to be either or though.
Free pads, tampons or a mooncup could be available.

This would have to go hand in hand with education of girls of what mooncups are instead of teaching the only options are pads or tampons as is done currently.

Signed and shared on FB.

Signed and shared.

There were plenty of times we couldn’t afford them when I was in school and I didn’t use it as excuse to bunk off. I just stuffed some loo roll in my knickers, put an extra pair on over the top (with a layer of loo roll in between) and went to school as normal. And my periods were (and still are) horrendous.

Just come across this thread and signed. Poor girls.

No issue with moon cups being available free alongside disposables to those in need but it would be a horrible attitude to insist that poor people shouldn't have the choice of what sanpro method works for them.

Modern and reliable washable pads could also be included which might be a good solution for some, if the have reliable access to washing and drying facilities.

I'm from a poor background and think it's disgusting that something like this doesn't already exist but I do wonder about the impact of yet another 'sign' that you're the poor girl at school so I would hope it's administered sensitively. I couldn't have given less of a shit about who knew I was poor at school but that was by accident of just being born bolshy - plenty aren't and this can't be just another way to remind the disadvantaged that that's exactly what they are.

Why is it impossible to comprehend that maybe young people might PREFER a solution that has so many positives?

Child A has a mooncup, child B starts her period, child A lends her the mooncup because neither can afford san pro and can't access the mooncup giving out charity for a week.

Now you might not need to sterilise a moon cup but it certainly shouldn't be passed between people.

The school I work in has these in the toilets:

Tesco Ultra Towel Regular (18) 66p.

Tesco Everyday Value Press-on Towels (10) 23p

I can't see mooncups being a solution in this situation (even though I use one myself and find it far cleaner and more hygienic than towels or tampons ever were).

But I do wonder, as a previous poster said, if washable pads might be an answer to the problem? More expensive to provide in the first place obviously, but once the girl has them, then she is sorted not just for this period but for future periods.

As much as reusable are better in many ways, I can see them not being used by school girls.

Problems with reusable pads

• often bulky and can be obvious if you are wearing them (if you wear tight trousers and/or a top that doesn't cover your bum)
• won't want the uses towels in their bag encase their friends found them
• may not be able to wash and dry them (due to lack of washing facilities and/or issues with parents

Problems with mooncups

• there won't be a large enough cubicle in the loos to give them the space to insert it or a containing a sink to rince them in
• may have religious/other issues around having insert able sanitary protection
• may not do it properly and end up with leaks
• may not be able to wash or sterilise them at home due to lack of facilities/parental attitudes

People always trot out moon cups on these sort of discussions.
They are maybe a fabulous choice for older women who are confident in their bodies, but maybe not so good for teen and pre teen girls. I certainly would not have been comfortable with one at 11 when I started my period.

Interestingly some posters upthread are saying that they didn't have sanpro as children because the male figure in the household didn't believe in them, not because of lack of money.

Not providing sanitary protection is neglect, like not providing toothpaste. If it is a huge problem we should be looking at why parents aren't providing it - considering every parent receives child benefit.

This is a good initiative www.bloodygoodperiod.com awful that it is needed

Mooncups are a nice idea in theory but as someone who as a 14yr old got a tampon stuck and therefore endured a trip to a doctor to get it out I don't think it should be the only option.
It was abroad, doctor didn't speak English, I was on a summer camp so not even with my mum, horrificly embarrassing!

Signed. Hopefully a bump up the boards too. Luckily I never faced this as a teen, but have as an adult. It was awful then, it would be 10 times worse for a child.
Just a side note - while many supermarkets and shops do very cheap sanitary wear, not everyone has access to those places. My nearest asda is about 5 miles away but due to a crap bus service, it takes me a round trip of 2.5 hours just travelling/walking there and back. Nearest aldi/lidl are 10 miles away, tesco 15. Not ideal for popping to for anything other than a big shop and not everyone has got funds for that, with some it's a daily shop of essentials. My local chemist and shop have sanitary products. Cheapest today was £2.79 for a packet of 10. That is beyond some people's reach, and as you need them there and then, if you don't have it you don't have it. Dds friend I suspect, uses our sanitary products, I don't mind in the slightest. She lives with her dad and though I don't know the ins and outs, for whatever reason she needs them. She's very welcome and I just buy extra when I buy ours. I'm not wealthy but this is something girls need and they should have them.

Although I believe moomcups can be great for some people in some circumstances, I don’t think they should be the go to option here.

These are girls who may be horribly embarrassed about their periods, due to struggling each month. Giving them a device they have to empty in the cubicle then carry out to the sinks potentially with bloody hands, then back into the cubicle to reinsert... well, I can’t inagine many school girls managing this in the school environment with so little privacy.

Also, remember that a proportion of these girls aren’t able to access sanpro because of their parents eg a father refusing to believe it, or a mother deciding she won’t be there for her daughter (and yes, it’s not just fathers / Male carers, women do this too).

In this situation, the girls need discrete sanpro which is disposable, as they will not have any ability to wash fabric pads or dry them openly. Moon cups may answer that, but should only ever be one option of many, as trying to get to grips with inserting and taking out a device would be a step too far for most girls I suspect.

Surely mooncups aren't suitable for very young girls? I find them difficult enough having not given birth because they are quite bulky. I can't imagine the horror of being early on dealing with periods and having to figure out how to work the suction of a mooncup as well.

“The school I work in has these in the toilets:

Tesco Ultra Towel Regular (18) 66p.

Tesco Everyday Value Press-on Towels (10) 23p”

InspMorse, you don’t say what your opinion is on this?

Are they multipacks for 66 or 23p? In which case that’s very good. Does the system get abused, or does it reach those in need?

In my school there were those dispensing machines that sell single pads / tampons for exorbitant prices. Not a solution for this situation! It was rather depressing to scuttle past the unobtainable pads to find a cubicle with enough loo roll to make DIY solutions.

I hope those machines are coming to an end as they are provided to make a profit by an outsourced company, and assumes they are providing an occasional solution and not suited to the situations where a girl hasn’t got any san pro or ability to get any, on a regular basis.

haffiana

Regarding your list of items that don't need to be sterilised, as you put it.

Tampons and condoms are one-use only and are packaged in individual wrappers to keep them clean until used. Despite this, tampons have to be removed promptly to minimise the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome.

Fingers and penises can't be sterilised, because sterilising parts of a living creature is incompatible with health and/or life, but they should be clean before any insertion occurs. Dirty hands or poor intimate hygiene in a male partner are risk factors for UTIs and so on.

considering every parent receives child benefit, er, no they don't

What's all this about mooncups not needing to be sterilised??