To say a period does not cost £25

[jinjkl]

I hear the story on the radio about MP Danielle Rowley standing up in parliament to speak out about period poverty.

Good on her - it shouldn't be a taboo subject and I feel for the homeless women or those in poverty who cannot afford basic luxuries. But I can't agree with her statement that each period costs £25, and that women spend £500 a year on sanitary products.

You can buy a 20 pack of supermarket own brand tampons for £1 and that lasts a whole period. Even if you buy Tampax you won't be spending more than £3. Sanitary towels are about the same.

You can pick up some painkillers for under £1. I know some women have extreme periods which require prescription medication, but this is uncommon and it still wouldn't cost anywhere near £25.

Some would probably argue it's the cost of replacing soiled knickers, but the whole period poverty campaign is centred around sanitary protection, not giving women women to buy new knickers after a period (I wish!)

I want sanitary protection to be free as much as the next person, but I just can't abide by these exaggerations. Any woman knows they don't spend £25 every month on their period, and if you are spending this much there is something seriously wrong.

Some women can't use a mooncup. Some are just starting their periods, and may not fe el confident. Just because a mooncup suits you...

I'd be very uncomfortable around anyone who said that poor women should insert anything in their fanny they haven't chosen to, yet rich women get a choice.

My periods cost more than that each

2x packs of tena lady incontinence pants - £10.99 each
6x packs of kotex pads - about another £10
Tesco own brand paracetamol and ibuprofen about 50p I think
I don't pay for prescriptions so my tranexamic acid is free
Total - £31.50

Half pack Tena pants for night £2
Half pack Always nights £1.75
Full pack always infinite £3
Box codeine £3.50
Box tampons £2
Cost of extra shower a day ?
Washing more towels and sheets
Oh Sani bags and wet wipes when out £1

About £15 total not counting extra chocolate

Also for me while younger, over the counter pain killers didn’t ease the pain at all, so the doctor had to prescribe pain meds, which costs £8.50 now

X2 packets of lil-ets ultra - £4. Half a packet of Always - £1. One packet of lil-ets regular - £2. About eight tabs of paracetamol and ibuprofen - around £1. So my v heavy periods cost about £8 per month for sanpro. I guess if you factor in other things - I had to buy a new period-red towel and flannel a couple of months ago for around £15 - you could factor it up to £10 a month annually, but I don’t see where £25 is coming from and mine are pretty erm emphatic

My post above assumed branded was the same as non as well as I always use branded.

I could easily spend £25 on chocolate every month.

Oh and I guess I was changing sheets almost every night and using oxygen-based bleaches, and washing towels more often.

Agree about cups not being the solution for every woman by the way. I tried endlessly - they simply do not work for me (I think my cervix goes off at an odd angle, I can never get a seal)

I have always said that they should be free. I agree it doesn't cost £25 and, Anyone that goes through £25 of period towels tampons needs to see a Doctor urgently.
However depending on a persons financial situation. It can cause poverty or rather those in poverty may not be able to afford them. Yes I know you can get them for as little as £1. I know that's far from a lot, but it's also far from a little, especially for those in dire straits.

Mirena coil is free and suitable for most.... certainly limits the cost in addition to other benefits

Can't use a mooncup too large and painful. Same with tampons. Awful things.

Pads, maybe 3 packs a period, cheap tat gives me thrush so at £3 a pack that's £9.

Painkillers (prescribed). £8.25,

Pack of Kalms to help ease the period anxiety (as its just once a month I don't want proper medication). £5.50

Extra washing powder and knickers £3

Time off work... Well I can work from home but others can't.

Not everyone is the same. Lucky you, you don't struggle every month to just cope with life. Some of us do.

Lol - I bought a Mooncup years ago (£20) and pop a couple of painkillers twice a month. More toilet paper.

But ... does dark chocolate count as a cost? If so, we might be getting somewhere.

Oh maybe extra clothes? I know I certainly put on about 4-5lb and if I wore business’s dress or tight fighting clothes I’d have to have more outfits to cover the days when stomach was five times he size.

Oh I also buy liquid iron to keep my levels topped up as heavy periods. That’s another £8

I thought it was ridiculous.

Even if someone uses 2 boxes of pads per period that's £2 if you buy the cheapest. Always Sensitive are £1 a box and that's not even the cheapest around.

(If you go through more than 4 pads a day you need medical help for heavy periods.)

Even at £3 a month that is under £50 a year. Add in a few pantyliners and it's still not the figure they quoted.

@DevonLulu

Not suitable for a lot of women.

Yes, but it's a shame because the exaggeration will just leave it wide open for people to dispute he figures and therefore the argument and its an important argument that should be made sensibly

You super plus and a sanitary towel ladies, have you tried Ultra tampons? They are massive and the only thing that make it possible for me to go out those first few days. Tampax non applicator. There’s super plus extra in between super plus and Ultra too if they look a little intimidating!

I do get that I'm lucky to have (relatively) stree free periods - but surely £25 is close to a maximum cost? It sounds extreme as an average!

A period a month, that’s living the dream. Every 21 days like clockwork for me so 17 periods per year and I empty my moon cup hourly on day 2 and 3. But still £25 is way off.