To not accept that there is 'period poverty' in the UK.....?

[rosetree7]

Fully expecting to be told I am BU, but I genuinely do not get this 'period poverty' malarkey.

Some reports say periods cost £42-45 a month (£500 a year.) Never in my life have I - or anyone else I know - spent £42-45 a MONTH on their period. Not even a tenth of that actually.

Some of the things they (supposedly) spend money on are tampons and STs (obviously...) You can get a pack of sanitary towels for less than a pound. Less than 50p in some shops!

And also mooncups.

Although mooncups cost £16 to £22, most mooncups will last 10 years, so you'd only buy 3 or 4 in your lifetime!!! And they also spend on pain relief - but paracetamol and ibuprofen are 16 to 26p a packet from Wilkos. And plenty of other shops sell them for a similar price!

Oh and apparently, they have to keep spending money on new underwear every month. What a load of shit.. I have bought 18 pairs of underpants in 5 years, (at a cost of around £25 for the entire 5 years!) 5 pairs of them are dark coloured - and I wear them for my periods. Never in my life have I bought new underpants for every new period.

So what is this all about? And how on earth are they coming up with such a ludicrous figure as £42-45 a month?! I mean, some girls are apparently using toilet roll as they 'can't afford' sanitary towels? In most cases, toilet roll is more expensive than sanitary towels FGS!

Well good for you.

You clearly don't flood

I feel like I've read this thread before...?

Where are you finding these reports? Have you not got anything better to do, honestly, read some threads on here, much more interesting than other crap you find online

If you look hard enough you'll also see reports that Elvis is Alive, the moon landings are fake, and aliens visit earth and carry out anal probes.

Dejavu?

Not everyone wants to use a mooncup.

Also, you obviously don’t gwt flooding.

YABU

Just because you don’t experience something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

What a vile attitude

Where can you get sanpro for 50p? It's £3+ here. I've struggled to afford them in the past.

My dd throws her knickers out if she leaks and I have to buy her more.

You are aware that just because something doesn’t happen to you it doesn’t make it not true, aren’t you?

I dont understand how they have worked out some of their figures but apparently lots of NHS trusts dont take womens gynae health very seriously so lots of women had fibroids and endo that make pain and bleeding more severe than it should be. However in general thats not usual for the majority of women. I dont know enough about period poverty to say if its exagerated or accurate.

I agree but I've read this thread before??

what about people who have heavy periods and the £1 pads don’t work for? Or those who wear both pads and tampons because that’s what they need to ensure blood doesn’t get everywhere. What about people who require prescriptions for their issues? They are £8 each.

And they also spend on pain relief - but paracetamol and ibuprofen are 16 to 26p a packet from Wilkos.

I need prescription strength drugs for it, every month (when I’m not pregnant) and it costs £8 a time.

Yep this exact question was asked a month or two ago.

@frequency boots do a small pack of their own brand towels for 75p or maybe £1 (I buy them as spares for Guide camp), if you’re struggling and have a boots store nearby

I imagine someone with a heavy follow wouldn't get away with budget STs

We had this a few weeks ago.

Many, many women said they had to spend considerably more than your less than £4.20.

And the reason girls use toilet paper not sanitary products is because toilet paper is ready available. It's not a matter of them buying it or not!

2 different issues. Girls/women not being able to afford sanitary products.

A rather inflated estimate of the cost.

People cant afford them which is why they are often included in what the foodbanks have in store. Thousands and thousands of people in the UK are living in poverty and it a disgrace.

Dh is a Deputy head of an inner London school. At least 5 girls are off because of this. Chaotic lives, no money, no one to look after them properly.
The person who phones them is also the person who provides them with sanitary wear. But they have to come into school to get it.
No mean feat when you’re 13

YABU.

I’ve never seen that figure quoted (tbf I thought £25 was steep, but believable in extreme case).

I remember using toilet roll. Mainly because they had that in the school toilets but funnily enough not sanitary towels. I used to get away with 1 ST and just wrap toilet roll around it. I’m sure I stank but had little choice really.

And thought of spending £16 on a mooncup when you’re buying Tesco stripey beans is laughable.

I suggest you research some more, and then research how you can help.

That covered that figure on More or Less (stats programme on radio 4). it came from a 'survey' where women were asked how much they spent per month. But the women just guessed. You are right OP, that the real figure is much less than that.
But some people live on very low incomes and when your income is that low, you don't have much left over for anything extra. So even a few quid you have to find that week for sanitary protection can be hard, or impossible, to find.