Primary school toilets look like this

[SwordToFlamethrower]

My daughter is 9. God forbid she is one of the girls who start their period young. Not sure how girls age 9 to 11 at primary school are meant to manage their first ever periods with no privacy or dignity when they have to wash their blood soaked hands. The toilet area is open plan too, so anyone walking by can see right in. I took these photos on my way to a "meet the teacher" meeting today. I don't know if the school have checked the law on single sex toilets when they implemented this. I don't even know where to begin. I've been asked to leave it because it's not worth having a row with the school, seeing as they're underfunded as it is. AIBU to say "tough!" What should I do?

I agree that most girls probably would be more embarrassed about boys seeing blood on their hands and that’s because we are conditioned to pretend periods don’t exist like they’re something shameful. Also a lot to do with the fact that boys don't, and will never, have periods so don't have that same understanding of what it is like to deal with.

Seems there may be an issue re rules on male/female loos, but those who have never seen open-plan loos should go to any secondary where there has been building in recent years. The newest loos at my old school were not closed in or private at all (apart from the actual cubicle, obv) and periods are a lot more of an issue there (because most girls have started). I was never aware of any issues and I get my form would've told me (they weren't backward in coming forward about that kind of issue 😄).

Ffs, if you've never experienced sudden unexpected flooding whilst changing a tampon then stop mocking and laughing at other women who have.

Why the fuck are other women not believing women when they're describing their periods? I absolutely believe that women sometimes have incredibly heavy and mess periods, but I’m genuinely in disbelief that any woman would walk through a communal hand-washing area, even in a same sex loo, with bloodstained hands. It is inconceivable to me that someone would pull up their trousers and unlock the cubicle door and walk to the sink with blood all over their hands instead of cleaning them first with wipes or loo roll. Do you really believe this is something women are regularly doing?

I’m glad it’s so amusing. Its not funny to me now that I’m nearly 40, and it definitely wasn’t funny when I was a teenager at an all girls school. Thank god I didn’t have to deal with an open plan unisex toilet space. Clearly lots of women are unfamiliar with this experience, so I shall explain. Blood that gets on your hands like this dries exceptionally quickly. You can’t wipe it away with tissue. Wet wipes are useful, if you happen to have them to hand. Blood soaked might be excessive but heavily blood stained? Absolutely.

If you do have blood soaked hands that you can’t possibly clean with paper you would surely use wipes rather than cover your clothes and the door handle in blood whether there are boys at the sinks or not!!!!

Blood soaked is an exaggeration, blood stained definitely isn't.

I am finding it rather bizarre that women are mocking other women who get blood on their hands. ....... well if that was the case it really would be bizarre, except it isn't. Many people have pointed out that if a 9/10/11 year old child ended up with blood soaked hands...to the point where they can't wipe with a bit of tissue, they very likely have a medical problem that needs addressing.

@Hyppolyta I’m sorry if you found my comment rude or stupid. That certainly wasn’t my intention. Did you think I was saying that it didn’t matter because you could just rinse in the loo bowl? It’s not my preferred option. But I have at times suffered very heavy periods and I’ve had blood on my hands - gone to wipe, and as I’ve done so, a massive clot has appeared from nowhere. (well not from nowhere, I knew where it came from ) On a couple of occasions, I’ve flushed first for clean water, and done a rinse before going to the main sink.

Yes, because I’ve had to do it many times. So I know some women have to do it. I assume, like me, most women only wipe with one hand so it’s perfectly possible to get to the sink without leaving blood behind (and as I said, it dries very quickly so putting my clothes back on isn’t an issue)

Cheap loo roll just breaks up. That's if you haven't got the catalogue paper instead. Of course no 8/9 year old would he upset eitger cos you don't get "the talk" til yr 5 so they easily couldn't know about it. Not all two yr olds bang on about vulvas like on mn

I'm assuming that those of you who are laughing have never had to remove blood clots.

Plus you are assuming that there is plenty of loo roll in the cubicle.

I would hate to use toilets like this, not because I'm embarrassed about washing my hands but I wouldn't want anyone to hear me vomiting/crapping/having the runs from the corridor.

But hey they're only kids they don't deserve privacy.

Many people have pointed out that if a 9/10/11 year old child ended up with blood soaked hands...to the point where they can't wipe with a bit of tissue, they very likely have a medical problem that needs addressing. okay, and? What do you think happens when a 10 year old (or 11 or 13) has debilitating heavy periods?

Saying “blood soaked hands” makes you sound dramatic but otherwise, your points are valid and YANBU. Unisex toilets are not appropriate for children and adolescents.

I took these photos from the corridor because they are open plan. There were no kids in there at the time. Are some of you really saying that it's appropriate for young girls to share a bathroom with boys, especially when they're getting their first periods? Don't you remember what it was like? I would have died a thousand deaths if a boy was in our school toilets while I was trying to change my pad. Not to mention the fact that some months, I didn't have any sanitary towels at all. Not all girls are prepared for it, can ask for help or have supportive parents.

And yes the UN says that all girls should have access to single sex toilets. They do. The cubicles have doors on them and because the washing area is not enclosed and therefore not a room, the cubicle itself is the “toilet facility”

Genuine question to people who have periods so heavy their hands are covered in blood after wiping. Why don’t you carry wipes with you? If I had periods like that I would consider wipes as essential as tampons and towels. I wouldn’t want to be rinsing my menstrual blood down communal sinks even if it was just other women’s who could see!

It's all very well it needing addressing but you don't sodding know that if it's your first one and you are stuck in a unisex toilet with 2 ply crumbly tissue and boys outside

They wipe their hands on the toilet paper Tammy, before pulling up their knickers and rearranging their clothes, then opening the cubicle door....then they nip to the sink and wash them Why on earth would anyone in the toilet be inspecting their hands that closely, they'd notice some staining?

Honestly, think back to changing your towel/tampon at school. The crunching of the wrapper which, no matter how quietly you tried to do it sounded like the loudest thing in the world. Peeling the used towel off your knickers. Opening and closing the sanitary bin. Would you really have wanted to do that with prepubescent or teenage boys in the vicinity within earshot?

"Blood soaked hands" is my experience because I had very heavy periods as a girl. It was a very stressful time. And that was with single sex toilets.

Tbh I’d have been delighted with the floor to ceiling doors and walls when I was at school.

Pork you wipe hands with tissue, hoist pants up by the thumbs, use paper to press the flush and unlock the door. Then go wash and adjust your clothing.

It amazes me that legally schools have to have sex segregated washing facilities yet some people still inisist its fine if they dont.

I would have died a thousand deaths if a boy was in our school toilets while I was trying to change my pad. Why though? You can't see under or over the cubicles. Literally no-one would know.

@Porkflute - because few people are prepared ALL the time? I have regular light periods now, but last month I went to the loo, wiped and had loads of brown old blood just come out. Nothing that I couldn’t wipe with tissue - but totally unexpected. It happens.