To be annoyed at the lack of bathrooms

[Applecharm25]

I have my period. I can feel that i need to change my tampon.

I'm out walking round my city. There are no public bathrooms anywhere near me.

I see a sign for a bathroom in a small shopping centre near me. I walk in. The bathroom is actually in a shop. I'm told that the bathroom is only available for paying customers.

So now I have to get in a long queue and wait further and buy something while I really need to change my tampon.

Surely there should be better toilet services available.

Another similiar point to this thread.

I remember reading an article online a while ago. In it, a woman wrote that their needs to be much better period facilities at music festivals.

She said its so hard to have your period at a festival as the portaloos are in such a terrible state, and also have extremely long queues.

When you say multiple woman have said they don't use the toilet when changing their tampon, yes about 3-4, with many more saying yes they do use the toilet. I personally found that my bladder was more sensitive during my period and need to wee more often. Also was trained by my Mum - never miss the opportunity to use a loo - you don't know when / where the next one will be.

No news on where in the UK uses the term 'bathroom'.....

Can I ask you a question.

Why does it matter to you if other people say bathroom. And you don't.

I for example couldn't care less what anyone calls the bathroom

Why on earth would you care?

I mean how petty can you be!! Who cares!

And no, I'm not telling you - random stranger, my address.

This is eye-opening. Are we supposed to give up our point just because the majority of people don't agree? Maybe some of us think independently?

I also don't understand the logic here. So some of us are suggesting to have extra rooms in public for women to use, that's all! We're not asking to reduce the number of public toilets for tampon changing! Obviously it would be even better if they were full-on toilets, but if not, then just for tampon changing would be good. I don't know why people are getting defensive. If you need the toilet while changing sanitary products, you might also want to support having extra rooms for those who don't. It's going to cut the queues shorter.

Genuinely baffled.

If you’ve sat on the toilet to change your tampon you have used the toilet!

What if you don't sit on it. I don't.

I have lived in many parts of the UK and have never seen a sign to a ‘bathroom’ unless in a hotel.
Generally they are either signed toilets or loos.
If you do not require a ‘toilet’ to change your tampon, why cannot you find a quiet space to do this? Or do you need the facilities available at a ‘toilet’ to do this?
I personally think you just want to argue semantics (and that is a kind interpretation of your posts!).

@enkelt2 I suppose my push back is because I completely agree with need more and better provisions. But if there is space for a tampon changing area my strong preference would be to put a loo in that space as that is what women desperately need. Yes some women may be able to manage with a tampon changing cubicle but I would put my money behind it not doing that much to reduce the long queues with all the women
who are pregnant, have heavy periods, are elderly, have post childbirth bladder weakness, have young children in tow, and so forth. We need loos, not cubicles.

That wasn't my point.

I said "why do you care what other people call the bathroom /toilets".

Can you say why you care - what other people call it?

Oh we're still having to point out why tampon changing rooms would be a waste of actual toilet space are we?

Exactly
If there's space for this cubicle which most women won't use because they need to sit down, leak, puddle etc and it's much easier over the toilet than having to wipe down a cubicle then it would be far better suited to having a complete toilet in there

Thank you!

I agree. I'm also baffled.

On a thread where I was trying to suggest how we could improve things for women

Is the thread where I've received the most hatred I've ever received on mumsnet. You'd swear I'd killed someone.

No I just said that we need better facilities for women on their period.

It's baffling alright! It's like some women really don't want ro improve anything for women.

No I just said that we need better facilities for women on their period.

We do need better facilities, but we don’t need tampon changing cubicles - we need more toilets. Just from this thread, the majority of women wouldn’t use a designated space for changing period products, so it would be more useful to put extra toilets in than take up space for something more niche.

But have you actually seen the state of some public toilets?
I honestly don't think a period changing cubicle is going to kept to the cleanest of standards if a few mucky mares have a heavy bleed whilst in the throes of changing their tampon.

Surely a toilet to flush away bloodied tissue would really be far more sanitary?

Overall, we need more toilets not period cubicles and toilets that are not in the arse end of nowhere.

What about at a music festival?

Because I've seen women online say that therw needs to be period changing facilities at music festivals.

As its not fair to expect women on their period, to wait in extremely long queues for portaloos

Is no one going to speak up for the humble sanitary towel. It’s not all about the tampon you know.

More portaloos, reserved for women only?

Same amount of space needed, more wider use.

It was mentioned but the op doesn't use those so we're not allowed to mention it

Yeah we definitely more public toilets aswell.

I went into my local library today as I thought that would be the safest bet. The toilets were closed for some reason. Then I went into another place - the toilets were closed for cleaning.

Lies again

I have mentioned pads actually

There could be long queues for the changing cubicle too?

Yes but at least the queues would be shorter.

As at the moment, everyone has to queue for the portaloo. And they are of course filthy aswell

I can just imagine to AIBU if these period cubicles ever existed

"AIBU: I was desperate for the loo but the queue was massive. There was the period changing cubicle empty but no one was using it. I know some of the women were changing sanitary items because I heard the packets open/one of them used the machine to buy one/a girl asked her friend if she had a spare. AIBU to think if you're changing your sanitary items you use the cubicle and leave the toilets for those who need to actually wee/shit? Some of us have weak pelvic floors!"

Hahaha!

You seem to think drunk people at a festival won't go in the specific tampon changing cubicle and not use it as a toilet!

Having worked in bars, I've seen it, and it's really not pretty.