To celebrate that I don’t buy period products anymore and wish that it was this way for all women!!

[Loveduppenguin]

I’ve just realised that I haven’t had to buy period products for well over a year! My workplace now provides them free in our toilets, so a surprise arrival in work is catered for. Lidl Ireland now provide free sanitary products once per month to each customer. It’s actually amazing and I feel like it’s a great change. AIBU to think this should be the case for all women!? Anyone else have them free at work? Long may it last/continue!

https://www.actionaid.org.uk/blog/2023/05/26/cost-period-poverty-risen

Period products might not cost much in the he grand scheme, but plenty of people are unable to afford them or choose to sacrifice their own comfort and hygiene so they can afford things for their family instead.

That's great about lidl Ireland op, is it a government funded thing?

My work provides pantyliners, sanitary towels and tampax too. It's great, I don't have to worry about coming on unexpectedly, or making sure I have pads in my bag.

I can't do hormonal contraception either, and couldn't get on with a cup. I used period pants and also washable pads for a while and really wanted to like them but they just made me itch unbearably, so it's back to pads I go.

Isn’t that the same as saying well toilet paper is freely available in public /work toilets so I’m just going to use those supplies/take them home & never buy my own any more?
Gr8 that your workplace is being so inclusive of this but unless you experience period poverty don’t think it’s fair to use them exclusively without ever buying yr own.

But I don’t take them home…I use one a day in there…it’s not like a take a handful.

OPs not taking any work ones home though I don't think? Surely using them while at work is exactly what they're for, and is entirely reasonable.

Ok OP’s title suggests she does
To celebrate that I don’t buy period products anymore and wish that it was this way for all women!!

I think it’s great they’re freely available when in work tho.

I love the freedom of no peroids, had hysterectomy a year ago for stage 4 endometriosis, after 2 kids and monthly agony for so long. Was liberating to throw away my mooncups, wear light trousers, not have the horrible PMS and week of flooding, thrush, having to lug sanpro everywhere.

I use washable pads so don’t buy any either - better for the environment! Plus they are so pretty they feel like a luxury product and I love using them.

I have noticed a few places provide sanpro in toilets but I didn’t know workplaces did it as a regular thing. It’s a nice gesture and I’m sure people don’t take advantage as not everyone likes the same kind.

Don't you smell? Sorry don't mean to be rude but surely if you don't change often.

We have them in our toilets at work funded largely by the organisation but the other women pop a few in every so often if we finish our period and have some in our bags etc. it's a fantastic resource and has come in handy several times for me andy unreliable periods!

Cups and washable pants here.

Which coil stops periods without hormones?

Mostly use reusable. Have to buy my own very particular kind that I don’t react to as much for times when I just have to have a disposable product as sometimes heavy periods, reusable, and out and about don’t mix. Can’t imagine anything provided for free would fit the bill.

I use tampons mostly…no I don’t smell. But thanks I think 3-4 a day is plenty. I don’t have a massively heavy flow most days of my period

My workplace now provides organic ones that you can help yourself to when using the loo. The only issue is that they don't seem to cater for the heavier flow, so I just have to use them to tide me over until I get home.

I'd like to use mooncups, but I'm not enough of an origami expert to get it in 😳

I had a coil fitted to deal with peri menopausal bleeding that was completely unmanageable. I haven’t had a period in about two years. It’s heaven! It’s good to see free period products being rolled out though, I’ve always thought it was an unfair tax on women.

I used a cup which worked fine for a couple of years.

They then refused to ever open again. Getting s new cup made no difference so I gave up.

She gets them free each month from lidl too!

I saw on the Aldi Facebook page that they are starting to offer them for free in their toilets too

Isn't it all meant to be provided by the government?
We get it free at work

In fact they are just on all public toilets, pubs, cafes etc here too. NE scotland

Sorry, you use the period products in work (great) but what happens in the night time when you’re at home? You say you don’t take products home as you don’t need to do so, but how do you manage your period at home if you’re not buying anything?

I use the free pack I get every month from Lidl…

It’s a nice thing to have for unexpected times but you could do so much for the environment by using washables or a cup.

I bought a menstrual cup in 2015 and I haven't bought any menstrual products since then.

I switched to Aldi’s pads. They cost about 45p a pack so it’s less than £1 a month which I can’t complain about. So much better than Always.

I tried to use one a few years ago and it just didn’t work for me at all….tried two different ones.