Taboo or not Taboo: Tell FabLittleBag how you really feel about periods. £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

FabLittleBag is interested in finding out how you feel about your periods and have a few questions for you to answer on the topic.

Here’s what FabLittleBag have to say: “At FabLittleBag, we talk to lots of women about periods. We’re always surprised at the different attitudes and experiences. Not a frequently discussed topic, we often assume everyone feels and does the same as us. We're working with Anglian Water who are spreading the word about keeping unflushables out of the toilet and our pipes clear. So with your help, let’s lift the lid and shed some light on the subject…

FabLittleBag is on a mission to help women and girls feel more relaxed about periods and disposal in particular, as it is an ignored part of the process and one which sometimes feels awkward or embarrassing. We believe discussion is the way forward. With your help as experienced women in this area, some of you with daughters, you can make a HUGE difference to how periods are perceived for the future generations. It’s good to talk - so let the chat begin!”

Here are a few questions from FabLittleBag!

• Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?
• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)
• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?
• Are you a flusher or a binner?
• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?
• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?
• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?
• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

Everyone who posts will be entered into a prize draw and one person will win a £300 voucher.

Standard Insight T&Cs apply.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

• Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?

No- I regularly tell male friends why I may have to go to the loo more often on a day trip!!

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly) I use a menstural cup so nothing to hide, but when I used tampons I would never have carried them in my hand to the bathroom
• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners? I would hope binners as I've told them how bad it is for the ocean to flush!!
• Are you a flusher or a binner? Mooncup so flush my fluid. Bin tanpons
• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution? Yes/ that's why I changed to mooncup
• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month? No
• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period? Chilled
• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage? No

• Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?

no

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)

no

• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

no idea

• Are you a flusher or a binner?

binner

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

no

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

yes, take tranexamic acid and mefenamic acid

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?

inconvenience

• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

no I bin it

• Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?

Not at all but I don't go around talking about them all the time either. There are just periods...

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)

No. They are just in a pocket in my bag

• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

Mooncup users

• Are you a flusher or a binner?

Neither I use mooncup

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

No

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

Yes I'm perimenapausal and have super heavy periods

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?

Hatred

• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

No

Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?

• No my mum always used to talk about them to her friends in front of me when I was growing up so it was never an issue for me.

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)

Not as an adult but at school I found it very embarrassing - the boys would always know what you were doing if you took your bag to the toilet.

• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

It's not something that's ever come up in conversation so i don't know

• Are you a flusher or a binner?

Always a flusher when I used tampons but definitely a binner for towels.

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

I would never put anything down a toilet if I didn't know whether it was safe to do so - i know at my aunt's very old house in the countryside it was an issue.

I hadn't consider beach pollution.

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

I am very lucky to have never had heavy flow.

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?

An annoying inconvenience

• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

No

I don't believe that periods are taboo
I have hidden the fact that I have been on my period once - when we were on a weekend break to Amsterdam with friends and everyone was talking about sex - it didn't seem right to say, actually we're not getting any.
No idea what my friends do, but I'm a binner - have mostly used pads not tampons, so would not flush a pad, ever.
I don't worry about blocking as it isn't an issue, but I can see that there is an environmental issue with most sanitary protection.
I have had some very bad flooding which is embarrassing, especially at work, but have never stayed at home because of it.
My periods are a reminder that I am a normal functioning woman.
I have never had a blockage.

• Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?

not taboo but not sometjing im that keen to chat about

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)

yes

• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

not a clue

• Are you a flusher or a binner?

binner

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

nope

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

no

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?

awkward

• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

only from a flatmates giant shit

• Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?

No, especially not amongst women / with family

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)

No, never. I feel uncomfortable enough without adding to it needlessly!

• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

Binners

• Are you a flusher or a binner?

A binner now, but spent many years flushing binners

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

I worry about beach pollution but not blockages as it's something I've never experienced

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

It doesn't limit lifestyle, but I do make sure I have everything I need to make me feel good with me - sanitation, nice herbal teas, pain relief, and a hot water bottle in the evenings

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?

Grateful - it's how my baby came about!

• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

No

• Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?

Not in this country. I refuse to feel ashamed of the biology of my body.

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)

No.

• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

All binners.

• Are you a flusher or a binner?

Binner.

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

No, I never throw anything in the toilet.

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

Yes, very much so. Can't walk for a few days without pain killers.

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?

My attitude is changing towards it. I used to really hate it, now I try to see it as a period in the month where I can (must) take some much needed rest.

• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

No.

Here are a few questions from FabLittleBag!

• Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?

Def not a taboo subject.

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly).

No.

• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

Bin for towels or flush for tampons.

• Are you a flusher or a binner?

Bin for towels or flush for tampons

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

No

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

Bad cramps means lots of meds and heavy flow can mean not going to far from home.

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?

Hateful

• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

No

Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?

I don't think they are taboo but I think it is weird when people say they have their period & men are there.

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)

Yes probably

• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

Not a clue

• Are you a flusher or a binner?

Binner

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

No

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

No

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?

Hinderance

• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

No

• Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?

Among friends and family - no. Among colleagues and acquaintances - yes.

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)

Mostly.

• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

No idea.

• Are you a flusher or a binner?

Binner.

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

No. We don't put non-flushables down the toilet and only use a vanishingly small amount of bleach each month.

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

Yes.

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?

Diabolical headfuck.

• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

Yes - it is my job to poke a big stick down the outside drain when it gets blocked because our drains were built badly.

1. No, it does not affect me.

1. Yes, would keep products in pocket or bag.

1. No idea.

1. Binner.

1. No.

1. No as I just have to get on with it.

1. Annoyed.

1. No.

• Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?

yes, because I find them gross, and I hate everything about them! I don't want to be treated differently, so i'd rather no one knew.

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)

yes

• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

binners I guess

• Are you a flusher or a winner?

binner

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

no, i bin

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

oh god yes, I get one REALLY bad day these days. When I was a teenager, I'd be knocked off my feet with vomiting from the cramps for at least 3 days. I used to be sick at school because of them, and the other girls thought I was bulimic because their experience was so different to mine. These days, I always get a migraine, and I feel rough for a day but I can still go out and about.

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?

MAKE IT STOP

• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

no, and my toilet at work has a macerator that chops up the loo roll etc, so you cannot flush anything or it will break it!

Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?
No, I don't. I'm fairly open about periods generally.

Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)
I don't broadcast it, but I wouldn't go out of my way to hide it from people. I do hide my Mooncup away from squeamish DP though!

When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?
I think the majority of tampon wearers are flushers, but I don't really know.

Are you a flusher or a binner?
I used to flush tampons before I was made aware of their blocking tendencies. I'm not a fan of binning tampons, so I've switched to a Mooncup to avoid both flushing and binning.

Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?
I would worry about blocking a toilet now, yes.

Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?
I don't experience these symptoms luckily.

What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?
'Phew!' - we aren't keen on an unexpected pregnancy at the moment, so I'm rather relieved when my period arrives I also experience PMT, so it's always a relief when the period starts and PMT disappears.

Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?
Yes.

Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?
No. I have discussed my cycle with other women in the past.

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)

I do at work as I am aware some men can be uncomfortable with things like that.

• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

I know colleagues are binners as our workplace did not have a sanitary bin in the ladies toilets and I was chosen as spokesperson to go and ask for one as everybody was fed up with caring uses sanitary products in their handbags.

• Are you a flusher or a binner?

I flush tampons.

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

I wasn't aware until very recently that you weren't supposed to flush tampons so I am trying to get into the habit of binning instead but after 18 years of flushing it is proving quite difficult.

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

No I get pms and headaches though.

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?

Indifferent

• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

No

• Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?

No, not at all.

-Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)
No

When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?
No

• Are you a flusher or a binner?

Binner

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

No

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

No I'm quite lucky - I have a light flow

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period

It's a normal bodily function that I don't think about much.

• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

Yes

As a girl 30 years ago I was taught to flush, but I think the bin it message is out there now. I think i started binning in the early 90s after seeing the surfers against sewage protest. always left tampons out in the bathroom, so no i don't think I hid my period, but it's not something I would have discussed at work, other than when explaining an absence for hospital treatment, I kept tampons and towels in my handbag and took that to loo, so no reason to hide. Never blocked a loo. My periods led to severe endometriosis and a recent hysterectomy, so I am afraid I felt my period was the bane of my life and I am ecstatic to be without it!

-Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?

I feel that it is still a taboo subject still. You hear lots of people talk about the weather but you don't hear women discussing their periods.

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)

I don't hide the fact but I still try to be discreet.

• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

Binners

• Are you a flusher or a binner?

Binned inside a nappy bag.

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

No as I don't flush what I shouldn't.

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

With a heavy flow I have to use both towels and tampons heavy flow. But even with cramps I have to get on with it.

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?

I can't think of a single word or phase but it's definitely not enjoyable! I can't think of anyone who would think it is.

• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

No

Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?
I find it not quite taboo but uncomfortable and embarrassing to talk about

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)

Yes I try to

• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

Don't know

• Are you a flusher or a binner?

Binner

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

No, I always bin

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month? Yes. I don't like going out as I feel uncomfortable

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period? Annoying
• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage? No

• Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?

Yes, they are. Not as much as they were 20 or 30 years ago - but I notice that my DD is very very embarrassed about them.

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)

Yes, am very cautious about flashing any sanitaryware in public. and a bit embarrassed buying it in stores.

• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

Don't know.

• Are you a flusher or a binner?

Both - depending what I am using.

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

Yes, very much. I switched over to a moon-cup for most of the time because of this.

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

No - never had issues with that.

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?

Annoyed.

• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

No.

Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?

Yes, like all all bodily waste functions, it is only spoken about in context, e.g.with friend if you need emergency sanpro, with an HCP, etc. It does not affect me at all.

Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)

No

When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

I have no idea.

Are you a flusher or a binner?

I came of age in the late 80's and the packaging still said flushable back then but have been binning since the 90s

Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

Not in relation to sanpro

Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

Yes, very heavy flow and need to use multiple products

What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?

Fed up.

Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

Not to do with sanpro! But I lived in a house with 8 other people and only one toilet that frequently got blocked!

• Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?

Not taboo as such but I would draw the line at discussing with male colleagues.

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)

I do try to be discreet in work, and when shopping I do tend to hide sanitary products under other groceries.

• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

No idea!

• Are you a flusher or a binner?

Flusher!

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

Not about blocking and to be honest, never thought about beach pollution in the past but I will consider this in future.

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

It used to as I had a very heavy flow and could not leave the house for the first day of period, however this has calmed down the last few years a lot and I can even go swimming with kiddies now (using a tampon) whilst on period.

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?

It used to be "very inconvenient" but now it's "okay"

• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

Not from sanitary products

Do you believe that periods are a taboo topic, and if so, how does this affect you?
-- Yes, I wish I could talk about it more freely, it seems so archaic and a bit oppressing that it's taboo.

• Do you hide the fact that you're on your period? (e.g. not carrying tampons publicly)

-- Yes.

• When it comes to disposal, do you know if your close friends are flushers or binners?

-- No idea, never talked about it.

• Are you a flusher or a binner?

-- Binner.

• Do you ever worry about blocking a toilet or adding to beach pollution?

-- No.

• Does having a very heavy flow or very bad cramps limit your lifestyle or require certain ‘regimes' each month?

-- Not really, I just have to be careful and go to the toilet more often.

• What word or phrase would you use to describe how you feel about your period?

-- It's a pain (figuratively and literally).

• Have you ever experienced a toilet blockage?

-- No.