New Year, New You, New Period Study!

You’ve been thinking about your New Year’s resolution, but did you include an initiative for a happier and healthier vagina? A survey conducted by OnePoll for INTIMINA sampled 2,000 American women ages 18 – 55 to find the following facts on Period Poverty. Maybe they’ll get you thinking about fresh goals for womanhood.

A big debate in Period Poverty is if menstrual products should be free. Perhaps you’ve heard about the “Tampon Tax” and how Viagra is considered an “essential” and non-taxed item, while menstrual products are not. Even Rogaine is considered as an “essential” item. We’re allowed to get a little bit pissed now, right?

The survey found that 72% of women support the idea of free period products. Imagine what more we could have conquered had women not had to have chosen between their periods and going to work of school? 46% of women admitted having to had missed school because of their periods, while 45% have left work early or canceled plans. The truth is, 1 in 4 women have struggled financially to decide between buying period products and meals. Even if Period Poverty doesn’t exist for you, it’s affecting the women around you.

Well, we do have a solution (or resolution) for this one, and it comes in the form of a little menstrual cup. If the average woman spends over $6,000 on menstrual products in her lifetime, why not replace one-time-use period products like pads and tampons with a reusable and affordable option like a menstrual cup? It’s worth a shot. Especially since they last for up to 5 years.

As women who menstruate, we know very intimately the cost of our period products. They’re something we rely on every month– costs that are integrated into our monthly budgets without question because, well, periods aren’t exactly a choice. Period Poverty isn’t just about the money though. It’s the 21st century and thousands of women still lack access to basic menstrual hygiene products. 

Have you ever been to a fancy restaurant or even wedding where there were free period products available in the bathroom? It’s a nice touch to silence your worries. Beyond price alone, women reported having had menstrual emergencies due to a lack of access to products. More than 50% of women reported not having period products during a menstrual leak. Is now a good time to remind you that Intimina has the only collapsible menstrual cup on the market?

Solutions to Period Poverty:

• Donate to: homeless shelters, food banks, women’s organizations
• More government initiatives to make menstrual products free
• Educate about women’s health
• Reverse period stigmas