Category: Article

Period Pain: Let’s Remove the Stigma

By Madeline Riske // April 2024

You’ve heard of walking in someone’s shoes but how about experiencing someone’s period cramps? CEO Lux Perry and cofounder of Some Days, a Canadian period pain relief company, has garnered millions of views on TikTok with their videos of people trying out their electric period pain simulator. The videos are intentionally comedic, with non-menstruating people doubling over in pain at the low levels of the simulator while menstruating people sit beside them, unbothered.  

While these clips are playful, Perry’s mission is extremely real. She hopes that her viral videos will help remove the stigma surrounding conversations about period pain. According to a study by the BMJ, about 80% of women report being less productive at work or school while on their periods. This means that students and workers around the globe are silently dealing with pain each month, and yet many spaces rarely discuss this issue. 

Lux’s videos ask us to consider how, for many menstruators, period pain is a regular, monthly occurrence caused by the uterus contracting to assist in shedding the uterine lining, and hormonelike substances cause uterine muscle contractions. This is a bodily function that no surgery can remove—and yet menstruators are unable to talk about it which can cause great impacts on the lives of menstruators. Endometriosis, a condition that Lux has herself, causes tissue like the uterus lining to grow outside the uterus, can cause debilitating pelvic pain that Lux says impacted her ability to attend school or her job.  

Still, Lux has a hopeful outlook on the public perception of period cramps. “I’m surprised by the compassion men display,” Lux says when asked how men react to their experiences with the period pain simulator. Men who experience this period pain “firsthand” through the simulator have their eyes opened to the reality of period pain, and I think the next step is encouraging non-menstruators to have this empathy with the menstruators in their lives, even without trying out a simulator. Lux’s videos are a good start to opening up the conversation about period pain, and I can only hope that by having more conversations about the impact of periods, we can create an empathetic environment in which we allow menstruators to listen to their bodies and provide them with the resources to do so. 

Why Should You Care About Period Poverty?

Maanya Pandey // November 11, 2020

Period poverty is defined as the “inadequate access to menstrual hygiene tools and educations, including but not limited to sanitary products, washing facilities, and waste management” (Alvarez).

These conditions are indeed extremely prevalent among developing countries with 25 percent of women in Nigeria lacking adequate menstrual hygiene management and only 54 percent of schools in India having a separate and usable girls’ restroom (Period Poverty and Poor Menstrual Hygiene), but most people would be surprised to know that period poverty is a common occurrence even developed countries like the United States of America.

“Two-thirds of low-income women in a large city couldn’t afford period products last year”

In America, two-thirds of low-income women in a large city couldn’t afford period products last year (Carroll). With that, many of the women surveyed stated that they regularly had to make the tough decision to purchase food or menstrual products. Food to survive and period products for menstruation are both necessities for basic bodily functions, yet many people unable to afford them are forced every day to choose. It makes you wonder how even in one of the most economically and socially developed countries in the world, people are still facing these types of issues. 

“One in four people aged 13 to 35 have found it harder to manage their period because of the pandemic”

The coronavirus pandemic has made the issue of period poverty worse. Since the beginning of the pandemic, about 47% of menstruators have stated that they have had a harder time accessing menstrual supplies as a result of COVID-19. Additionally, one in four people aged 13 to 35 have found it harder to manage their period because of the pandemic (Napierkowski). This pandemic has greatly affected and increased this issue that many face throughout the world. 

A lot of times because of decreased access to these necessary products, people use dangerous, dignity-stripping alternative methods to get by during their period cycles. Some people have resorted to using socks, old rags, and even cardboard during their period because they are unable to afford pads or tampons. These methods are not only unreliable, but they are also unsafe. Using unclean products can lead to some negative health effects like dangerous diseases and infections. Period poverty has also been shown to take tolls on people’s mental health as well. The lack of access to menstrual products has been discovered to cause elevations of anxiety, depression, and distress scores (Kilpatrick). All of these negative effects and situations are the reason Love For Red wants to help.

“Some people have resorted to using socks, old rags, and even cardboard during their period”

Love For Red strives to uplift the people being crushed by the hardships of period poverty. We want to bring awareness to this widespread yet unknown issue that up to 64% of people with periods face (Carroll). By providing menstrual products to those unable to purchase these necessities, we are ensuring that more people can live with dignity while on their period, no matter where they live. 

To be able to donate these products to everyone who needs them, we need your help. A $20 donation can aid us in supplying one person with enough menstrual products to last them up to six cycles! By donating to Love For Red, you are actively aiding against the battle of period poverty by providing more people with the products they need to stay dignified and safe. 

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Works Cited

Alvarez, Alexandra. “AMWA.” American Medical Women’s Association, 5 Nov. 2019, www.amwa-doc.org/period-poverty/.

Carroll, Linda. “Even in the U.S., Poor Women Often Can’t Afford Tampons, Pads.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 10 Jan. 2019, www.reuters.com/article/us-health-menstruation-usa/even-in-the-u-s-poor-women-often-cant-afford-tampons-pads-idUSKCN1P42TX.

Kilpatrick, Ashley Rapp and Sidonie. “Changing the Cycle: Period Poverty as a Public Health Crisis.” U, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 4 Feb. 2020, sph.umich.edu/pursuit/2020posts/period-poverty.html.

Napierkowski, Alicia. “Tampons Are Harder to Get For Many During the Pandemic.” Teen Vogue, 7 Oct. 2020, www.teenvogue.com/story/period-poverty-getting-worse-during-the-pandemic.

“Period Poverty and Poor Menstrual Hygiene.” Figo, 19 Feb. 2019, www.figo.org/news/month-after-month-period-poverty.