A third of adolescents and young adults in the United States cannot afford or access menstrual products, according to a new study from Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC.
The study found that “period poverty” – that is, insufficient access to menstrual hygiene products and related education – appears to affect young people equally, despite differences in race, of ethnic origin, neighborhood or if they have health insurance.
“We were really surprised by the magnitude of the problem,” said Dr. Monika Goyal, a specialist in pediatric emergency medicine and co-director of the Center for Translational Research at Children’s National.
Goyal and his colleagues are expected to present their findings, which have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday.
For the study, researchers surveyed 1,816 young people ages 13 to 21 who presented to Children’s National’s emergency room between mid-January of this year and the end of June.
Adolescents and young adults would be in period poverty if they reported that they had to use cloths or tissues during their period in the past year or that they did not have money to buy tampons or napkins.
Goyal said the findings aren’t rooted in the occasional situations most women find themselves in — being caught off guard by starting an early cycle without a menstrual product on hand.
“It reflects a larger problem around access,” she said. “It’s about having difficulty obtaining menstrual health products.” According to data analytics firm NielsenIQ, average prices for tampons are up nearly 10% in 2022, and more than 8% for sanitary napkins.
Of the 1,816 responses, 597 reported period poverty, or 32.9%.
The percentage appears to be higher than what has been found in previous research.
“At first I was hearing 1 in 5, then 1 in 4, and now we’re hearing 1 in 3,” said Dr. Shelby Davies, an attending physician in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean the number of teens without proper menstrual products is increasing, said Davies, who was not involved in the new research.
“It might indicate that we as a society are talking about it more,” Davies said. “I think the early numbers could have been skewed just based on what people felt comfortable talking about. We probably underestimated the problem.
Infections, depression and school absences
When young women are forced to use unhygienic products such as cloths or previously used menstrual products, it significantly increases the risk of bacterial infections of the vagina and urinary tract.
Some young people may miss school, sports or other social activities due to lack of access to menstrual products. Previous research has linked period poverty to depression among college-aged women.
Although menstrual product prices and occasional tampon shortages may affect some women more significantly than others, study co-author Meleah Boyle, a scientist at Children’s National, said the new findings are valid regardless of race or socioeconomic status.
“Young people who live in high-opportunity neighborhoods have similar rates of menstrual inequality to those who live in under-resourced areas or neighborhoods,” Boyle said. “It affects everyone.”
Some states are passing laws to increase access to menstrual products in schools. Starting in 2024, Minnesota law requires public schools to provide them free of charge to any student in need, starting in fourth grade. Alabama, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland and New Mexico have similar laws, according to Aunt Flow, a company that provides schools and businesses with menstrual products that can be distributed for free to students and employees.
How pediatricians can help
Davies said pediatricians can help teens consider whether they are experiencing period poverty by asking questions beyond the classic: “When was your last period?” »
His recommended questions are:
- How heavy are your periods?
- Do you feel in control of your rules?
- How do you feel when you have your period? Are they painful?
- What do you use to manage your periods? Can you access tampons or pads? What are your obstacles?
“Women’s health in general is no longer a priority,” Goyal said. “Just like toilet paper is readily available in every restroom, we would like to see greater access to free menstrual products everywhere.”
