10% of College-Aged Women Are Struggling With Lack of Access to Menstrual Products

A new survey published in BMC Women's Health found that 1 in 10 college-age women in the United States who menstruate do not have access to menstrual hygiene products. Further, the lack of access—termed period poverty—is also linked to depression.

While the survey only asked people who identified as women about their access to menstrual hygiene products, not all people who menstruate—and experience period poverty—identify as women.

What Is Period Poverty?

Period poverty is when people who menstruate do not have access to the supplies they prefer to use to have a sanitary period. Common products are pads, tampons, and menstrual cups.

“If you get your period and reach into your cupboard to grab a tampon or pad... consider yourself lucky,” Melissa Azzaro, RDN, LD, registered dietitian and author of A Balanced Approach to PCOS, tells Verywell. “Many menstruating people do not have access to these items due to inequities related to income, imprisonment, or being transgender or non-binary, not to mention the additional costs of ‘women's products’ and taxes imposed by many states on them, make these items inaccessible for many.”

In addition to being able to access menstrual hygiene products, Azzaro says that “period poverty also refers to a lack of access to education about menstruation and/or a safe and private space in which to take care of hygiene needs.”

People in the U.S. also experience period poverty. The results of a study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that one-third of low-income people surveyed in Missouri reported alternatives to hygienic pads and tampons, including used diapers and toilet paper.

Why Is Period Poverty a Problem?

"When women don’t have access to adequate menstrual products, it increased the odds for unsafe and unsanitary practices to occur which can be extremely dangerous to their physical, mental and emotional health,” Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, MS, RD, CDN, registered dietitian and author of The Better Period Food Solution, tells Verywell. “By talking about period poverty, it helps to decrease the stigma associated with periods and brings awareness to this all too common problem." 

If people do not have consistent access to period products, their menstrual hygiene can suffer. For example, a person who does not have enough product to last the duration of their period might go longer between changing them. This can put them at an increased risk for health problems like urinary tract infections (UTIs), bacterial vaginosis, and skin irritation. 

The Survey

To find out how people in the U.S. are affected by period poverty, researchers at George Mason University conducted a survey of undergraduate students in the United States who menstruate.

Of the 471 participants in the study, 14.2% reported experiencing period poverty at least once in the past year. Around 10% said that they experienced period poverty every single month over the past year—meaning that they never had access to menstrual hygiene products.

Most of the participants who reported experiencing period poverty in the study said that they coped by borrowing products and using other materials in lieu of products.

The American College of Gynecology (ACOG) recommends that pads and tampons get replaced every 4 to 8 hours. Almost 50% of the participants who experienced period poverty reported using tampons and pads for a longer period than ACOG recommends.

Period Poverty and Depression

Menstrual hygiene is considered a basic need, like food and shelter. Even though menstrual health and hygiene has been recognized as a public health issue, the impact of period poverty on mental health has not been studied extensively.

The survey from George Mason University also revealed that the people who reported experiencing monthly period poverty were also the most likely to report depression.

How To Combat Period Poverty

The results of the survey indicate that lack of access to products to manage hygiene during menstruation goes beyond the physical effects—it's also a factor for mental health and wellbeing.

One change that could make these products more accessible would need to come at the legislative level. If these items were not taxed as a luxury when purchased, it would reduce their cost to consumers.

Research has shown that when these taxes are repealed, low-income consumers benefit from being able to afford these products.

In March, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act included provisions that would allow people to use money from health savings and flexible spending accounts to purchase hygiene products for periods. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program, however, does not cover pads or tampons, which means that people in a certain income bracket are not guaranteed to receive them.

While some areas of the country provide free products in schools, prisons, and homeless shelters, these programs are the exception rather than the rule.