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Menstrual Hygiene Day: Turning Awareness into Action
One in ten girls in the UK cannot afford period products, while many more struggle to access the information and support they need to manage their menstrual health. As we marked Menstrual Hygiene Day on 28 May, it was an opportunity not only to raise awareness but also to ask what more must be done to achieve true period equity.
This year, at In Kind Direct, we have been thinking about how we can go further to support our communities. While continuing to help people who have periods access essential hygiene products, we are also looking at ways to drive systemic change and create period equity. We want to help create a future where everyone has access to the products and education they need and can live freely, without stigma, whilst menstruating.
To do this, we first have to identify the reasons why so many women and girls in the UK are currently experiencing period inequity. Last month, the Government relaunched the Women’s Health Strategy for England. In doing so, it made some extremely bold statements and acknowledged some deeply concerning truths.
The Government acknowledged that the NHS has been affected by “medical misogyny,” where women’s symptoms and pain are more likely to be dismissed. It revealed that women are treated as “second-class citizens,” spend more of their lives in ill health than men, and face inequalities, with those in deprived areas experiencing worse healthy life expectancy.
Period products: the missing links in women health strategy
At In Kind Direct, we welcome the Government’s acknowledgment of the scale and severity of the problem, as well as the bold language it has used to highlight the injustice women face when it comes to their health. We also welcome the steps that have been announced, but this is only a starting point.
Whilst the Government has started to identify some of the key drivers of period inequity, it has not mentioned access to sanitary products at all within this strategy. This is a significant omission if we want to see improved health outcomes for women and girls.
Currently, one in three people experiencing hygiene poverty report physical health problems, and one in ten girls cannot afford period products.
What the Government has said specifically about menstrual health in the UK:
- Many women and girls do not know what a normal menstrual cycle looks like.
- There is a lack of access to good information about periods and menstrual disorders.
- Many people experience stigma and embarrassment around talking about periods.
- Many have had symptoms such as heavy bleeding, PCOS and endometriosis dismissed, or have faced long delays before receiving a diagnosis or treatment.
What the Government has committed to:
- A £1 million menstrual health education programme.
- Updating NHS menstrual health resources for schools.
- Redesigning care pathways for heavy periods, with the aim of speeding up diagnosis and treatment over the next three years.
- Moving menstrual health services into community care, reducing reliance on hospitals and expanding services such as Women’s Health Hubs, NHS online support and community health services.
- Regional specialist centres.
- A single point of access for gynaecology referrals, so women are directed to the right services sooner rather than being referred between different services.
- Tracking improvements in diagnosis.
Our work to restore period equity
Asking for a thorough implementation of the Period Product Scheme in England
In February, The Period Equity Alliance, which In Kind Direct is a founding member of, wrote to the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Education to welcome the Government’s extension of the Period Product Scheme in England until at least August 2028.
This scheme provides free period products to girls and women in all state-funded schools and colleges. However, we also raised concerns that a government scheme must be additive to the work already happening in communities. The Period Product Scheme does not currently meet all of the need for period products among young people, and charities are helping to fill that gap. This issue urgently needs addressing. We have asked to meet with the relevant ministers and are yet to receive a response.
Writing to the Secretary of State for Health
This week, we have also written to the newly appointed Secretary of State for Health to express our concerns about the lack of recognition of period equity within the relaunched Women’s Health Strategy and the need for further action given the scale of the challenge.
We look forward to working with the Government to ensure that period equity is not overlooked and that together we can begin to tackle the wider crisis in women’s health.
What is period equity?
A society where everyone has access to:
- Products, facilities, and healthcare to manage a period and menstrual health.
- Universal education about menstrual health.
- Freedom from stigma and discrimination
Read our report “The State of Period Equity in the UK”
A note about inclusive language:
Throughout this article, we refer to people who have periods, recognising it is not just those who currently identify as female who menstruate. Where we refer specifically to women and girls, this reflects the wording of national surveys, the government’s report and existing data sets that have been used for comparison and analysis.
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