Survey reveals widespread gaps in menstruation product awareness

A new poll has exposed a widespread lack of awareness and education for young women about using menstruation products.

It shows that two fifths of the British women questioned were never taught about how to use menstruation products before starting their period; with only 28 per cent being taught by their school and just four in 10 by family.

Amongst women not taught how to use menstrual products before their first period, 40 per cent suffered having their period leak through their clothing. Meanwhile, a third (31 per cent) reported they had experienced pain from incorrectly using a period product such as a tampon, situations that could have been easily avoided had they received appropriate education ahead of time.

The data, which surveyed over 1,000 UK women across a range of age groups, points to a major knowledge gap when it comes to using period products.  It shows that even amongst recent school leavers, education is still severely lacking, placing girls at risk.

Looking specifically at Generation Z women aged 18-24, 30 per cent say they were not taught how to use menstrual products ahead of their first period (a figure that rises to 42 per cent for those aged 45+), suggesting that while education is slowly improving, millions of girls are still left unprepared when they experience their first period.

Over half in this youngest age group (56 per cent) report having felt shame in having to ask someone to explain how to use a menstrual product to them when the time came. One in eight (14 per cent) of 18-24 year olds even say they have had to leave school to deal with a period.

Many women were also completely oblivious to the health and hygiene risks associated with a lack of menstrual knowledge before they started their period.

For example, 60 per cent of all women surveyed were not made aware of the dangers of toxic shock syndrome before their first period – something that occurs if period products are not changed frequently enough and can be potentially life-threatening.

Only 28 per cent of all women in the survey were taught about menstrual products by their school before their period, and just 39 per cent by a close family member (parent or sibling). As such, nearly two fifths 39 per cent) were not taught by anyone. This lack of education at a young age meant that a fifth of all those polled (20 per cent) had to figure out how to use menstrual products by trial and error.

Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Dr Shazia Malik says; “A lack of education on period products and menstruation can be detrimental at any age, and can be daunting for those who haven’t been taught fully growing up.”

The data was commissioned by Initial Washroom Hygiene.