Imagine being in a menstruating age and feeling guilty to ask your parents for pads, or tampons because they are struggling to pay bills and put food on your plate. This might seem bizarre or beyond comprehension for you, but this is the reality for many young people. Not just youngsters, grown-up women also face a lack of access to sanitary hygiene products as well as washrooms. In a world where more than 63% of people live on less than a dollar per day, thinking about a menstrual cup or how to insert a menstrual cup for beginners seems no less than folly.

Whether we are talking about homeless people or those with a stable roof over their heads, the irony is women in rich countries and well-to-do families experience period poverty. Some stick to taboos and stereotypes, whereas others are bound by makeshift economic conditions.

The Perils of Period Poverty

Periods are tough, but not being able to look after yourself during your periods due to the confining finances can have a far-reaching and disastrous impact. The lack of access to period care and the colossal confusion surrounding basic questions like how to insert a menstrual cup for beginners impact life-changing fields like education. Most girls of menstruating age drop out of school due to period poverty when they don’t find ways to manage their periods. The results are horrendous because when a young person’s education is affected, their opportunities are also limited, which makes them and most probably their family stuck in a vicious loop of poverty.

In addition to education, period poverty can also have a ripple effect on health. Women who don’t have the right products to manage their period hygienically and safely are more susceptible to reproductive health issues and UTIs. However, it isn’t just the physical health that’s at stake/ The shame surrounding periods when coupled with the embarrassment of not being able to afford sanitary hygiene products can take a hit on the self-esteem and mental health of those affected.

Solution?

The solution is working on the base level and equipping women with sustainable period care products like a menstrual cup that they can use for a relatively long time. In addition to this, women should also be educated about period poverty, menstrual health and of course how to use period care products, so they don’t fall into the cycle of poverty and poor menstrual hygiene again.

The Bottom Line

Period poverty is a heart-wrenching concern due to a myriad of reasons. Whether we are talking about lack of access to sanitary products, or the financial constraints to get the bare minimum required for managing menstruation, getting a menstrual cup online can go a long way.

Period poverty perturbs menstruators from all over the globe when they face a lack of access to menstrual hygiene education, sanitary products, waste management or washing facilities. A first step can be equipping menstruating women with reusable period care products like menstrual cups online so they can use a sanitary product over and over again without worrying about the financial crisis.