It’s Women’s+ History Month! Whilst we are celebrating the contributions of all women, as your Welfare, Community and Diversity Officer, I am collaborating with your Women’s+ Officer and have decided to dedicate this month to a period campaign, highlighting the issues surrounding all things menstrual and opening up the conversation about our cycles.  

As a Student's Union, we believe sanitary items should be free of charge and available to all. Free tampons and sanitary pads are available in the gender-neutral hive toilets.  

As part of this campaign we are also encouraging anyone who has a menstrual cycle to look at environmentally friendly, financially beneficial and empowering alternatives to owning your period. You can visit advice(SU) to collect one of the following:  

• menstrual cups (Size A for women who have given birth or are over 30 and Size B for everyone else)  

• period underwear (sizes vary from 8-10 to 16-18)  

Due to high demand and limited stock you will only be able to collect one item  

We are also doing a period drive in the hive where you can donate unused underwear and sanitary products for us to donate to refugees in the hive right next to the giant tampon.  

I have written a blog about this before which you can read here but I just want to reiterate some reasons why you should switch to a menstrual cup:  

Environmental  

Your typical single use period products like tampons and sanitary pads all have an impact on environmental waste. The packaging, plastic and cardboard that are used in products will accumulate to 200,000 tonnes of waste a year as women use 11,000 one-time menstrual products.  

Financial  

Whilst the Student Union provides free tampons and sanitary pads, it is unrealistic to depend solely on these because we all know periods can come at the most random times. Period products can end up racking up a large bill by the end of the year. By switching to the menstrual cup or period underwear, it is a one-off purchase and you can even get a free one from advice(SU).  

Empowering  

This is you being in control of your period. Also, by switching to a menstrual cup or period underwear you’re not getting ripped off by companies who are capitalising on you having a period. We can’t help it; they shouldn’t profit from it!