Many of us know, or know someone who knows, the struggles that come along with a period; the uncontrollable emotions, the aches, cramps, and the extreme self-consciousness that can make that time almost unbearable. For some though, it can be a lot worse. To add to all of the stress and cramps they have to worry about even having those products available. If you haven’t experienced a sudden jolt of fear when you realize you don’t have any tampons or pads on you then you are extremely lucky. For those who have you know that it is one of the worst feelings out there. Now imagine having that happen every time you have a period. Unfortunately, this happens to many people and it’s called period poverty. 

We all know that many products that women need are extremely expensive and the unfortunate truth is that even the cheapest period products can be too expensive for some people to afford. When someone is experiencing period poverty it can cause an immense amount of stress and for a student in school, this can divert their attention away from their studies. Then on top of that sometimes the shame that comes along with the menstrual cycle and even mentioning it some people can feel too embarrassed to ask a friend or a teacher for help. Even though it is a natural occurrence it is still hard for some to talk about it openly and so they may go through this struggle alone.

It is possible to get help for this problem though. Some schools have put period product dispensers in the bathrooms and the feedback they received was extremely positive. People were happy to stop having to stress out about having what they need. It can grant people an embarrassment-free way to give the people struggling with something they have no control over help. It may take time and a little bit more to talk about things certain people don’t believe should be discussed but it would help students focus more on their schoolwork and less on the problems that they have no control over.