Key Terms
1. Menstruator — “An inclusive term for an individual who menstruates.”

2. Period Poverty — “Inadequate access to menstrual tools and education, including but not limited to sanitary products, washing facilities, and waste management.”

3. Stigma — “A set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something.”

4. Tampon Tax — “a charge on menstrual products meaning they have a value-added tax or sales tax.”

5. Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) — “A rare but potentially life-threatening condition caused by certain strains of bacteria that produce poisons (toxins). These toxins get into your bloodstream and can affect organs such as your heart, liver, or kidneys.”

Facts
● One out of every four teenagers in the United States has skipped school because they lack access to menstrual products.

● Four in five students in the United States have missed class time or know someone who has missed class time due to lack of access to menstrual products.

● A study performed by Saint Louis University on period poverty concluded that 36% of
the people surveyed with a full-time or part-time job had to miss at least one or more
days of work a month due to lack of access to menstrual products .

● Stigmas about menstruation include negative associations, menstruation being gross, and
women being weak, emotional, and mentally unstable when being on their periods.

● Tampons face a luxury tax in 20 states across the United States.

● In some states, condoms and Viagra are not taxed whereas pads, tampons, menstrual cups, and other necessary hygiene products are.

● Economically unstable menstruators do not have access to tampons, pads, and menstrual hygiene products via food stamps, health insurance, or Medicaid coverage.

● Using the same tampon for an extended amount of time can have life threatening
consequences. The longer the same tampon is used, the higher the chances are of bacteria building up which can lead to Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). To avoid TSS, tampons are recommended to be changed every four hours.

Sources:

1. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0795/1599/files/State-of-the-Period-white-paper_Thinx_
PERIOD.pdf?455788
2. https://www.slu.edu/news/2019/january/menstrual-products-access-research.php
3. Joan C. Chrisler, “Teaching Taboo Topics: Menstruation, Menopause, and the Psychology
of Women,” Psychology of Women Quarterly 37, no. 1 (2013): 128–132,
https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684312471326.
4. https://allianceforperiodsupplies.org/tampon-tax/
5. https://www.npr.org/2016/03/06/467377295/citing-gender-bias-state-lawmakers-move-toeliminate-
tampon-tax
6. https://www.michiganpublic.org/health/2018-07-30/some-people-struggle-to-afford-padsand-
tampons-this-grand-rapids-nonprofit-wants-to-help
7. “Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS),” Better Health Channel, accessed November 17, 2022,
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/toxic-shock-syndrom
e-tss.
8. https://icommunityhealth.org/menstrual-equity-why-we-need-it-and-current-efforts-in-ma
ssachusetts/
9. Alexandra Alvarez, “Period Poverty,” American Medical Women's Association,
November 5, 2019, https://www.amwa-doc.org/period-poverty/.
10. “Stigma,” The Britannica Dictionary, accessed December 1, 2022,
https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/stigma.
11. “The Tampon Tax: Everything You Need to Know,” Global Citizen, accessed January 27,
2022
12. “Toxic Shock Syndrome,” Cleveland Clinic, accessed November 17, 2022,
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15437-toxic-shock-syndrome.