MADISON, Wis. — Allison Borjas, a senior at East High in Madison, Wis., said period products need to be more accessible throughout her school.
“We found out that at our school, they are not providing many period products for us to use and it is a real struggle for us,” said Borjas.
Kelea Cummings is another East High senior who is involved with the Girls Inc. campaign.
She said girls at her school often stay home on days they know they will be menstruating, due to a lack of supplies in East High bathrooms.
“There are times when you go to the bathroom and are like, shoot, now I am bleeding and I need stuff,” said Cummings. “None of our bathrooms are actually stocked with those products in that kind of situation.”
A study by Obstetrics and Gynecology found that 64% of women reported having trouble affording menstrual products at some point in their lives. The study conducted interview-surveys with 183 women and conducted three focus group discussions.
Menstrual hygiene products are considered a luxury item, which means food stamps and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women and Children (WIC) do not cover them.
Not being able to afford menstrual hygiene products can lead to women extending the life of the products they do have. This can lead to vulvar irritation and vaginal discomfort and even toxic shock syndrome.
Cummings said talking about things such as menstruation, tampons and pads can often be thought of as shameful and she wants to see that change.
“What we would like to do long term is get a system for actually using the dispensers in our bathrooms,” said Cummings. “They currently are not stocked and we don’t have a system to stock them.”
This is the second year the period product campaign has been held.
Last year, the students were able to collect 1,800 period products.
Cummings said she hopes this year they will be able to collect much more. She said last year’s donations were not enough.
“That did not last us a whole year,” said Cummings. “It should not be expected of students to buy and supply their own menstrual products.”
If you are interested in donating money or menstrual products to East High students, click here, or learn more, here.