Support menstrual health and dignity visit store now Not too long ago, I found myself crouched in the back of a grocery aisle with a half-empty pack of pads in one hand and a dying phone in the other. I wasn’t panicked because I couldn’t afford a $6 box, though millions of women are. I was panicked because I was bleeding through my jeans, 30 minutes from home, and no store nearby had restocked the only brand I don’t react to. That moment wasn’t just about logistics, it was about dignity. About standing in public and realizing that something as natural and predictable as a period still gets treated like an afterthought. I remember thinking: There’s got to be a better way to support menstrual health and dignity, visit store now just doesn’t cut it when the shelves are empty and your choices are crap.
That experience stuck with me. Because let’s be honest, period care shouldn’t be this hard. We deserve quality products without markup games, thoughtful packaging that doesn’t scream “sanitary shame,” and a buying experience that doesn't feel like a lastminute scramble. What I needed that day wasn’t just a product, it was reliability, respect, and options tailored to real lives. Whether you're dealing with endo flares, tracking cycles through Clue, or just trying to survive high school gym class without a leak, there's a huge gap between what menstruators need and what they get. Let’s dig into why, and how the folks behind places like Blume, Public Goods, or even Shopify Balance-backed wellness brands are finally treating menstrual care like the urgent, normal, everyday thing it is.
Why Are So Many People Still Struggling to Access Safe, Affordable Period Products? I’ll say it flat out: period poverty isn’t some distant issue. It’s real and it’s here. A 2023 report by The Alliance for Period Supplies found
that nearly 1 in 4 U.S. teens have missed class due to lack of access to menstrual products. And that’s in a country with Whole Foods and CVS on every block. Now picture what this means in low-income areas or in Gojek’s Jakarta service zones, where even basic hygiene products cost the equivalent of a day's earnings.
What Drives These Shortages and Cost Surges? Supply chain bottlenecks: Post-pandemic, manufacturers like Kimberly-Clark faced raw material delays, making tampons as scarce as GPUs in 2021.
Taxation issues: As of 2025, only 30 U.S. states have eliminated the so-called "tampon tax," according to Period Equity.
Stigma-related silence: It’s not just logistics, it’s the cultural hush. When Café Brew in Austin stocked free pads in their restrooms, regulars were floored. One barista told me, “People kept thanking us like we handed them rent money.”
What’s the Economic Ripple of Inaccessibility?
If you think the problem stops at hygiene, think again. Missed workdays. Academic setbacks. Mental health spirals. The Brookings Institution estimates that menstrual inequity costs the U.S. roughly $2.1 billion annually in lost productivity. That’s more than the annual operating budget of USPS’s entire rural delivery service.
How Are Modern Brands Redesigning Menstrual Products for Real Life? It used to be just pads or tampons, and neither option ever really considered people like me, with nickel allergies, PCOS, or just very heavy days. Now we’re seeing a sea change from health startups and biofabrication labs alike.
What Are They Using Instead of Traditional Materials? Think of traditional pads like cheap pizza boxes, full of pulp, bleach, and glue. Enter companies like Lunette, Rael, and August, who’ve replaced synthetic fillers with organic cotton, corn fiber, and medical-grade silicone.
Rael uses certified organic cotton from Texas with zero chlorine bleaching.
Cora’s applicators are made from sugarcane-based bioplastics.
Thinx’s new material science team (staffed with ex-NASA engineers, no joke) redesigned their period underwear layers to prevent bacterial buildup.
How Are They Addressing Environmental Concerns? Plastic waste from disposable pads and tampons contributes over 200,000 tons annually to landfills, says Greenpeace East Asia. So when Dr. Lena’s MIT study introduced a biodegradable cellulose-based pad that composts in 60 days, eco-platforms like EarthHero took notice fast.
When I tried Dame’s reusable applicator, I expected a hassle. But it cleaned with boiling water in 3 minutes and held up through 18 cycles. That's more than I can say for my old DivaCup, which snapped mid-yoga once, yes, mid-plank.
Who’s Funding the Future of Menstrual Health, and Why Now?
You’d be surprised who’s putting their chips on the table. When Nubank’s Brazil expansion included menstrual health loans for microentrepreneurs, analysts at JP Morgan Latin America called it a “quiet social revolution.”
Which Investors and Platforms Are Leading the Charge? Sequoia Capital has backed August and Flex.
Y Combinator launched Marlo Health, offering teletherapy for PMS and PMDD.
Stripe Treasury enabled direct payouts for D2C brands like Jude focused on bladder and period health.
Why the sudden interest? Partly because of profitability, women’s health is a $1.1 trillion market globally (Frost & Sullivan, 2023). But it’s also because Gen Z isn’t putting up with shame-based branding. Just ask Thinx, who saw a 45% sales jump after ditching their “leakproof” euphemisms for straight-up cycle talk.
What Government and NGO Programs Are Moving the Needle? FCA regulations in the UK now require free products in all public schools.
UNICEF's WASH program added menstrual hygiene stations in 80% of its African schools.
Scotland became the first country to mandate free period care, full stop.
That’s not charity, it’s infrastructure.
Can Subscription Models Actually Make Life Easier?
I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes the first time I saw a subscription box for tampons. But then my cycle went rogue for three months (thanks, perimenopause), and my Target trips got chaotic. That’s when I tried Lola, and suddenly the whole “set it and forget it” thing made sense.
How Do These Services Actually Work? Think of it like Spotify but for uteruses. You pick your flow level, product mix, frequency, and even get reminders via app (Aunt Flow, Blume, Saalt all do this).
Custom delivery: Predictive AI (yes, actual machine learning) via Clue’s PeriodIQ adjusts orders based on your cycle data.
Discreet packaging: No more loud plastic crinkles, some brands now deliver in Kraft paper tubes or compostable mailers.
Emergency backups: RedDrop includes a “panic pouch” with each delivery, honestly a game changer for my glovebox.
Who’s Getting It Right? When Daye launched their CBD-infused tampons in London, they sold out in 72 hours. A week later, a friend in Shoreditch told me her cramps vanished in 40 minutes, something Midol hasn’t done for her in five years.
Why Does Menstrual Health Still Feel So Embarrassing to Talk About? This one hits deep. Even with all the scientific backing and TikTok openness, there’s still that hesitation in boardrooms, schools, even among friends.
What’s Driving the Shame? Honestly? Decades of marketing. Remember those absurd blue liquid commercials? They taught us periods should be “fresh,” “invisible,” and never messy. But real menstruation is full of clots, smells, bloating, and rage, none of which gets featured on packaging.
When Modibodi ran an ad showing actual period blood, Facebook pulled it. No policy violation, just “viewer discomfort.” Meanwhile, YouTube lets nosebleed content run with zero flagging. Make it make sense.
What’s Changing the Narrative? Ziwe’s interview with Thinx’s CEO on Showtime shook some walls, especially when they discussed race and period equity.
The "Period End of Sentence" doc won an Oscar, and suddenly Netflix viewers were Googling menstrual huts in rural India.
Liz Plank’s essay in Marie Claire called out corporate tokenism in “femvertising” and demanded actual access change.
Is Menstrual Tracking Helping or Hurting People’s Privacy? I’m all for data, until it gets used against me. After Roe v. Wade fell, Flo came under fire for allegedly sharing cycle data with third parties. They denied it, but I deleted the app anyway. Felt safer sticking to my hand-drawn Google Calendar.
What Are the Privacy Risks? Geo-fencing: In some states, visiting a Planned Parenthood with your tracking app open could trigger ad retargeting.
HIPAA gaps: Most period apps aren’t classified as “covered entities,” so your data isn’t protected like it would be at a doctor’s office.
Legal loopholes: In a post-Dobbs America, prosecutors can subpoena tracking data, yes, really (ACLU report, 2023).
Which Apps Are Prioritizing Safety? Euki: Fully encrypted, no cloud storage.
Drip: FOSS platform with no ads or trackers.
Natural Cycles: FDA-cleared with built-in opt-out for data analytics.
For folks in restrictive states, these aren’t just features, they’re shields.
Why Is Period Care Still So Gendered and Binary? Let’s be real, trans and nonbinary people menstruate too. And yet the language on most boxes still says “feminine hygiene,” like it’s 1987.
How Are Inclusive Brands Making a Difference? When Aisle rebranded from Lunapads, they dropped all gendered phrasing. Their site now reads like a safe space, not a mom blog. Same with TomboyX, who added period boxers for dysphoric users tired of pink packaging.
When my friend Sky, nonbinary, mid-20s, ordered from Nyssa, they cried opening the box. “It’s the first time I felt like I existed to a brand,” they told me.
What Else Needs to Change? Language in schools: Stop teaching “girls get periods.” Try “people who menstruate.”
Restroom access: Add dispensers in men’s rooms. Gojek’s drivers in Jakarta advocated for this and saw bathroom usage increase 23%.
Healthcare forms: Let people list menstruation-related symptoms regardless of gender marker.
What Should You Know Before Picking a Period Product Today? There’s no “best” product, only what works for you. But if I could share a cheat sheet from the thousands I’ve tried, here’s what to keep in mind.
Critical Takeaways: Look for certified organic cotton if you have sensitivities. (Check GOTS or OEKO-TEX logos.)
If you’re eco-focused, compare lifespan vs. wash requirements for reusables.
Don’t assume applicators are “cleaner.” Some of the cleanest products are non-applicator tampons like Natracare.
Know your flow strength and consider combo packs (e.g., liners + super tampons).
For teens or first-timers, period underwear like Knixteen or Ruby Love is a leakproof godsend.
What’s Next for Menstrual Care, And Why It Matters? We’re standing at a weird intersection. On one hand, companies like Public Goods and August are revolutionizing how we think about menstrual dignity. On the other, state bans and stigma still make periods feel taboo. Frankly, banks should worry, because when menstrual equity becomes policy, it shakes every part of economic life: attendance, productivity, even savings rates (think: Shopify Balance insights into user spend spikes near cycle dates).
So here’s where I land: periods don’t stop for discomfort, politics, or shame. The movement for menstrual dignity isn’t about pink boxes or “feminine care” it’s about infrastructure, access, and the basic right to not bleed alone. I started this post talking about bleeding through jeans in a grocery store. That shouldn’t happen, not to me, not to anyone.
