Periods don't just give us cramps, they also cost us an absolute fortune.
New research has revealed that British women spend as much as £18,450 on their periods over the course of their lifetime.
A large percentage of the money goes of essential sanitary items and pain relief for cramps, while many of us also buy extra chocolate and new underwear because of our periods.
A total of 2,134 women aged 18-45 who currently have regular periods were polled as part of the research.
Initially, respondents were asked the duration of their average period, with over 77% stating their period usually lasts five days or more.
The women were then asked what sanitary products they tend to use while on their period.
A total of 24% use only tampons, 31% use only sanitary towels, 39% use both tampons and sanitary towels, and 6% use a menstrual cup.
Individuals were then asked if they ever needed to purchase pain relief medication to help ease any uncomfortable cramps during their period, with a staggering 91% stating they did so on a regular basis.
Next, respondents were asked to think of the average amount of money they spend each month on different areas relating to their period, with the totals emerging as follows:
· Pads/tampons/panty-liners/menstrual cups - £13
· New underwear (due to spillages) -£8
· Pain relief - £4.50
· Chocolate/sweets/crisps - £8.50
· Other (magazines/toiletries/DVDs etc.) – £7
Taking these monthly estimates into account, researchers were able to work out that the average period costs £492 annually.
With the average woman menstruating 450 times, the total cost of a period during a female’s lifetime was worked out at a whopping £18,450.
Every one of the 2,134 women who took part in the survey, conducted by VoucherCodesPro.co.uk, stated that they thought feminine hygiene products such as tampons and sanitary towels should cost less money than they do at present.
Many added that the tax currently put on such products should be removed by the government.
One person tirelessly campaigning to end the tax on tampons is student Laura Coryton. In 2014, she started an online petition calling on the government to change legislation.
Her Change.org page has now gained 244,509 supporters, but as the EU enforces taxing consistency across the Union, no country can eradicate items from tax entirely without all members agreeing unanimously.
Coryton described the latest survey as "striking".
"It reflects the period shame and routine misogyny that has been engineered into our menstrual psyche," she told HuffPost UK Lifestyle.
"The Government may feel that we will hand over £18K quietly, of which over £922 goes directly to our taxman, but our voices are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
"Defeating sanitary tax will be a milestone in tackling the marginalisation of issues associated with women, and will prove to Westminster that we can't be shamed into silence anymore."