When you first start your period, buying tampons and pads can feel a little awkward. As time goes on, you get used to it in the knowledge your period is just a normal part of your life. Men on the other hand, are still playing catch up.
More than half of UK men (52%) state they’ve never purchased period products for their partner. More shockingly, 42% of them think it’s too embarrassing.
The healthcare experts at online pharmacy Medino conducted the research to find out how many men, who are in relationships with women, avoid going to the shops to buy period and feminine hygiene products – and their reasons for doing so.
Among 1,500 male participants, 38% said they don’t know what they’re looking while 35% said they’ve bought the wrong products in the past and don’t want to make the same mistake again – meanwhile 22% said they don’t bother buying any as their partner buys them on a regular basis.
The team also found that four fifths of these men don’t like to discuss periods or period products with their partner (80%), though this embarrassment seems to ease with age. Those aged 18- to 24-years-old are least likely to be open to a conversation on the topic (54%), while only a fifth of men aged between 38-45 (18%) are similarly avoidant on period chat.
Looking at the age divide, men between the ages of 25 and 32 were most likely to purchase period products for their partner, with 53% saying they already do. However, only 12% of those aged 18-to 24-years-old said that they would purchase period products for their partner, with 90% saying they’re too embarrassed to do so.
Of the 48% of men who said that they have previously bought period products for their partner, over three quarters said they needed guidance from their partners on what product to purchase (82%) – fair dos – with over half saying their partners have to send them photos of the products that they need (55%).
It all points to the need for more open conversations on periods between couples and in wider society, according to the team at Medino.
Lead pharmacist Giulia Guerrini said: “It’s shocking to hear that not only are so many men not purchasing period products for their partners, but also that a large number of women aren’t even asking their partners to purchase sanitary items for them.
Buying period products isn’t something to be ashamed of, she added, but a part of everyday life for women. “Many men are comfortable with buying a box of condoms, so why not a box of tampons as well?,” Guerrini said.