Period poverty isn't just about not being able to afford sanitary products. It is about bunking off school and missing lessons because you are worried you will bleed through. It is avoiding doing PE because you don't want to change in front of other people. It is not being able to focus in class or in work because you're paranoid someone will smell you. It is using toilet paper and socks because you can't afford anything more.
Dee Dickens, from Pontypridd, started her period when she was 14. "From that first moment I felt that it was a problem," she said. Get the latest news from Pontypridd sent straight to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter here. She was one of three sisters and unbeknown to her she was suffering with endometriosis, which meant her periods could last for seven to nine days. She resorted to using the products that her sisters left over but never had enough.
"When I had used what I could find in the house I would resort to using toilet paper or socks," 52-year-old Dee said. She grew up in period poverty and it affected every aspect of her life. Looking back Dee believes that if she had access to period products and didn't feel shame around having her period she would have done far better in education.
