Period products, safe use and help with cost

Pads and period pants soak up blood after it leaves the vagina. Tampons soak it up inside, and cups and discs collect it. Your choice can depend on comfort, cost and the facilities you have.

Choosing a product

Pads stick to your underwear and come in different sizes and absorbencies (how much they can hold). Disposable pads go in the bin, and reusable pads are washed. Period pants have absorbent layers built in, and you can wash and reuse them too. Think about where you could change during the day and where you would keep used products.

Tampons sit inside the vagina and have a string to pull them out. Some come with an applicator, and others you put in with a finger. Use the lowest absorbency you need for your flow. The FDA advises using tampons only during a period and throwing them away after use.

Cups and discs collect blood inside the body. Read the instructions for your model, including how to remove and clean it. As NHS inform explains, reusable cups can be washed and used again. Other internal products may be single-use.

Changing and cleaning safely

Wash your hands before and after handling products. For tampons, NHS inform suggests changing about every 4 to 6 hours, depending on flow. The US FDA says every 4 to 8 hours, and never more than 8 hours for one tampon. So the two give slightly different times. Follow the pack instructions and change sooner if you need to.

Empty and clean cups as the maker’s instructions say. Wash reusable pads and pants as directed. NHS inform notes that period pants need somewhere to wash them, and enough pairs to wear while others are in the wash. Before you buy, think about the washing as well as the cost.

Getting products when money is tight

In England, eligible state-maintained schools and colleges funded by the Department for Education can give out free products. The scheme is for anyone who needs products unexpectedly or has forgotten them, as well as those who can’t afford them. Ask the school office or a member of staff you trust.

England’s scheme includes pupils and students who are non-binary or transgender and have periods. It has limits on who can use it. It doesn’t cover students on higher education courses, apprentices or staff. If it doesn’t cover you, ask whether there is a separate local scheme.

In Scotland, councils and places of education must make free products available to anyone who needs them. Contact your council, or use PickupMyPeriod to find a place to collect them. Elsewhere in the UK, ask your school, college or council what is available near you.

In the US, the Alliance for Period Supplies suggests calling 2-1-1 and asking about period supplies or basic needs. If that doesn’t turn anything up, it suggests trying local food pantries or faith groups. What’s on offer varies, and these services may not always have products in stock.

WHO puts products alongside access to water, toilets, places to dispose of products and information. Reusable products mean less waste, but pick something you can afford and keep clean. It’s fine to put what you need right now first.

Symptoms that need prompt action

Call 999 now in the UK, 911 in the US, or your local emergency number, for difficulty breathing, confusion or slurred speech, or a rash that does not fade under a glass. The NHS lists these as emergency signs of toxic shock syndrome. If you are using a tampon or cup, take it out and tell the emergency team.

Contact NHS 111 now (UK), or get urgent medical care straight away (US and elsewhere), for sudden fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, dizziness, feeling faint or a new rash. This applies during or soon after your period, especially if you have used a tampon or cup. If a product is still in place, take it out and tell the clinician you were using it. For emergency symptoms, follow the emergency advice above. Toxic shock syndrome is rare, but it can get worse quickly and needs urgent treatment.