Don’t call them ‘sanitary’ products! World-renowned gynaecologist says term implies menstruation is ‘dirty’

Feminine hygiene products should be renamed to stop reinforcing the trope that menstruation is dirty, according to a top gynaecologist.

Dr Jen Gunter said that while most personal items – such as toothpaste and toilet roll – are labelled based on their function, society continues to use ‘euphemistic language’ for period products.

Using terms such as ‘hygiene’ and ‘sanitary’ to describe them suggests menstruation is ‘dirty or polluting’.

This ‘false belief’ has existed for thousands of years to oppress women, for example by excluding them from religious services or from preparing food while menstruating, she said.

Writing in the New Scientist, she added: ‘Menstruation isn’t unhygienic. 

‘When someone menstruates, they aren’t dirty or unsanitary; they are menstruating.

‘If we can say toilet paper – a product literally designed to wipe away faecal matter – without bringing up hygiene or sanitary concerns, surely we can do the same with menstrual products.’ 

Once described as the world’s most famous and outspoken gynaecologist, Dr Gunter is a vociferous critic of Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop empire, describing it as a ‘scare factory’.

Over the years, she has taken aim at the wellness company’s ‘garbage’ claims underwire bras can cause cancer and its promotion of trends including vaginal steaming and infamous jade eggs.

Author of books including The Menopause Manifesto, Dr Gunter also takes issue with the concept of femininity around menstruation products as inappropriate when periods often start around the age of 12.

By refusing to label things factually, it ‘reinforces the false narrative that what is happening is shameful and dirty’.

She continues: ‘The easy fix here is to refer to tampons, pads or napkins, menstrual cups and menstrual underwear as menstrual products. That is their purpose.

‘Nothing bad will happen to those who don’t menstruate by seeing the words “menstrual products” on signage in a store or hearing them spoken. Menstruation isn’t contagious….

‘The terms “sanitary napkins” and “feminine hygiene” aren’t some thin line preventing society’s decline.

‘It is high time for the use of euphemisms for menstrual products to end, because there is nothing shameful about menstruation.’