Pledge your support for a Menstrual Act now

Wen is calling for the creation of a Menstrual Health, Dignity, and Sustainability Act in the UK. 

From period poverty, to the health implications of toxic chemicals in period products and the environmental impacts of period product waste, the lives of women, girls and people with periods are impacted every day with insufficient regulation to protect them. Here’s some of the reasons we need a Menstrual Act:

• 42% of girls in the UK struggle to afford period products resorting to makeshift items like toilet paper. (1) 
• 1 in 10 girls are unable to afford period products leading to 27% of girls in the UK using a period product for longer than recommended because they could not afford a fresh one. (2) 
• Bloody Good Period, a charity which provides free period products to those that need them, they provided 119,000 packets in 2022 alone.(3)
• Period products have been found to be a considerable source of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as phthalates, bisphenols and parabens for women. These chemicals are linked to cancer, reproductive and developmental disorders, birth defects, asthma and allergies. This is because the skin of the vagina is extremely absorbent, so the absorption rates are higher. (4&5)
• Disposal of menstrual products – tampons, pads, cups and period pants generates 28,114 tonnes of waste per year in the UK. (6)
• 62% of young women said their education was ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ in preparing them for periods. (7)
• For 1 in 10 young women, menstrual education was missing altogether and for those who did receive education, up to one in five did not learn about periods until after they had started menstruating. (8)  

We urgently need a Menstrual Health, Dignity and Sustainability Act, which encompasses all aspects of menstruation – to safeguard women, girls and people with periods, and the environment. 

This proposed legislation, authored by Wen and supported by over 35 leading experts, charities, academics and product producers, aims to tackle pressing issues related to menstruation, such as the health risks of menstrual products, period equity, environmental waste, and the ongoing stigma surrounding menstrual health.

It has been signed and backed by a diverse coalition of advocates – including Baroness Natalie Bennett, Dr. Karen Joash, Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Girl Guiding and campaign groups including Bloody Good Period.

Read more about the proposed Menstrual Act and see who has signed it to date.  

Pledge your support for a Menstrual Act, by signing up here:

Thank you for pledging your support for a Menstrual Act.

Please share your support on your social media channels using our suggested posts and graphics. Help get the word out! 

Encourage the government to take action, by writing to your MP 

As well as pledging your support for a Menstrual Act, you can write to your MP to raise awareness of the need for such an Act. 

Use our template letter, but try to personalise it with your concerns, as this will be more impactful. 

Email your MP using WriteToThem –  this clever website will help you find your MP and email them directly. You can cut and  paste the letter above it into the email. Post your letter – Find your local MP mailing address and details

Share the #MenstrualActNow campaign with your friends and family

Follow the campaign on Wen’s Environmenstrual Instagram account. 

Share the campaign on your social media accounts using our social media toolkit.