Nearly three out of four French women do not bathe during their periods, even during the summer holidays.
- We call “periods” the blood flow that women experience each month for a period ranging from 3 to 7 days.
- It begins at puberty and ends at menopause.
While summer is well and truly settled, 74% of women have already been prevented from bathing when they had their period, according to an Ifop poll made for Intimina. 65% do not wear swimsuits for the same reason.
Hiding in their pocket
On the beaches, at the swimming pool or in other public spaces, 83% of French women have already hidden their sanitary protection in their pocket or sleeve when they go to the toilet to change, and 64% have already kept their protection on used in their bag for lack of an appropriate place to throw them away.
Yet very popular during sunny days, 57% of women do not practice sport during their periods either, due to pain, unsuitable protection or fear of “the accident”.
Social exclusion factor
Another major lesson from this study lies in the identification of menstruation as a factor of social exclusion for a large proportion of women. “Indeed, society and the social space sometimes take on a “hostile” character towards menstruating women: 46% of them have already had the feeling that the discomfort or pain of their periods was underestimated. by their male friends, and 42% by male family members”, detail the authors of the survey. In addition, 33% of women have already experienced teasing or derogatory remarks because of their period.
“This climate maintains a feeling of unease in women’s relationship to their periods, to such an extent that 87% of them would like to stop menstruating”, can also be read in the minutes.
