The Cost of Bleeding
Menstrual care is not a luxury. It is a right. This visual series explores the systemic and economic barriers that prevent people from managing their periods with dignity. From tampon taxes to workplace stigma to the staggering costs of under-researched conditions like PCOS, The Cost of Bleeding breaks down the real impact of period poverty in the United States. Every slide is grounded in verified data and driven by a simple truth: no one should be shamed, sidelined, or silenced for menstruating. This is not just a health issue. It is a justice issue.
Cited Sources: The Cost of Bleeding
Period Poverty & Access
State of the Period 2023
Thinx & PERIOD.
https://www.thinx.com/blogs/periodical/state-of-the-period-2023
PERIOD.org – Period Poverty & Policy
https://www.period.org/periodpoverty
https://www.period.org/advocacy
Tampon Tax
Alliance for Period Supplies – Tampon Tax Data
https://allianceforperiodsupplies.org/tampon-tax
Workplace Inequity
Cleveland Clinic – Menstrual Cramps Statistics
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-to-know-about-menstrual-cramps
Days for Girls – Menstrual Leave Policies
https://www.daysforgirls.org/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-menstrual-leave-policies-in-the-workplace-what-organizations-should-know
PCOS & Reproductive Health Funding
BMC Women’s Health – PCOS Research Funding Disparities
https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-022-01734-w
NIH Funding Estimates for Women’s Health Research
https://report.nih.gov/funding/categorical-spending
(Navigate to "Reproductive Health" and "Polycystic Ovary Syndrome")
Economic Cost of PCOS
Endocrine Society – Cost of PCOS in the U.S.
https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2022/cost-of-mental-health-disorders-linked-with-polycystic-ovary-syndrome-almost-%246-billion-in-2021
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
Azziz, R. (2020). Health Care–Related Economic Burden of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in the United States: Past, Present, and Future.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34546364