Merseyside campaigners say cost of living crisis forcing girls to make unhealthy choices over sanitary products
Merseyside Period Project are calling on the government to make sanitary products free for all women and girls
Campaigners on Merseyside say the cost of living crisis is forcing some girls and women to make unhealthy sacrifices when it comes to sanitary products.
We're hearing around one in five young girls are struggling to afford products, with nearly half aged between 14 and 21 embarrassed by their periods.
That's lead to calls for the government to make sanitary products free for all girls and women in England to ease the burden on families.
Natalie Denny from the Merseyside Period Project says it'll help end the stigma around periods too :
"More than a quarter say they've used products longer than intended but also around half say they've used makeshift products, such as newspaper, toilet paper or socks because they've struggled to afford it.
"This has a massive impact on comfort and mental health, constantly worrying about wher ethey're going to come from next. It's having an affect on education because they'd much rather stay at home to avoid embarrasment.
"If you know that you can access products anywhere then it becomes part of your every day life and less of a taboo. With the cost of living crisis and every area seeing horrific price increases, to allow this to be free for families it would lift a massive weight off their shoulders".
Hear all the latest news from across Merseyside on the hour, every hour, on 96.7FM, DAB, at radiocity.co.uk, and on the Radio City app.