Menstrual Math
- florianegoest
- Aug 2
- 2 min read
You've heard of girl math, but have you heard of menstrual math? Let us introduce you to our new favourite.
MENSTRUAL MATH 101: HOW MUCH DO WE BLEED?
Amount of periods in one year: thirteen.
Amount of period blood* lost during one period: 80 ml.
The number of years spent menstruating: 40
Over a lifetime of periods, we lose 41.6 litres of blood each. That equates to bleeding for 10 years straight.
Fun fact: If you donated your period blood, you could make 80 donations.
The average human body holds 5 litres of blood, so you'll produce and lose more than 8 people's amount of blood over your life. WOW.
MENSTRUAL MATH COMMUNITY
There are six million menstruators in Australia.
300 million people menstruate across the globe right now
Worldwide, 1.8 billion people have their period every year
Fun Fact: Since half the population has/had/will have a period, and 100% of us would not be here without it, we love using proverbs that relate back to the menstrual cycle.
At Flo Collection we don't say "Don't count your chickens before they hatch", but instead we say "Plan like a full-cycle strategist — not just a mid-cycle optimist."
MENSTRUAL MATH MADNESS: SINGLE USE PRODUCTS
Up to 22 single use period products used in a typical cycle. That's almost 300 in one year.
Single-use pads and tampons contribute to over 200,000 tonnes of landfill per year in Australia alone.
It takes approx. 500 years for one "standard" pad or tampon to break down in landfill. Some parts may never break down.
Over the course of a lifetime, a single menstruator will use somewhere between 5 and 15 thousand pads and tampons – which nearly all ends up in landfill.
Fun Fact: It doesn't just cost more in resources, but using only single use products ends up being more expensive too. Period underwear and other reusable options can be reused for years so the upfront cost might be higher, but you'll save in the long run.
MENSTRUAL MATH ft. FLO COLLECTION
100: The number of single use period products that one pair of underwear can replace in one year
300: The number of single use period products that two pairs of underwear can replace in one year.
400: The number of single user period products that three pairs of underwear can replace in one year. (yes, this is more than the "average" person would use in a year, this is for heavy cycles)
Fun Fact: If you use two pairs of Flo Collection period underwear during your cycles, you save 900 products from going to landfill! (300/year over 3 years)
The feeling of not needing to insert anything when you're cramping: so worth it.
Knowing the brand you support is free from nasties and fairly and locally made in Australia, by other menstruators?! Priceless.
Click here to shop the collection now.
*We called it period blood, but other sources call it period fluid since it's made up of more than just blood.
