What do you call sanitary towels?

When I was in my teens I went into a chemist with my sister to buy some lillets. There was a road being drilled with a pneumatic drill just outside so it was very noisy, I had to shout very loudly 'a packet of Lillets please' The chemist reached behind and put a packet of Gillette razor blades on the counter so from then on we always called them razor blades.

I have always called them bunnies 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

My mother was in hospital when my periods started and it was down to my extremely stiff upper lipped father to take me to the chemist. A very embarrassed assistant (male) had to sort everything out for me while my father lurked outside the door. Ghastly experience! My mother never ever mentioned menstruation - but a packet of Dr Whites would appear in my underwear drawer. each month.
Sanitary products are called 'supplies' in our family and dd's have continued this with dgd.

I think the men who fought for us and spent time in the trenches deserve more respect than that biglouis

Megslotts

Character building & acceptance I would say.

What is?

Character building & acceptance I would say.

My mother also called it "being unwell" or even "being bad". She told me not to wash my hair when I had a period as it was dangerous. As for tampons she could simply not figure out how to use them. I never knew what she used once I left home because it was not a subject for discussion. I dont ever recall my grandmother referring to periods at all but she was born in the Edwardian period when women ripped up bits of rag.

All I know is that men would not have put up with all this pallaver. If men had periods the trenches would have been full of whinging troops every 28 days.

Going back to the original post, surely the use of the word “sanitary” means “pertaining to health” ?
You know, mens sana in corpore sano and has nothing to do with sanitary/insanitary
Another instance of the roots of meanings of words getting lost ?
Bring back Latin in schools! 👨‍🎓👨‍🎓👨‍🎓👨‍🎓

I've always thought one of the few good things about getting old is having no periods.

I had heavy periods too but not at first. It was mainly in my 30s and 40s. Being pregnant meant they stopped and for the duration of breast feeding.
Eventually I had a hysterectomy but that was due to prolapse. What a relief that was.
I have 5 DGD. I hope they don't suffer.

'Dr White's' to start with, bought from Mrs Jones in the village wool shop. Then my sister started work in the chemist's shop so she brought them home. I hated them and the horrible belt with anchor shaped things to hold the loops. When I was 16 I spent the summer away from home so I started using Tampax, and continued until the menopause. Now I refer to them as 'ladies' necessaries', (cos I'm very refined).

Same here MrsKen33 best thing I ever did.

Fibroids for me also. Hysterectomy at 35. No need for any sanitary product since. Hallelujah.

Luckygirl fibroids for me also,but also endometriosis and adhesions caused through 2 C sections and having my tubes tied same time as second section.

C sections and having my tubes tied

One thing that amazed me at 16, when on my German exchange trip, was that the German ‘mutti’ would not allow her dds to bath or wash their hair while they had their period. The younger dd positively had a tantrum at the dinner table, because she wasn’t allowed to wash her hair.

To me this was like something out of the Dark Ages, but I’ve since learned that the idea was not unknown in the U.K., either. Thank goodness my mother was relatively enlightened.

I can honestly say that having periods was one of the things I have always loathed about being a woman.

My mother called them sanitary towels but I began using tampons in my late teens and called them that. The pain was so bad with my periods I used to scream and cry. As soon as I left home (age 22) I went on the birth control pill and used to take them concurrently so I only had a period very occasionally. I did that for years and only stopped at age 40. No more periods since then. Now of course you can get medications (other than the birth control pill) which are designed to stop periods.

I remember an extended family holiday years ago at the seaside. Where ever we went my aunt insisted on going in the public loos near the hotel . She always left a newspaper-wrapped parcel in what I now know was the sanitary towel bin. Noisy Nora I asked my mum what she was leaving and was told stale sandwiches, after a week I asked how many sandwiches did Aunty bring with her? A big push in the back and the "cow eyes ", from Mum told me I had overstepped the mark.
Another year the same aunt fell out of a rowing boat at Butlins and was mortified for the rest of the hols as her dress had blown up "It was her time of the month ", as she said and for the rest of our stay, she looked to see if anyone who had rescued her was starring at her. much to our delight as we knew by then what it was all about.

I've not really thought about what to call them specifically. I sometimes call them san pads or just pads and occasionally period pads. I always keep some in the bathroom when my granddaughters come round - just in case!

When I was in my early teens my mum asked me to get some pads from the local Chemist nearby - and run by a man. I felt embarrassed at first but it was fine - very normal I would say and I got used to it.

What was more embarrassing was when I was 15 and I felt very faint in class and a boy friend [not a 'boyfriend'] said to the teacher that I probably had my period - his father was a doctor! Needless to say I survived

downtoearth

My periods where so heavy from first the first one,nightmare at school,I used to have to wear plastic pants that you could get as well,many times sent home from school due to flooding.
I had a total hysterectomy at 40,I cant imagine period pants and a mooncup being adequate when superplus tampons and maternity towels couldnt contain and I would go through a box of 40 and and 2 packs of towels in the first two days.
The relief I felt at not having to stay home for 3 days every month was liberating.

I was the same - I had a hysterectomy at 42 and it was such a joy afterwards. There was only a tiny fibroid in there so the copious bleeding was inexplicable but had been present from day one.

My mum bought ours from a local dress shop!!!! We just called them by their trade name which I can't remember. They were lacy pants with two poppers inside the pad and had two holes for the poppers to click through.
She didn't like it when I bought Tampax myself.
I seem to remember the whole family and friends calling it the "Curse ".Or at school, we just said 'I'm on". Everyone knew what you meant.

henetha

A friend of mine always called them manhole covers. I found it funny but a bit shameful...

Several of the comments before this made me smile but this one made me laugh out loud! 😂

It's far better than the latest nonsense from trans activists: "bonus hole" which, if I have understood correctly, is essentially an open wound in a man who wants to be a woman.

My first ward as a student nurse and I had the job of distributing the 'Bunnies' every few hours - same doing Obstetrics the year later - Bunnies.

downtoearth

My periods where so heavy from first the first one,nightmare at school,I used to have to wear plastic pants that you could get as well,many times sent home from school due to flooding.
I had a total hysterectomy at 40,I cant imagine period pants and a mooncup being adequate when superplus tampons and maternity towels couldnt contain and I would go through a box of 40 and and 2 packs of towels in the first two days.
The relief I felt at not having to stay home for 3 days every month was liberating.

Poor you! I do sympathise because I played hockey with a girl who had such heavy periods that her mother had to replace her mattress at regular intervals. She bled so much that even with 2 big STs on plus a bath towel under her it often soaked right through into the mattress. Also they were not very regular so she was often caught out when not wearing enough protection.

STs. I moved on very early - certainly by 16 - to tampons, in spite of my mother telling me dubiously that she didn’t think you could use them until you were married. 😉

A slightly older friend once told me that at maybe 10, she found some strange white things in one of her mother’s drawers. They looked rather like the little hats that were fashionable at the time - and even had handy loops to go round your ears!
So she wore one to go and meet her mother from work - no need to describe the mortification of her mother, exiting her workplace with a dozen colleagues!

S.Ts or tampons back in the day, depending on which you used. I have a friend called ST and I have never told her ( she has an unpronounceable name, everyone calls her ST ).