Studio Nine

What We’re Not Being Told (Again)

This article is aimed at women — but men, please stick around.
Because if you care about the women in your life — your partner, your daughter, your sister, your friend — you deserve to know what’s really being put into their bodies each month. This matters to all of us.

There are things we’re just expected to deal with.
Pain. Bleeding. Hormonal chaos.
And now? Glyphosate. A toxic pesticide — found in tampons sold across the UK.

According to a recent study by the Pesticide Action Network UK, Women’s Environmental Network and the Pesticide Collaboration, glyphosate was found in period products at levels 40 times higher than the legal limit for drinking water. One tampon tested contained 0.004 mg/kg of glyphosate. That’s 40 times the limit considered safe for water. Let that sink in.

This is the same chemical used in weed killers. The same one classified by the WHO as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” And yet here it is, tucked inside products we use internally — monthly, regularly, intimately.

Now let me ask you: Why isn’t this front page news?

Why are these products still sitting quietly on shelves, waiting for the next uninformed girl to unknowingly put them inside her body?

If you’re anything like me, you feel a cocktail of shock, disbelief, and then that familiar ripple of quiet rage. Rage that bubbles up because this isn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last. Because somehow, women’s health is still an afterthought.

And honestly — would this be happening if men used them?
Would these products still be sold if the chemical in question had direct contact with their most sensitive anatomy?
Would it take years for someone to sound the alarm?

That might sound feminist. But maybe that’s the point.

The personal cost

For many women, there’s a guilt attached to periods already.
Guilt for needing time off when cramps are unbearable.
Guilt for throwing away non-biodegradable products.
Guilt for not being able to afford the ‘sustainable’ options.
Guilt for not knowing what’s in the things we’ve been told are safe.

We’re expected to read every label, research every ingredient, weigh every environmental decision — all while juggling work, kids, hormones, and societal expectations.
And still, we feel bad for not catching this earlier.
For not shouting louder.

The truth is: we’ve been let down. Again.

And I’m tired of this cycle — pun not intended — of finding out after the damage is already done.

Not everyone can afford period pants. Not everyone finds menstrual cups comfortable.
Not everyone feels they have choices.
So yes — this matters.

We deserve better. We deserve transparency. We deserve regulation that considers women’s bodies, not just corporate interests.

Until then, we have to keep asking questions.
Keep reading the studies.
Keep holding systems accountable.

And keep reminding each other: this is not just about tampons.
It’s about being seen. Heard. Respected.

If you’re looking to make safer choices, start small:

• Look for organic, unbleached tampons and pads
• Support brands committed to transparency
• Share this information with your daughters, sisters, friends

And if you’re as angry as I am — good.
Let it fuel you. Let it change the conversation.

Because if we don’t protect each other, who will?

It’s time we demanded better.

💥 Start by switching to safer products.
🗣 Share this article with your friends, your daughters, your colleagues.
📧 Email your MP and ask what’s being done to protect women’s health.
📚 Stay informed — our wellbeing depends on it.

This isn’t panic. This is power through awareness. Let’s use it.

Look out for future blogs where we highlight the companies looking out for women’s health!

Read more of our blogs at http://www.studionine.uk or at http://www.southportsjourney.com