Just like soaring gas prices, inflation hitting record highs, and the current food shortages, it seems that another situation is on the horizon as National Public Radio shared an article on Monday about women having a rather difficult time finding feminine hygiene products. Over the last week, there have been numerous reports of females not being able to find certain products like tampons. NPR even tweeted, “Tampons, a necessity for many, are becoming harder and harder to find.” But while NPR was doing nothing more than reporting the news, they came under criticism for using the term “people who menstruate” instead of “women.”

The tweet from NPR read, “People who menstruate are saying it’s hard to find tampons on store shelves across the U.S. right now, as supply chain upsets reach the feminine care aisle.” Placing the blame on the supply chain issues that have been plaguing America and the Biden administration, most of who responded focused more on the wording on the tweet than the issue at hand. 

Commentator Nicole Russell wrote, “Only women menstruate. Only women have ovaries. Only women have a uterus. Only women get pregnant. Only women birth children. Stop erasing women with your inclusive language.”

Mollie Hemingway replied, “NPR calls women ‘people who menstruate.’ These people are stupid and SO anti-woman.”  

Other comments included, “It’s yet another supply chain problem where women are bearing the brunt of the cost, as mothers struggle to feed their babies during the baby formula shortage.” And “If you’re a man and you menstruate, where are you putting the tampon? This is a serious question and I want a serious answer.”  

Not only is there a shortage of feminine products, but according to a Bloomberg report, the price of tampons have increased by 10% over the last year. “Average prices rose 8.3% for a package of menstrual pads and 9.8% for tampons in the year through May 28, according to NielsenIQ. Personal-care goods, a broad category that includes period products and items such as shampoo and shaving equipment, saw their biggest annual price jump since August 2012, April figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics also show.”