International Transgender Awareness Week falls in November. To mark the occasion, Finnish hygiene products brand Vukkoset has come up with a unique initiative. It launched tampons for transgender men.

The tampons for men came out in a limited edition only in Finland. The manufacturer said it preparing a wider distribution in early 2024. Profits from the sale of the products will be donated to Trasek, an organisation that educates about transgender people.

In a press release, the manufacturer recalls that transgender men undergoing hormone replacement therapy can still experience menstruation. The company refers to studies according to which menstrual pain in transgender men manifests itself not only in physical suffering. The vast majority of transgender men feel anxiety related to menstruation.

"We want menstruating men to be seen when they buy menstrual products, so we need to ditch the stereotypes," reads a statement from Sanna Karhu, CEO of Delipap, which owns the Vukkoset brand.

The product packaging features a neutral design. The brand avoids common imagery depicting menstruation. Its creators hope that tampons for men will spark a wider discussion on the gender identity of hygiene products.

Tampons for men is not a specifically new idea. In 2020, UK-based Superdrug launched menstrual products for "people with periods". The brand did this for customers who are undergoing gender reassignment or feel they are of the opposite sex, but still menstruate.

Source: mtvuutiset.fi/proto.pl