Contact for questions or concerns: menstrualhealth@ssmu.ca
One of our team members will get back to you shortly!
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The SSMU Menstrual Health Project was established in 2017 to supply undergraduate students with free menstrual health products. We aim to promote menstrual equity, reduce period stigma, and encourage sustainability. We restock over 160 bathrooms around campus with pads and tampons, distribute reusable menstrual products once a month, and host menstrual education events. The Project currently employs six students in part-time positions: one lead commissioner and five coordinators. Each SSMU member pays $2.40 a semester to fund our service.
Before the establishment of the project, only sexual health products such as condoms were provided for free or at subsidized rates on campus, while necessary hygiene products like pads and tampons were not. In Fall 2016, the SSMU Legislative Council passed a motion to include a “Free Menstrual Hygiene Products Fee” in the winter student referendum. The 90¢ fee was implemented in Winter 2017, funding the installation of fifty Tampax and Maxithin dispensers. This fee increased to $2.40 in Winter 2020 to expand services and account for greater expenses.
With this fee increase, we expanded to more bathrooms and held our first reusable product distribution in April 2022. We then applied and were accepted for a Sustainability Projects Fund grant in Fall 2022 to expand our reusable product pickups. This grant allowed us to run regular monthly pickups, distributing reusable underwear, reusable pads, and menstrual cups from Period Aisle.
We now restock over 160 bathrooms on campus, with locations ranging from the McIntyre Medical Building to the Music Library. While we have maintained our Tampax and Maxithin dispensers, we primarily offer Joni biodegradable pads and tampons in both baskets and dispensers. We continue to run monthly pickups of reusable products, offering Fornix menstrual discs and Aisle period underwear and menstrual cups. We also host educational and recreational events, provide products for McGill events and organizations, and collaborate with other student groups. As our team and services have grown, our commitment to menstrual equity has remained unwavering.
Dispenser refill form
If pads or tampons are ever missing from the bathroom, please fill out this refill form.
We provide pads and tampons in over 160 bathrooms on the downtown campus, including first-year residences. We use dispensers and baskets to store Tampax, Maxithins, and Joni products. The metal Tampax and Maxithin dispensers were installed at the beginning of this project. We have since transitioned to more Joni products, both in baskets as well as new dispensers that have been installed in Schulich Library, the Education building, and soon, the Music Library. For a detailed list of the washrooms that we cover, including their gender designation and accessibility, please consult this document!
Are you in a McGill undergraduate student group hosting an event on or off-campus? Do you want menstrual products stocked in the bathroom at your event? Submit a request below four or more business days before your event, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Event Request Form
We recognize the need for period products expands beyond campus. We want to provide accessible and affordable period products for the McGill community by providing a monthly pick up service free of charge.
Each month, the Menstrual Health Project Team will give out sustainable and reusable menstrual products to members of the McGill community for free. We provide disposable pads and tampons and reusable products (cups, discs, pads, underwear, and boxers).
Please follow @ssmumenstrualhealth for updates regarding the monthly pick ups!
We offer a variety of options because no one period is the same. We provide both reusable and disposable period products. Our period underwear, reusable pads, and menstrual cups come from Period Aisle, a certified B corporation located in Vancouver. We also offer menstrual discs from Fornix, a Montreal-based company that promotes menstrual equity and environmental sustainability, owned by Marielle La Rue. Marielle has graciously come to several of our pickups to explain and demonstrate the product. Finally, our disposable pads and tampons come from Joni, another certified B corporation based in Vancouver. Their products are plant-based, certified biodegradable, organic, and compostable.
Period underwear can be machine-washed, hang-dried, and used again and again! We offer sizes XS-3X in the Hipster and Boxer, with some sizes in Bikini and Brief, all from Period Aisle. The Boxer, Hipster, and Brief styles hold up to 8 tampons worth with a booster absorber to insert to help on heavier days.
We also have reusable pads in sizes mini and max, which also hold up to 8 tampons worth. They have wings that snap together around underwear. Since this is a less popular option at our pickups, we have begun stocking the Engineering General Store with reusable pads. Both underwear and reusable pads can be rinsed out before placing in the wash (can be added to regular loads) and then hang-dried.
We also provide menstrual cups from Period Aisle in Sizes A and B. Cups can be worn for up to 12 hours and hold up to 30 ml of menstrual fluid or the equivalent of 6 regular tampons. Size A is recommended for those new to cups and who have not given birth, while Size B is best for those who have given birth or have a weak pelvic floor. The cup is made from 100% medical-grade silicone.
Cups should be boiled before the first insertion as well as in between period cycles. During a period, cups can be emptied, washed with warm water and unscented soap, and reinserted as needed.
We provide menstrual discs with stems from Fornix. Discs are a type of menstrual cup but have a different shape. They lie in the fornix, directly under the cervix, while cups sit lower in the vaginal canal. Unlike cups, discs can be worn during penetrative sex, and they do not use suction, making them risk-free for those with IUDs. One’s preference between a cup and disc is entirely up to them and their body!
These discs are also made of 100% medical-grade silicone. They can hold up to 36 ml of menstrual fluid, the equivalent of 7 regular tampons. They should also be boiled before the first insertion as well as in between period cycles. During a period, discs can be emptied, washed with warm water and unscented soap, and reinserted as needed.