Period poverty and mental health implications among college-aged women in the United States.

<bold>Background: </bold>The purpose of this study is to examine the frequency of "period poverty," or not being able to afford sanitary products, among university students, and associations with poor mental health.<bold>Methods: </bold>An online survey was conducted with a nationally-drawn sample (N = 471) of college-attending women to assess the association between period poverty and depression. Period poverty was measured via two questions designed for this study; depression was measured with the standard PHQ-9. Multivariable logistic regression was utilized for analysis.<bold>Results: </bold>Among our sample, 14.2% of women had experienced period poverty ever in the past-year; an additional 10% experienced it every month. Compared to those who had never experienced period poverty, adjusted analysis revealed that women with monthly past-year period poverty were the most likely to report moderate/severe depression (AOR = 2.34, 95% CI 1.09-4.99), followed by those who had experienced it ever in the past year (AOR = 1.83, 95% CI, 0.99-3.38).<bold>Conclusion: </bold>Many young women cannot afford menstrual health products to meet their monthly needs, and this may impact their mental well-being. Improved access to affordable menstrual products is needed to support these young women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]