Women are having to choose whether they will buy period hygiene products or other essentials due to the rising cost of living biting household budgets.
Almost 65 per cent of people have struggled to afford period products, with many resorting to old towels, toilet paper and, in some cases, bread, according to research by women's charity Share the Dignity.
"Not having access to period products impacts whether someone gets to go to school, work or university," charity founder Rochelle Courtenay told AAP.
"So many people don't know there are people living in their area who can't afford period products.
"Period poverty is happening in every community, in every postcode, and for too long it has remained hidden."
On World Menstrual Hygiene Day, marked annually on May 28, Share the Dignity has released its mission statement to achieve menstrual equity by 2031.
