The Editor’s letter
Edition 1
September 2026
The Reading Room
Free to read
Canada
Free to read · Canada
Edition 1 · Published by Periodica ·
The Reading Room · Edition 1 ·
Edition 1 · Start here
Come in. The library is open.
At a glance
Who it’s for: Anyone new to Periodica: everyone who has periods, and the people beside them.
Reading time: About 7 min
On this page:
- Why Periodica
- A library and a shop
- What’s coming next
- Who we mean by “reader”
- What we care about
- Asking better questions
- If you need products now
- Your turn
In three points:
- Periodica is two things under one roof: a library and a shop. The shop is not open yet.
- The library explains each product type on its own terms. None is ranked against another.
- The letter ends with a question for you: how do you envision period care?
Why we are building a library for period care in Canada, who it is for, how a shop, opening later, will keep it going, and one question for you.
General information, not medical advice. For anything about your own health, talk to a healthcare provider. Where to get help
- Absorbency“Super” on a period pad and on a tampon
- Wait. What? · The WHOHealth, not hygiene
- HelpIf you need products now
About this Edition
Edition 1 opens the library: this letter, on why Periodica exists, and the first Columns, starting with what the words on the box really mean. More shelves fill as each piece is checked.
In this letter
Dear reader,
Welcome to Periodica. Come in, look around, and stay as long as you like.
This letter says why we are here, what we care about and where we are going. It ends with a question, and I would love your answer.
The reason
Why Periodica
I went looking for one Canadian place to learn about period care, across many brands and product types. I did not find one.
I found pages scattered across many sites. I found the same word meaning different things on different boxes. And I found the same questions, asked again and again. Is this normal? Which product would suit me? Where can I get free products?
So I read: regulators’ pages, clinical guidance, studies, surveys and a great many labels. Periodica is what grew from that reading.
Two things, one house
A library and a shop
Periodica is two things under one roof: a library and a marketplace.
The library comes first. We call it the Reading Room, and it is organised like a real library. Its shelves hold subjects: the products, how-to and care, flow and fit, life stages, everyday life, body and cycle. Some shelves are still being filled. Its special sections are for particular readers: teens, parents and caregivers, neurodivergent readers, trans and non-binary readers, and readers living with health concerns. They will open one by one as the library grows.
The library explains each product type on its own terms. Period pads, tampons, cups, discs, period underwear and reusable period pads each get their own shelf space. None is ranked against another. Two people with the same flow may choose differently.
A note on words · Period products
Items used to catch or absorb period blood: disposable period pads and liners, tampons, cups, discs, period underwear and reusable period pads. Periodica says “period products”. Canadian government programs often say “menstrual products”. Shops and schools still often say “feminine hygiene products”.
The marketplace is how the light stays on. The shop is not open yet. We are choosing our first vendors now, and the newsletter will tell you when it opens. When it opens, it will carry what our vendors provide, chosen under our house rules. What the shop earns will keep the library going. Until then, and after, the library is yours to read.
The road ahead
What’s coming next
More articles will arrive on the shelves regularly.
Then the shop will open.
After that comes the Finder: a short set of questions that helps you find what suits you.
Periodica does not collect donations. If you would like to help with period poverty now, Food Banks Canada’s Menstrual Equity Fund page describes its national pilot for free period products, or you can ask a local charity what it needs. Later, we plan to work with partner organizations on ways for readers to help, and the newsletter will say how.
The newsletter will tell you about each one.
The welcome
Who we mean by “reader”
We say “reader” on purpose. It means everyone who has periods, of every age, body, gender, ability and background. It also means the people beside them: parents, partners, friends, teachers and caregivers.
Your first period, your last, or somewhere in between: you are welcome here. Questions are met with respect, not judgement.
The values
What we care about
-
Saying the word
Period, blood, vagina, discharge: said plainly and calmly.
-
Sources, not slogans
Each fact names who said it. When we do not know, we say so.
-
Your choice
We explain; you decide.
-
Access
Period safety should not be decided by a tax bracket. In a 2023 survey reported by the federal government, 17% of Canadians who menstruate had personally experienced period poverty. In households earning less than $40,000 a year, it was 25%.
-
Your privacy
On this site, we ask about products, not your health. We do not sell your information.
-
Built together
What readers ask for shapes what we write and what the shop will carry.
Says who? Women and Gender Equality Canada, “Menstrual equity” (Environics survey, 2023).
A note on words · Period poverty
Women and Gender Equality Canada defines period poverty as “the inability to afford or access menstrual products, access education, hygiene facilities, waste management, or a combination of these, to manage menstrual health and hygiene.” The same page says menstrual equity “refers to equal and comprehensive access to menstrual products, as well as access to education regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights.”
Women’s health
Asking better questions
In December 2010, Canada’s health research funder, CIHR, began asking every grant applicant: “Are sex (biological) considerations taken into account in this study?” The share of applications that reported integrating sex rose from 22% in 2011 to 83% in 2019.
If you need products now
If paying for period products is hard right now, help exists. Canada’s Menstrual Equity Fund, a federal pilot delivered by Food Banks Canada, provides free period products through food banks and community organizations.
Period Pin is a free map of places in Canada that offer free period products; a pin can show opening hours and who can use it. The Period Purse suggests checking your local library or community centre; it says they often provide free products. 2-1-1 is free, confidential help finding local services, including food banks. Some provinces also provide free products in schools, including British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Periodica does not run or fund any of these programs.
The invitation
Your turn
Here is my question. How do you envision period care?
What would change: the aisle, the labels, the prices, the products? The way periods are talked about at home, at school or at work? What would you keep just as it is?
One line is plenty; a page is welcome too. Tell the Editor. If there is a product you would like the shop to carry, leave it at the Request Desk. Every request is counted, and the most requested products go into our next call to vendors.
Please leave out details about your own health. The Editor is not a healthcare provider, and questions about your body belong with one.
To hear what comes next, get the newsletter. New articles and news from the shop, once a month. We’ll email you to confirm, and you can unsubscribe any time.
Come in. The light is on.
— The Editor
Drafted and checked against its sources with our proud team of AI assistants; read and signed by the Editor.
This letter is general information, written by the Editor. It is not medical advice, and the Editor is not a healthcare provider. For anything about your own health, please talk to a healthcare provider.
No rush. We like reading slowly, one short piece at a time. The articles will wait for you.
Sources the Editor read (14)
- Women and Gender Equality Canada, “Menstrual equity” (figures from a 2023 survey by Environics Research). canada.ca
- Johnson J, Sharman Z, Vissandjée B, Stewart DE. “Does a change in health research funding policy related to the integration of sex and gender have an impact?” PLoS One, 2014. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Haverfield J, Tannenbaum C. “A 10-year longitudinal evaluation of science policy interventions to promote sex and gender in health research.” Health Research Policy and Systems, 2021. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Government of Canada news release, 14 September 2026 (Menstrual Equity Fund, delivered by Food Banks Canada). canada.ca
- World Health Organization, “WHO statement on menstrual health and rights”, 22 June 2022. who.int
- 211 (2-1-1), free, confidential help finding local services. 211.ca
- Period Pin, “Helping Canadians find free period products” (home, mission, FAQs). periodpin.ca
- The Period Purse, “Need period products?” theperiodpurse.com
- Food Banks Canada, “Find a Food Bank”. foodbankscanada.ca
- Government of British Columbia, “Provision of menstrual products” (2025-12-18). gov.bc.ca
- Government of Saskatchewan, “Free menstrual products program to continue in Saskatchewan schools” (2025-11-14). saskatchewan.ca
- Government of Ontario, “Ontario Increasing Access to Free Menstrual Products in Schools” (2024-07-29). news.ontario.ca
- Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, news release (2025-01-27). gov.nl.ca
- Food Banks Canada, “Menstrual Equity Fund”. foodbankscanada.ca
Date due for review
| Written by | The Editor |
| Last checked | 27 Sep 2026 |
| Next check | Mar 2027 |
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