A new scheme in primary schools will help to ‘break the taboo’ around menstruation, the Department of Education has claimed. 

The ‘Buttoned Up’ initiative will see school staff wear a special button badge to indicate they have period products for pupils who need them.

Speaking on The Pat Kenny Show, nurse and barrister Ellie Loftus said some girls get their first period at eight - something they can find “very hard to process” at such a young age.

“The reason we’re launching this in a school today is that young girls often get their periods while they’re in primary school,” she said.

“The button will be a symbol for a teacher; they’ll be able to wear the button and say, ‘I’ve got the period products that you need. I’ve got a pad, a tampon, period underwear.’

“That’s what we specialise in, we’re launching a period kit today with all the products - period underwear, period swimwear and period sport shorts - to make sure that girls are comfortable throughout the day in schools.”

Tampons on one table. Photo: Annette Riedl/dpa

Ms Loftus said it is important that schools teach their pupils about menstruation as many parents avoid the topic entirely with their children.

“They usually start getting that talk from fourth class… and then obviously the amount of knowledge and information that’s dispatched in those sessions gets increased as they get a little bit older up to sixth class,” she said.

“A lot of the time you find that it’s only happening in the schools and it won’t be happening in the home.

“That is a big issue because girls aren’t being prepared for their period, they may not have a period pack or kit in their school bags.”

'Empower young girls'

Minister of State for Education Michelle Hildegarde Naughton said the scheme has the strong backing of her Department.

“These can be uncomfortable topics,” she said.

“Let’s not say they’re not - because they are.

“We need to really try and break that taboo and to empower young girls and have a national conversation about menstrual health and try to dismantle this taboo surrounding it.”

The average girl will start to menstruate at the age of 12.

Main image: Tampons. Photo: Sebastian Kahnert/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa