Being a dad of teenage daughters can be challenging, and navigating puberty and the topic of menstruation can leave many dads feeling out of their depth or turning to others for help.

New data from intimate wellbeing brand, INTIMINA, reveals that over half (57%) of British dads consider menstruation an awkward topic of conversation with their daughter, with 20% of dads feeling uncomfortable discussing it. Of these, almost two in five (38%) are afraid to start a conversation around menstruation because they fear they don’t know enough about the subject. Conversely, over three quarters (76%) of UK dads feel it is their responsibility to know about the menstrual cycle to help their daughter.

Prompted by numerous questions from single dads on how to approach the topic of menstruation with their children, INTIMINA conducted a survey of over 1250 dads across the UK, USA, France, Italy and Spain, designed to find out how much dads really know about the menstrual cycle and how comfortable they feel talking to their daughters about it.

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Whilst they feel it’s more natural for mums to teach daughters about their menstrual cycle, dads are willing to be a part of the conversation

A staggering 95% of British dads surveyed think it is the mother’s responsibility to teach their daughter about her menstrual cycle, whilst respondents were half as likely to view it as a father’s job (45%)**. What’s more, 47% believe responsibility should sit with a third party, e.g. a teacher (33%) or a doctor (15%).

However, 78% of UK dads say that they have spoken with their daughter about menstruation at least once, with almost one in five (17%) of these saying they speak about it frequently. In addition, more than three quarters (76%) of British dads surveyed have bought their daughter period products, including:

Pads (64%)
Tampons (23%)
Period pants (20%)
Menstrual cups (6%)

For dads around the world, menstruation remains an ‘awkward topic’

As teenage girls navigate the physical and hormonal changes that come with puberty, broaching the subject of menstruation can seem anything but easy.

INTIMINA’s recent study shows that menstruation is still viewed as an uncomfortable topic of conversation, with over half (57%) of UK dads claiming they find it awkward discussing periods with their daughter. What’s more, the data shows that this isn’t a UK specific issue – dads around the globe still feel uncomfortable talking about the menstrual cycle with their daughters.

According to British dads, the reasons they find menstruation a difficult subject include: it’s a sensitive topic (44%), they feel like they can’t relate to it (40%), they fear they don’t know enough about the subject (38%), they worry their daughter will ask a question they don’t know the answer to (29%) or that they will say the wrong thing (29%).

Most UK dads feel a responsibility to know about the menstrual cycle for their daughter and are eager to learn

Over three quarters (76%) of UK dads surveyed by INTIMINA feel it is their responsibility to know about the menstrual cycle for their daughter. Although 70% feel they know enough to explain it if asked, more than half (59%) agree that they would like to be more educated on the topic.

When asked where they would turn to for more information on the menstrual cycle, almost two thirds (61%) of dads said they would go to female family members. Other selected sources included educational articles (42%), female friends (39%), educational content such as books (29%) YouTube videos (27%) or educational social media accounts (15%). Only 3% of surveyed dads said they would ask their male friends or male members of their family.

Overall, the findings are hopeful. The data from INTIMINA shows that menstruation is becoming less taboo in the UK as dads seek to learn more to support their daughters. Even though these findings are encouraging, there are still many dads out there who need a bit of reassurance and additional education when it comes to period talks. When initiating conversations about menstruation with teenage daughters, tools such as INTIMINA’s The Wonder Girls Guide Book (also available as an audio book) can be really useful.