There are some things that I rarely think about as un homme (a man). One of those things is very important for les femmes (women) and something that you don’t always find in textbooks or tour guides.

“Day 31: Self Portrait” by Sodanle Chea on Flickr. Licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Comment est-ce qu’on parle des produits féminins en français ?
How do you talk about feminine products in French?

I had to deal with this very issue recently and it made me realize how important it is and how often these words aren’t explained or discussed in textbooks. Ma copine (my girlfriend) started having des crampes (cramps) and it was obvious that she was about to commencer ses règles (start her period).

I needed to find une pharmacie to buy les médicaments (the medicine) she needed, but before I left, I needed to think about how to ask for the right médicaments!

I walked into la pharmacie and immediately realized how strange it much looks for un homme avec une barbe (a man with a beard) to ask for the French equivalent of Midol.

– Vous avez les médicaments pour les femmes qui ont les douleurs des règles ?
– Oui… Attendez en moment… Ce sont bien les médicaments pour les douleurs féminines.

Do you have medicine for women who have period pain?
Yes… Wait a moment… This is medicine for feminine pain.

It was an awkward moment, but I knew I had the right médicaments. Cependant (however), on the way home, I realized that there were many words related to l’hygiène féminine (feminine hygiene) that I had no idea how to say!

I immediately made une liste de vocabulaire (a vocabulary list) in case I needed to help ma copine again. That’s one less emergency I need to worry about!

Voici un vocabulaire des produits féminins :

Les règles – Period
Les menstruations – Menstruation
Le tampon – Tampon
Le protège-slip – Pad
La serviette hygiénique – Sanitary napkin
La serviette hygiénique ultra-abosrbante – Maxi pad
Les crampes – Cramps
Le syndrome prémenstruel – PMS
L’hormone – Hormone
La douleur – Pain
L’hygiène féminine – Feminine hygiene