For some women in Japan, the pandemic-induced economic downturn means that even essential items aren't easy to fit into a monthly budget.

Around 8% of women surveyed have struggled to purchase feminine hygiene products due to financial constraints since February 2020, according to a recent study by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

The ministry decided to investigate the problem following reports of women who were unable to afford the cost of essential sanitary products.

The findings of the survey, released Wednesday, showed the problem has affected young girls and women particularly hard, with more than 12% of respondents in their 20s or younger saying they have struggled "often" or "sometimes" to obtain sanitary products in recent months.

The 244 respondents of all ages who said they have struggled to purchase such products during the pandemic said the problem has affected their social and private lives, including making it difficult to concentrate at work or in school, limiting their ability to do chores and making them absent from or late for work or school. Additionally, many of the women who struggled to acquire menstruation products said they suffered from anxiety or mood disorders.

Low income was the main reason given among those who struggled to acquire sanitary products. About 37.7% of women said their incomes were not sufficient, 28.7% said they didn't have enough money to spend on themselves, and 24.2% said they had to spend their money on other essentials. Pads used for menstruation have to be changed several times a day and most women buy them in bulk. Adding to the financial burden on women with low incomes, sanitary products are subject to the standard 10% consumption tax, despite campaigns from activists to have them exempted.

To make ends meet, 50% of the respondents who struggled to purchase menstruation products said they weren't changing their pads as often or were using toilet paper or medical gauze as a replacement. However, around 1 in 4 of those women who used replacements admitted to having developed rashes or other skin problems. Some also said they have had allergic reactions.

The survey showed the issue was most prevalent in women from households with an annual income below ¥3 million.

The online survey was conducted in early February covering 3,000 women age 18-49 who volunteered to participate. The questionnaire focused on the period from February 2020, around the time when COVID-19 began spreading in Japan.

Nearly 50% of those who said they had problems with purchasing sanitary products had no knowledge about whether local municipalities or organizations supporting women in their area distributed such items for free.

Even those who were aware of ways to get assistance didn't necessarily access such services. Some women who knew that sanitary products were distributed for free to people with low incomes admitted to not having used such assistance because they were embarrassed to ask for it or feared what other people would say. Of those who knew about the assistance, only 17.8% used it.

To address the problem, the health ministry said it would work with other relevant ministries and agencies to make such forms of assistance known to the public and more accessible.