Man Refusing to Share Bed with Wife Because of Sanitary Pads Sparks Anger

A husband who refused to share a bed with his wife because her use of sanitary pads made him feel "uncomfortable" has been urged to educate himself on women's health.

When it comes to women's wellbeing, there is a noticeable gap in men's knowledge, particularly when it comes to menstrual cycles.

In a survey of over 1,000 U.S. men commissioned by women's healthcare brand Intimina and conducted by YouGov, just 41 percent of men were able to correctly identify what menstruation is.

Meanwhile, just 20 percent of respondents correctly identified the duration of the menstrual cycle as between 23 and 35 days while 52 percent thought it was 1 to 6 days.

When asked to describe what having a period would feel like, 40 percent said it involved physical pain while 36 percent were convinced there was no physical effect at all.

Sixty-five percent of men polled, meanwhile, didn't know what a menstrual cup was or how it worked while just 33 percent of men knew the average cost of a 36-count box of tampons ($13 to $20).

Though much of this ignorance may be born out of a reluctance in society as a whole to speak openly about the topic, the fact is that, for some women, this lack of understanding is leading to serious problems in their personal life.

In the case of one woman sharing her account of events to Reddit under the handle throwawy365665, for example, it could even spell the end of her marriage.

Writing in the post, which has been upvoted over 21,000 times, she explained that "due to medical reasons" she has switched from using tampons to using pads.

While she felt this wasn't that "big of a deal," her husband evidently disagreed. He told her he was angry at her for not "consulting" him first before the change and said he didn't "feel comfortable" with her sleeping alongside him in bed wearing pads.

According to her account, "he said it just doesn't feel comfortable for him" due to hygiene concerns and he would like her "to use tampons at nighttime or sleep somewhere else."

She initially "laughed him off" and wore the pads in bed but he remained "so uncomfortable" he ultimately resorted to sleeping on the couch while claiming she "forced him" to do so by refusing to back down or sleep elsewhere.

Despite her explaining that it would be worse for her to not use pads and essentially "free bleed" on the bed and go against doctors' advice, he remains upset at the change. But while his wife appeared willing to listen to his complaints, the husband's issues were roundly dismissed on social media.

Oddessusss suggested to the wife she "go buy a new bed... In a new house...with a new husband" while TA122278 wondered: "Why would anyone marry a guy like this?" Goddess-Ylvia was similarly scathing, writing: "I would kick anyone out of my life if they had an opinion about what I should/should not use on my period."

International-Ad2970 was shocking for different reasons, commenting: "What got me the most was that he wanted to be 'consulted' aka asked for permission for using pad" Jazzlike_Marsupial48 said "men need to have an education class about women's cycles, so they have more of a respect and understanding" with bigd***slap urging the wife: "Please do not have kids with this man if this is how he treats periods. His attitude is disgusting."

Newsweek has contacted throwawy365665 for comment.

The incident follows on from another controlling husband who demanded his wife stop using tampons as he wasn't comfortable with her using them.

Elsewhere, a mom sparked fury after it emerged she was denying her teenage daughter access to tampons until she is 18.