#Pads4Dads: 5 Real Life Father-Daughter Period Conversations

In the UK, straight men of a certain age have a reputation (unfairly in some cases) for their stiff upper lips and for awkwardly scuttling off whenever stereotypically 'feminine' topics crop up in conversation. (Mr Groff's straight-faced stoicism while repeatedly uttering the word 'vagina' during Sex Education's vagina-shaming episode being a good example.) Another subject on this list, along with sex, is periods.

Now, a catchily named campaign, #Pads4Dads, from the social enterprise Hey Girls, is encouraging men to feel more confident speaking to their daughters about menstruation and join "the bloody conversation", with help from one of the nation's most lovable dads, Michael Sheen (swoon). New research from Hey Girls, which tackles period poverty in the UK, found that nearly half of dads surveyed have never spoken to their daughters about periods, while fewer than half (41%) would feel comfortable talking about them to their kids, and a third had never purchased sanitary products. The aim is to destigmatise the conversation about periods among men, and the company is even selling a Dads Kit (£12.95) containing period products, information booklets for both dads and daughters, and sachets of hot chocolate "to ease the conversation".

While some daughters have no problem keeping their dads up to speed on even the most intimate details of their lives (with mental health, dating and even sex on the conversation menu), for others it's toe-curling even thinking about discussing their menstrual flow with the man who brought them into the world. Ahead, five women share their cringeworthy, heartwarming and hilarious experiences.