New Zealand is leading the world by supplying female soldiers with menstrual cups and reusable pads.
The idea was first proposed by Private Thomson - a soldier based at Linton Military Camp..
A reusable menstrual cup Photo: Greta Hoff / Pexels
Private Thomson won two Army Innovation Challenge awards for leading the change.
While she's happy for the personal recognition, she says the biggest satisfaction is knowing women in service are getting the supplies they need to do their job.
Getting your period in the field can be a "nightmare", Private Thomson says.
Now, female service people are supplied with menstrual cups and reusable pads, disposable sanitary products are available in every bathroom and sanitary bins are installed in portaloos.
She has heard from female soldiers that the new supplies have made a huge difference.
"If you are unlucky enough to get your period in the field and your kit got wet or you ran out of items, you can't just run down to the shop and get a box of tampons… it's not that easy. Whereas now if you find yourself in that situation you can survive using that menstrual cup for years, potentially."
Internationally, women in the armed forces are still doing it tough, Private Thomson says. In Britain, some have been forced to use socks and tissues as period products and in Switzerland, women only got the go-ahead to wear women's underwear last year.
She's proud to help open up a conversation about periods as a fact of life for female soldiers.
"It's one step in a big shift in mindset for the defence force and the army as a whole.
"There's always going to be people who are embarrassed by it or don't want to talk about it but for every one of those, there's ten more who are willing to get on board.
"This is a male-dominated workplace and we are really moving ahead with a change towards making it inclusive and a good place for women to work."
