There's nothing quite like offering your last tampon to a desperate stranger in need - a moment of sisterly solidarity among the stalls. You never know when the dreaded Aunt Flow is going to pay a visit, and a helping hand from a fellow human is always appreciated when you're caught unawares.
However, one man's penchant for stocking up on sanitary supplies - and contraceptive pills - for prospective dates has left the internet divided.
The man, who shared his predicament anonymously via the Reddit forum TooAfraidToAsk, said his friends had branded his behaviour "weird AF" - but he argued that the practice had been "very useful" on "many occasions".
"So in my early 20s I started to always keep a box of tampons and a pack of contraceptive pills (not the morning after one, the one you take regularly) at home for the occasion that whomever I'm with at the moment might need one of these items, but forgot them or something," the man explained.
"I also do that when I'm single. I restock whenever it's almost gone and this practice has been very useful on many occasions."
The man, who lives in Austria, noted that his current partner had found his habit surprising at first, but "in a good way". However, his friends weren't so sure.
"This topic came up with some friends yesterday and they thought it's 'weird AF' to do that and they've never heard of a guy buying tampons or pills just in case," he said.
"Is it weird to stock up on tampons and contraceptive pills as a man?"
In an edit to his post, the man claimed the pill he purchases is one of the most commonly used brands and he gets the prescription renewed when necessary by his GP.
"He thinks it's OK to have a pack at home for safety reasons when you're sexually active."
Many readers immediately questioned whether women would still be protected from pregnancy if they took a different contraceptive pill, noting that some of the man's companions may not be taking the brand he has "in stock".
When switching between different brands of pills, most doctors recommend transitioning straight from one pill type to another with no gap or placebo pills in between. If you are changing brands, the Ministry of Health recommends skipping the seven-day break and going straight to the first active pill in the new packet. Using a back-up form of protection is often advised for peace of mind and added safety.
Of course, only condoms prevent STDs - a product the man doesn't mention having on-hand.
The man's predicament drew a mixed response from Reddit users, with readers divided over whether the personal pharmacy is creepy or courteous.
"The pills are a bit weird because you wouldn't know which one someone uses. But having tampons and pads around is great!" one person replied.
"The contraceptive pills [are] a bit weird, I wouldn't just take one from a random pack, there are so many types of 'the pill'," another said. "But tampons [are] very polite."
A number of women took to the comments to discuss whether it would be safe to accept a pill during a date, even if branded as birth control - noting that the medication could have possibly been tampered with or disguised as a contraceptive pill.
"I can confidently say I wouldn't take random 'BC' [birth control] pills that a guy had laying around. I'd just wait until I'm home and can take my own that I know are the right dose, prescription and type, and are actually BC pills," one said.
"I would not take strange pills in a stranger's home... I'm really not trying to be mean but it's extremely creepy," said a second.
"Even if someone happened to have the exact same pill that I needed, I personally don't think I'd trust that they hadn't been tampered with or that they had been stored correctly," another weighed in.
Others questioned the man's claim that he had needed to restock on the contraception, with a standard sheet containing 30 pills.
"He claims that he gets his prescription refilled whenever it runs out... don't they come in a 1-3 month supply? Has he handed out 30 of these pills to girls who forgot to take their prescriptions?" one asked.
"Sounds real sketchy to me," another agreed.
In 2019, a man faced online backlash after attempting to calculate how many tampons women should go through a year.
"Stop whining," he tweeted.
"Cut down on your Starbuck venti frappes and stop whining. This isn't a first world problem."
