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Life is expensive. That probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise to you. But what you may find surprising is the amount of money you may be spending just by having a vagina in your pants.
Because they require so many things, don’t they? Birth control pills. Tampons. Pap smears. UTI remedies. Waxing. Thrush cream….it’s a long list. Certainly when you compare it to the needs of a penis which are far more modest and mostly optional.
US website Jezebel did the calculations on just how much it costs the average American women to have a vagina and came up with a figure of US$2663.02 PER YEAR. And that’s not even taking variables such as emergency contraception, pregnancy tests or abortions into account.
Since their calculations were American estimates based on the experiences of Jezebel staff, we’ve done our own Australian version to see exactly how much the average Aussie girl might spend on her vagina every year.
Here’s what we worked out…
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Birth control: Yasmin Tablets, 12 months supply = $280
Tampons & pads: Tampons, 20 a month = $67. Pads, 14 a month = $60
PMS relief: Naprogesic Tablets = $13. Heat pack = $20
Sex: Condoms, 4 packs = $50. Lubricant, 2 tubes = $20
Vagisil: 60ml tube = $7
UTI remedies: Antibiotics = $40. Doctor’s appointment = $85. Bottle of Cranberry Juice = $6
Yeast Infection: Diflucan = $35. Doctor’s appointment = $85
Waxing: 9 waxes a year at $40 = $360
Pap Smear: $130
Toilet Paper: 12 packs a year = $96
TOTAL: $1284
And variables: Pregnancy Test = $20. Morning After Pill = $30. Abortion = $400
TOTAL: $450
So the good news is that an Australian vagina costs less than half the price of an American one to maintain. And of course, every vagina’s individual circumstances are going to be different. Maybe you use a Mooncup, maybe you let your lady garden grow, maybe you don’t need to buy the pill or condoms.
But this doesn’t even take into account other things like women’s UNDIES. While men can wander into Kmart once every few years to pick out a four-pack of Bonds trunks, women are constantly shelling out to fill up the different categories of their undies drawer: the ‘special’ undies, the ‘everyday’ undies, the fat-sucking undies, and the period undies…
Columnist Caitlin Moran says it best in her book How To Be A Woman: “I can’t believe we’ve got to a point where it’s basically costing us MONEY to have a fanny. They’re making us pay for maintenance and upkeep of our lulus, like they’re a communal garden. It’s a stealth tax. A fanny GST. This is money we should be spending on THE ELECTRICITY BILL and CHEESE.”
When faced with the numbers, do you think you spend more on your vagina than, say, your hair? Or your face? Or any other body part, for that matter?
Comments
204 Comments so far
Haha that list sounds ridiculously costly.
I’m not on the pill, I can’t have it but even if I could I wouldn’t knowing me I’d forget to take pills. So not much point. Tampons and pads wouldn’t cost me anywhere near that much. I don’t get waxed all the time, you know life gets busy so it doesn’t become necessary, 5 times a year maybe. I don’t use painkillers that often, only when really necessary for period pain so I probably only buy one herron blue pack a year at the most.
That’s about it really, what more do you need?
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I would hope a few of those things re variable costs…UTIs etc every month, a new heat pack every month? I use no where near as many tampons or pads as that, but hey I’m lazy!
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It’s a year long list, not month.
UTIs once a year is a reasonable assumption, once a month would cause alarm I would hope!
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I so love the term ‘Lady Garden’ its cute much nicer than vagina…who gave it that name anyway…vagina I mean…I think ‘lady garden’ is a lovely name isn’t it
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Now I half-wish I didn’t get laser hair reduction just so I could call it my lady garden!!!
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You forgt about the cost of vibrators…. EVERY girl need 1 or 2 of those!!!
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I’m pregnant which hugely reduced the price of maintaing my vagina this year! The pill is gone. The condoms are gone. The tampons are gone. The PMS relief is gone (although I WAS on prescription painkillers for my period before hand, so cost a lot more than is listed here). Never really been a big waxer before, Was always too lazy to book an appointement, so just shaved most of the time. That might have to change now as its getting way to hard to see what I’m doing.
never had a UTI or a Yeast infection or bought Vagisil. Toilet paper costs have recently gone way up though.
Although doing the maths, my vaginal upkeep only cost about $300 a year pre-pregnancy, which is way less that listed even with my extra medication cost.
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My Mum always said: “If men got periods, tampons and pads would be free”… and she’s right!
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The waxing and loo paper I can’t help you with – but WOMEN – save your $ and the environment and get yourself a Ju Ju Cup. best thing I ever did. They are FANTASTIC. No more tampons and pads, no more changing every few hours – they are the only way to go.
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I’ve heard about these before! Where can I buy them?
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My ‘lulu’ has cost me lots heaps… I’ve just had to have my fourth laparoscopy for my endometriosis. I had 2 locally, which were covered by my health care fund, plus my $250 excess. Had to get a second opinion as the first two obviously didn’t work, travelled to Melbourne to see a specialist there, have had 2 operatins through him, with an out of pocket cost of $3,500 each. My hooch is costing me a shit load!!
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Thank you for this piece of vital information. Now everytime I see a woman. I’ll laugh at her and say ” My private parts cost less than yours to maintain.”
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A a husband, father of a 15-year old daughter, and the family supermarket shopper, I can fully attest to the extra cost of my ladies over the boys.
But I have chipped in…I got neutered, so she doesn’t need the pill or condoms (or abortions), but we do need lubricant because once the fear of pregancy was removed she started wanting sex everyday, and twice if I can manage it.
The tampons are still part of life, but I only buy Libra for my ladies (because they’re Australia-made and most if the others are imported), and I monitor the supermarket specials so I can buy in bulk when the specials are good…it’s not like they’ll ever expire!
And we’re both saving money on waxing…I got a great deal on laser treatment and now there’s simply less hair there…and here!
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I’ve been closer to the American one I think. I don’t wax and no birth control, but $45 a month on tampons etc (I’ve this month switched to a cup), and the $1500-$2500 on specialists appointment and hospital excess yearly gets me pretty high up there.
The joys of having “non-specific uterine disorder”. Which I believe is Dr speak for “we got nothing-no how-idea whats doin with you”!
Just goes to show how different we all are I guess. And how you can’t always sum it up neatly for everyone!
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Hahaha, this is so funny…because it’s true! Vaginas cost a hell-of-a-lot, and it is something boys just do not understand.
And then we have all the other stuff on top of it that they don’t…makeup, hair products, clothes that are more expensive (OK, maybe we just buy them more often, but whatever), hair cuts, etc etc etc.
Oh, and stockings! How do I manage to put a hole or a run in every.single.pair?!? HOW?? Sigh.
Ahhhh, to be a woman, aye?
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And I must be super low maintenance! I skip all periods so that cuts out a lot of the expense.
Pill (monofeme), 12 months supply = about $90
Waxing (Brazilian) = $400
Diflucan = $35 (seem to get it once a year!)
Doctor’s appointments and pap smears are covered by Medicare, thankfully, and the boy buys all the condom-related items
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I’m with you. I only have periods every 3 months and Levlen is only $60 per year, am yet to have a UTI, never seem to run out of condoms, got sick of waxing and went back to shaving and trimming, and see doctors for free…
The toilet paper was a funny one to me – but I suppose we use 10 times as much of it as men.
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I was on Levlen… and yes taking it properly. Now I’m 22 weeks pregnant. The money I saved taking Levlen as opposed to something else is going to be more than outweighed over the next 18 years of having a child… already has with all the extra doctors visits. Wish I could get them for free. Only doctors surgery in town costs more than you get back from medicare unfortunately.
Having said that, I’m sure if my body fought against Levlen and got pregnant anyway, then it would have done it with the more expensive brands too.
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And yet, people still insist on getting their boys circumcised so that it’s “easier to clean” and they won’t get an UTI. Sigh. It’s a much easier piece of equipment to maintain.
With the reasoning some people have for male infant circumcision, boys really could not cope with having a vagina then.
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Wow I must be low maintenence… My total expenditure totals about $100, I use about half the pads/tampons listed, not on the pill, low sexual activity, I trim instead of wax… yep pretty low maintenence!
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Shocked me that abortion was just casually thrown in there as a yearly cost!
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It was put in as a variable. It doesn’t mean that it’s a yearly cost for everyone; but since it has to do with our vaginas – it isn’t something to be ignored.
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I have to say I am a little disgusted that an abortion is just thrown in there as a ‘cost’ of having a vagina. I find this flippant and irresponsible. As if an abortion a year is no big deal.
I am not often this critical but I could not keep my mouth shut on this one. Whether you are pro-choice or not (which I believe I am, pro-choice), an abortion is a bigger deal than this and should have been left out of this semi-light-hearted post completely. It does not belong with thrush cream and tampons, I believe.
A decision to have an abortion is about so much more than money. Does anyone who has had one look back and remember the financial cost?? I don’t think so.
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I’m a student, $400 is A LOT of money for me. I wouldn’t be able to get an abortion now without falling behind on rent. So yeah, I think I would probably remember the financial cost.
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I fell while on different types of pills 3 time! Money was the first thing I thought about!! – now have two beautiful kids and no regrets!!!
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Better to have it included in one’s considerations of cost than not.
It’s not a recommendation. It’s a consideration. Some religious groups would get just as offended as you over the inclusion of any kind of contraception whatsoever, so you know..
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Agree. Well said
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I have a tale of UTI shame to share with MM…
Late last year I noticed an ache in my lower abdomen on a Saturday afternoon. The aching increased and I burst into tears on the toilet because peeing hurt so badly… and so off to the after hours GP I went. I was given antibiotics and Ural. All seemed well.
But then I got an invite to a party and, being 19 and stupid, decided to delay taking the antibiotics until the next day so that I could drink.
BIG MISTAKE. Woke up the next morning and couldn’t walk for the pain. I took the antibiotics, cried the whole way home and spent the day curled up in bed drinking Ural.
G’times!!
Also, I agree with abortion being up there. I’m just guessing here, but I know approximately 1 in 3 Australian women have an abortion in their lifetime, would the figures be the same for UTIs? Not everyone gets them, would it be reasonable to expect that 1 in 3 Australian women would get a UTI? Anyway. Abortions are mainstream medicine for women’s health, like it or not.
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I think the issue is that abortion is not a yearly event (I hope).
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The rate of UTIs is higher. About half of women get a UTI in their lifetime, which is a fair bit more than the one in three women who you say get abortions. I remember reading somewhere that a large portion of women who get a UTI will later get another, and with every UTI the risk of having another goes up again. I doubt that this is true of abortions for most women.
Having said that men CAN get UTIs, even though they are way less common. They can’t get abortion though… obivously lol.
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I wonder what it costs for nuns to keep theirs in good “shape”?……..in the absence of a male in their life – a good deal cheaper surely……….I wonder if any man considers the impact he has on a woman’s health now, and in the future?…………of course the women I worry about the most are the ones who are controlled & abused – can you imagine how rough their treatment must be, how unsympathetic and callous?………High schools should be preparing young women about the realities of life and what to avoid in relationships with men………I’m one of the lucky ones but others don’t get to be treated with such kindness.
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Thanks caz for demonstrating how vile and sexist hardline feminism is. It just so happens that the vast majority of women have good men in their lives, just like you. There are as many bad women as men in the world. Brainwash central, sheesh.
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And this is related to this article how…?
Sheesh talk about storming in with your own agenda.
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I’m post Menopause. My lulu costs me nothing apart from soap & toilet paper!
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I love my coochie she’s worth it.
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I have a very cheap vagina. Generic pill, a few bucks a month. Use Aldi brand tampons, less than 10 each month. No pads. I think that would come to about $25 a year. Don’t get bad period pain when I eat well and stay active, so no Panadol, heat packs etc. In a long-term relationship, so don’t use condoms, and don’t need lube. Never used Vagisil (don’t even know what it’s used for) and never had a UTI. Been about 15 years since I had a yeast infection. I do wax, but I get a brazilian free when I get my legs and armpits done. I forget what I pay for a pap smear, but it’s significantly less than $130. I use a lot of toilet paper, but I think about 80% of that can be counted as the price of having bowels.
Undies aren’t a cost of having a vagina. You don’t NEED underwear the same way you need toilet paper or sanitary items, and you certainly don’t NEED expensive underwear. I don’t count my undies as a cost of having a vagina anymore than I count my tops as a cost of having a pesky torso.
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Seriously though, how annoying is it having a head? Hats are SO expensive these days.
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PS – Cranberry juice is not an evidence based treatment for UTI according to a recent Cochrane systematic review. So you can minus that $6
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But it’s cheap for placebo effect
I am all about preventative medicine, I switched to unsweetened cranberry instead of orange in the morning and no more UTI dramas 
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isn’t it a preventative thing anyway, not a cure? plus it’s pretty hard to find real cranberry juice anyway, always cranberry “fruit drink” because the real stuff taste so horrible.
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Gee mine is cheap!
No PMS relief -haven’t needed that since going on the pill
No condoms
No Vagisil
No UTI remedies
No yeast infection
No waxing
Seems like a good excuse to go shopping!
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You and Mia would make great friends
money saved right there.
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Worth every cent !
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I don’t buy all kinds of undies. I just buy Jockey Parisienne cotton ones. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Or expensive to be a women. Just don’t get sucked in!
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if it’s costing you money , you aren’t playing the game right
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hmmm is this the cost of a vagina or the cost of having a working uterus, ovaries, etc? Big difference.
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I don’t begrudge my vagina a single cent I’ve spent to keep it happy … there, there girl xo
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I know I’m being picky. UTIs are not vagina specific. Males get them too. Admittedly, they’re unusual but happen.
I must be a real cheapskate. I only cough up a couple of hundred a year for vagina specific “stuff”.
Clothing and hair etc, now that’s a different story.
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Faybian I’m very sorry but always thought you were a man! You learn something new every day …
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Hahaha. (affects deep voice) well I have always been more direct, similarly to a lot of men and a lot of my good friends have been men.
My first name is the first half of my user name. Gawd, maybe it’s time to put a photo up.
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I figured the ‘fay’ part out just then. Ha ha! What a mind melt
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this is a bit of an awkward question but im looking for advice on general vaginal health. i dont have any specific problems, but its just a little irritated sometimes, not great smelling, occasional weird discharge, just generally doesnt feel very ‘healthy’ anyone take any good supplements or vitamins that are good for this kind of thing?
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Invest in some fem fresh products.. Smelly is not nice. You can get at supermarkets.
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Product such as ‘fem fresh’ can cause irritation. Go to the dr rather than try to ‘mask’ the problem – you could have low level infection – better to be safe than sorry
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Go to a GP. It could be a bacterial (or even yeast) infection. Discharge shouldn’t be offensive, nor should it be irritated.
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Eat more yoghurt, or some other probiotic. Smell and irritation come from bad bacteria. Yoghurt, yakult, or those little capsules with probiotics have that good bacteria. You can read which bacteria are in there on the ingredients. The yoghurt with the ABC of bacteria are better. It’s all about maintaining a balance.
And this helps not only with your downstairs lady bits, but bad breath in your mouth too! Amazing!
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That’s actually a different type of bacteria from yoghurt than living down below. The gynae lady who keeps giving us lectures also strongly recommends NOT putting yoghurt on lulu as well.
Go to your doctor and get a swab and pH done.
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Good digestive health which is helped by yoghurt and probiotics will always have a run on effect to your vagina. Anything good for you digestive system will be good for your whole body, even if its not specifically treating the problem. Certainly wont hurt.
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Definitely see your doctor, or at very least, your chemist! Itching, smell, and discharge is very likely to be thrush (very easy to treat), or less likely but still a possibility, an STD.
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Had those exact symptoms recently, went to the doctor who did a simple swab test and it was bacterial vaginosis. Can come from overwashing. SO glad I went even though it was embarrassing to tell the doc the reason I was there was because of the horrible stench coming from between my legs!
Course of antibiotics cleared it up very quickly, so I recommend checking in with them!
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Could be bacterial vaginosis, or gardnerella. Go to the doctor, get a swab done to confirm, because the right treatment will be quick and simple. Don’t, under any circumstances, use fake scents around your vagina. It’s a recipe for disaster, it irritates the delicate tissue, and will worsen any uncomfortable condition without treating the cause of the smell!
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Hubby has a date with a rusty machete next month so after 16 long years there goes the cost of contraception! Yippee!
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nice work… see, i think i’ll be using condoms forever as i just don’t like his junk left in my bits… but at least he pays for those!
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“his junk”???? Do you mean his ejaculate? What about having kids (if you haven’t got any yet)?
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or if she doesn’t want kids?
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I love this comment to bits. Best description I’ve ever heard!
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And this list is only vagina specific. Add in the costs of other stuff women do that men don’t:
– more freqent and more expensive hair dying and cutting, fake tan (bi or tri weekly)
– acrillics or gels (bi monthly or monthly)
– eye lash extensions (every three weeks – $80)
– laser hair removal or leg and brazilians (monthly ($48 brazilian, $30 half leg))
– teeth whitening
I’ve never come across a man who pays for the pill – even though it’s a monthly expense – let alone morning after pills or pregnancy tests.
In addition, women’s clothes are more expensive and much more pressure is put on women’s looks and fashion that on mens.
I know it all comes down to how much you chose to engage with it, but if you’re actually attempting to look like women in magazines (“hot”) then those things are pretty much necessary! That is a huge amount of money and time spent on looks. I genuinely don’t think men have that same level of time or money expenditure. Until waxing, hair dying etc isn’t the norm for women we’ve got a long way to go in terms of equality.
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My partner pays for my implanon, and so he damn well should, I say! I go through the grossness, anxiety and discomfort of having it changed every three years and he gets hassle free sex! So even though I’d never thought about it that way originally and he offered, I didn’t ask, I’m happy to let him foot the bill on one expense of being a woman.
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My partner pays for half of my pill, I suggested it when we were addressing our joint expenses and he happily agreed
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My boyfriend pays for half of my pill too. When we use condoms I pay for half of those. I think that is fair.
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Clearly I need to work this into my spilt bill as well!! I’m being duped!
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You don’t do those things for men.
The only thing that I would have any interest in my girl maintaining would be the hair removal.
Not in my name, I say!
And in terms of hair removal, are you interested in subsidising my razor expenses so that you don’t have to face some beardy bastard over breakfast?
Now, splitting contraceptive expenses I can come at.
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Really? Would I do them if I lived on a desert island full of women? No a damn chance! Why bother?
And I still have to buy a razor for my underarms, so we can split the cost
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I actually share your view on this, but isn’t ‘I do it for myself’ the mantra d’jour?
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You don’t need to get a tan, i’ve never had a tan in my life, i like my fair skin… I know I’m weird.
You don’t need eyelash extensions… always seemed a total waste of money for me.
The brazillians were added to the list… and as for legs… I’m going to give that one to you but with the note that you can shave instead of wax, and yes there is an expense to shaving, but men generally shave their face and thank god we don’t have to do that!!
also Teeth whitening seems to be one of the most ridiculous things to me, at least as a reccuring thing. As a one off to get rid of some bad stains I can understand but I just don’t know why anyone would get it done regularly… maybe that’s just my fear of dentists coming through.
Although, yes I think its horribly unfair it costs more for women to get their hair cut than men. It costs me almost 5 times more than my boyfriend at the hair dressers, and he only goes half as often! So I guess thats 10 times as much. But that’s largely my fault for wanting my hair coloured a painfully bright red which involves a fair bit of work to maintain.
I know you realise that you did put in that you realise this all depends on how much you get involved. But the vagina specific list in the article mostly wasn’t things that you have a choice to get involved with or not. We need toilet paper, we need pap smears, we need pads or tampons (or moon cups I guess but there is a costs there too, even if its non-recurring) and we need birth control, whatever that may be. Or you end up pregnant and then have either the expense of an abortion or the expense of raising a child.
Just pointing out that the list in the article is a list of stuff we need (for the most part) where as yours was a list of stuff we choose. You can still be a perfectly attractive woman without the whitened teeth and the tanned skin
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I am thinking more women have to spend on fem hygiene products . Simple fact, some are smellier than others…
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Same goes for penises Keith, there are some pretty feral cheesy ones to be found. I’m thinking men should probably also spend more money or at least some time on personal hygiene.
Oops, did I just feed a self-comment-liking troll?
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Wow, listing abortion as an “incidental” is a bit tactless dont you think?
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I thought the same thing. If you’re going to list abortion as an incidental, how about obstetric costs too?
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Hey oddsocks, sorry if we caused any offence – we went off the Jezebel list which is why it’s listed there.
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Totally agree… an abortion is in no way ever going to be part of my vaginal upkeep and I’m disturbed anyone would consider this a normal thing to do! Very sad sign of the times that people consider an abortion something as normal as having your period or a wax
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I don’t think anyone would consider it to be as common as having your period or a wax – that’s why it is under the variables list and not the main list. I hope that clears it up a bit!
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Did you deduct the cost of the Medicare debate cos those are some expensive doctor’s appointments!?
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Oops, *rebate!
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I did my own calculations from the above catagories and my vagina seems to cost me about a third of that amount. For one thing a years supply of the pill costs me $82.50, tampons and pads nowhere near that much, no condoms required, no period pain, no infections in about 8 years and pap test only costs me around $80. I don’t get waxed (bad reaction) and sorry but I don’t count toilet paper, everyone uses it.
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Apparently women use twice as much toilet paper as men because we have to use it for both number 1s and 2s – that’s why it’s in there! Wow, never thought I would be having this conversation…
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Surely the cost of anything birth, baby and birth-control related should be split 50/50 between the sexes? Because if it ain’t, you’d have to add child support to the cost of having a penis and that makes the figures above look like pennies.
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Ah but if both parents are working you would think the costs of raising children would be paid by both (not just the man), and in the case of a stay at home parent that parent could add loss of income to their ‘genital fees’ from opting out of a ‘paid’ job to be a stay at home parent.
My partner pays for half my pill, he was happy to pay when I suggested it, afterall it is a lot cheaper than the alternative!
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Yes, it all gets rather complicated, doesn’t it. Best just to say everyone shares the cost of birth control and everyone shares the cost of the results!
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Birth control probably SHOULD be split 50/50, but isnt always. I have never expected someone else to pay for my pill. In a relationship the deal has always been I pay for the pill they pay for the condoms, so it works out fairly even. However, I’ve had sex with people I’m not in a relationship with. I certainly don’t expect some one night stand to pay for a months worth of the pill, I’m pretty happy they are paying the 50 cents for the condom. I’m the one losing out money wise there.
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I think there is a pretty good ROI over a life time though, isnt there girls?
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Ha ha!!! Nice one
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Well,i’m saving around $300 right there with doing my own waxing…$14 for a jar of wax,which is enough for about 5 full brazilians!Yay!
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Owner operator brazilians…wow I admire you. I couldn’t inflict the pain on myself.
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I am a guy, yes… but I think the greater pain would be inflicting $300 on myself to get someone else to hurt me! Haha.
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I agree Red… also,it’s kind of satisfying-stretch,rip and bang,smooth skin…:).I’m bloody good at it too these days,if i may say so,and certainly quicker than the lady at the shop ever was,ha!
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Which wax do you use? I would like to do it at home but haven’t found a good method or brand..
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Nad’s Brazilian and Bikini Wax,the red one…i love it!I didn’t really think it was even possible to give yourself a full Brazilian,but i thought i’d give it a go anyway,and i haven’t looked back since!
Sure,it hurts,but once you get the hang of it,it’s so much more convenient than having to go to a salon…
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Anouk! Please put some instructions on how you do it somewhere, I’d LOVE to do my own, I hate paying so much for something so silly….:)
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I wish I could do it myself! I wax everything else myself, but have to go to beauticians if I want a brazillian. I’m just way to uncordinated to do it myself. Tried it in the past but then I end up punching myself in the face and giving up.
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I don’t think abortion needs to be on this list. I know it happens, but, really…
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Why not?
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I just think that putting it on this list makes it seem as it is the ‘norm’, as though it is ok to do it. I don’t agree with it. I’m not asking for an argument on abortion vs pro-life, just giving my opinion
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It is normal. It is ok to do it. 1 in 4 women in Australia will have an abortion at some point in their lives.
Pretending it is anything but normal is naive.
just giving my opinion.
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Just because people do it, does not make it normal. People also commit suicide, take drugs, murder people. That’s not normal… Just sayin’
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I think it’s odd it makes the list in the sense that I’m pretty sure no one has an abortion on a yearly basis. I guess thats why it’s in incidentals but I agree with the many comments above and below that it’s more an OB cost- if you want to count it you need to toss in pregnancy related costs as well
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One in 4 doesn’t make it normal – it’s only 25% and the minority, surely normal requires at least 50%
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Acceptable, yes … but a yearly cost? There are some planning issues that those women should be sorting through.
No matter what you think about the embryo itself, abortion is an invasive procedure which carries risks.
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Thanks, Sam. I take offence to being called naive. I am not ignorant to what goes on in the world, hence my original comment stating that I know abortion happens. I was giving my opinion, not personally attacking anyone.
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I agree, Bec.
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I get that they are a vagina-related cost, but obstetric costs should be added in too then. I think more than 1 in 4 women will have at least one pregnancy in their lifetime too.
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I must be in a strange mood today….I read the title and straightaway I sung in my head “my vagina don’t cost a thing” to the tune of “my love don’t cost a thing” ala JLo. I think it’s time to step away from the computer.
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Ha ha ha, that’s amazing!
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Another day… another ‘vagina’ post on Mamamia…
Is it just me, or does this feel like the never ending topic?
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Gee. Maybe because most of us have one?
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We also have legs, arms, ears, boobs… need I go on?
Seriously – you care whether others are ‘self waxing’ or how many tampons they use per month?
My vote – let’s all discuss how many q-tips we require for ear cleaning!! Just about as interesting.
This is not even an article relating to health for goodness sake!
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The doctor says never put anything in your ears…
p.s. if you don’t like it don’t read it…
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Right, and if you don’t like it then certainly don’t comment on it.
Just what the world needs, another sook that thinks everything should be tailored to fit them!
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All too funny!!! Yep I’ve had ovarian cysts @ 3 operations then because of this had 3 Caesars then had tubes tied and follow ups, now the big hysterectomy with the other girls ^^ so disregarding everything else my Hairy NufNuf needs a money tree!!!
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Hairy NufNuf .. tee hee!!
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I had seriously never considered how much it cost me to have a vagina, I wonder how much boobs cost?
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yeah bras add up!!
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Yeah, I hear the cost of bras is pushing up.
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Femme fresh is costly too…
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Not all of us have to resort to that stuff though… Keep yourself clean woman!
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Um, Femme Fresh is a pH balanced wash that is perfect for “sensitive” areas, it has nothing to do with not being clean enough. You sound a bit rude Lara .. :/
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And not all of us have to resort to abortion, thrush treatments etc, but they are all on the list.
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Wow, get your facts straight.
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Wow – 20 tampons a month plus pads?! I literally use three tampons a month. I have a 2-day period that’s so light nothing happens overnight. Thanking my lucky stars now. Although I’ve always been worried that maybe that means I’m less fertile…
Don’t forget that with Medicare, your appointments are more realistically about $35.
Interesting though. Is there really anything men need for their doodles? Do they even use toilet paper for number 1s?!
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Oh Noelle, I envy you!! I routinely use around 32 tampons a month PLUS pads – the joys of an extremely heavy 7 day long period.
Thank your lucky stars to the heavens and back, I’d swap places with you in a heartbeat.
As for being less fertile. Despite bleeding like I do every month, I suffer from unexplained infertility – lots of miscarriages under my belt with no explanation, so don’t necessarily worry that your fertility is linked to how much you bleed
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Chosen child of the period gods!
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Haha! I’m the golden child!
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Me too! Well mine are 4 days but very light. It does make you worry sometimes doesn’t it? But with a Mum and a sister who are definitely on the heavy side of the fence I just feel fortunate.
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I envy anyone who is using less than 10 tampons a month! I’m peri-menopausal and am having about three periods a month and I’m going through boxes of tampons like there’s no tomorrow so it’s costing me a damn fortune!
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Hey Noelle, I have super light periods too – 2 days of bleeding, maybe a spot on day 3, and only need a pad overnight on first night, then nothing. And I am definitely fertile – conceived twice in late 30s totally naturally, so don’t stress. (I used to worry it meant I was less fertile too….weird huh?)
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Oh wonderful, thank you
Obviously you never know until the time comes, but that is somewhat reassuring 
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Wow I wonder where that worry comes from? Does someone tell us that when we’re young or do we just plant that in our own minds? Because I was the same way… to the point where I took some pretty crazy risks in my twenties as I was convinced I was infertile since my periods were so light. Sometimes they’d barely last 24 hours. But then I became pregnant while on the freakin Pill in my mid 30s so that shot that theory to shit.
So yeah Noelle… definitely don’t worry! My periods sound almost identical to Vegas’. I’m thinking life just sprinkled us with fairy dust in this department.
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I used to think there was a chance I’d be infertile too, but because my periods were so heavy and painful, rather than light. Then I got pregnant while on the pill too!
So much for the pill being a contraceptive. Sounds like its really a secret fertility drug for those of us with dodgy utereuses (is that the correct plural for utereus?) lol
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3 tampons a month? seriously? it’s been years since I’ve needed tampons as I went through menopause in my late 40s but I always thought you were supposed to replace tampons around every four hours in case of toxic shock syndrome.
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Depends on your flow, and recently they discovered it has more to do with the quality of the tampon than the length of time… More likely to get TSS from using cheap crappy tampon than from a high quality one. I think time you can leave them in is more like 8 hours… although just being 6 months pregnant I’ve already forgotten. If she’s having a 2 day period without needing anything for the 8 or so hours she asleep, its possible that 3 tampons is enough.
lucky thing.
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I think it’s been priced the same way they say that educating a kid costs $200,000 or something ridiculous. Sure, if you shell out for some expensive private school from kindy to Year 12 and then pay for them to go to a college with their private school chums at uni.
But if you don’t, it costs WAAAAAY less. I also don’t get the complaining about “having” to get waxes and stuff. If it’s such a burden and you don’t like it, don’t do it. Easy!
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Who pays $130 for a Pap Smear? Mine costs me nothing.
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Same.
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These are American stats.
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No, these are the Aussie stats worked out by Mamamia team.
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We called a GP to ask and that’s what they told us
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It’s usual to privately bill a “long consult” for a pap smear done by your doctor, so yes this does cost about $130+, and a standard consult between $65-85. But don’t forget your get Medicare back from that, so out of pocket is about half that amount (for a short consult you get about $35 back, and for a long about $69 from memory).
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Wow, $280pa for Yasmin. I’ve been find on a generic pill for years. A one year supply costs me $38.
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I used to be on a generic pill then it stopped working as well so now I’m on yaz for $320/year… I long for the days of a generic pill!
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