Posted On: 2022-01-05 15:29:33
A beautiful phase of a girl's life begins when she starts menstruating. Menstruation or Period is normal vaginal bleeding that occurs as part of a woman's monthly cycle. Every month a woman's body prepares itself for pregnancy. If no pregnancy occurs, the uterus (where the embryo is formed, resulting in the development of a baby) sheds the inner lining; that is prepared for the pregnancy. The formation of a new life starts with menstruating!
The orthodox society indeed perceives this, as a reason to shear a girl's wings and restrict her independence even before she understands what has happened to her. There are several changes and difficulties that a girl has to go through during every menstrual cycle right from mental physical and emotional. From common symptoms like leg or back pain, breast swelling, acne breakouts, and bloating to premenstrual syndrome symptoms like insomnia, dizziness, anger, anxiety, tension, and let's not forget the hassles of mood swings. Various infections and PCOD and PCOS are yet other unwanted troubles.
A variety of symptoms, right? There is one more aspect of menstruation where women have to choose from a range 'Menstrual Products!'
There is a wide range of Menstrual products that we see in the market these days. From plastic made sanitary pads to the most environment-friendly sea sponge, there are a number of products that help women manage their period flow.
Tampons
Tampons are little plugs made of absorbent cotton and rayon, a synthetic fibre. This fits inside the vagina, soak the blood and can remain in the body for up to eight hours. Some tampons have a disposable plastic applicator cask that holds the tampon inside and a disposable plastic plunger that pushes the actual tampon out of the applicator when inserting it into the vagina. Tampons have a string attached to the end, so you can easily pull them out. It is widely used and is one of the most convenient menstrual products in the market. A popular myth about tampons is that- a tampon might take a woman's virginity away. NO! That is not true. Tampons work just as well for girls who are virgins as they do for girls who have had sexual intercourse. And even though using a tampon can occasionally cause a girl's hymen to stretch or tear, it does not cause a girl to lose her virginity. (Only having sexual intercourse can do that.)
Reusable Menstrual Pads/Cloth pads
Reusable menstrual pads are cloth pads that can be used several times. They absorb the menstrual blood and the pad stays for about 4-5 hours, depending on the menstrual flow. These cloth pads are usually made in several layers that have cotton or hemp. Hemp blended with cotton increases the durability as well as absorption of these pads along with the antibacterial property of the cloth. After use, the pads need to be washed well and can be reused for the next cycle of periods. Cloth pads have protective linings that avoid staining of the underpants and have adjustable bands that help them stay in place. These pads are good for long travels and the blend with cotton provides comfort as well as higher absorption to females.
Period Underpants
These absorbent underpants have multiple layers of microfiber polyester. Unlike disposable products, one can reuse these underpants. They seem like regular underpants but are designed to keep moisture away from the skin as they soak up the menstrual blood. The fabric in period underpants contains a moisture-wicking fabric made up of thousands of small filaments. These fibres trap period blood to keep it from leaking onto the clothes. The outer layer usually includes nylon and Lycra and is then finished with a liquid-repellent film to ensure complete protection.
Menstrual Cups
A menstrual cup is a type of reusable period product. It’s a small, flexible funnel-shaped cup made of rubber or silicone that is inserted into the vagina to catch and collect menstrual blood. Cups can hold more blood than other methods, leading many women to use them as an eco-friendly alternative to single-use or disposable ones. And depending on the flow, the cup can be worn for up to 12 hours. To figure out the right menstrual cup size a few things need to be considered first. Age, whether the flow is heavy or medium, the capacity of the cup, firmness and flexibility of the cup, the strength of the pelvic muscles and if a woman has given birth before using the cup vaginally. Worry not! A gynaecologist will come to the rescue here.
Menstrual discs
A menstrual disc is an insertable alternative menstrual product that provides 12 hours of protection. These are similar to the menstrual cups, in inserting into the vagina and collecting blood. A menstrual disc fits back into the vaginal fornix, which is where the vaginal canal meets the cervix. Menstrual discs tend to be messier than cups when it comes to removal.
Sanitary Pads
Of course, these antique menstrual friends of women are considered too. How can they be excluded? Sanitary pads, napkins, towels or menstrual pads are probably the first and the most common period product used by women in the world. It is a thin pad made of absorbent material that absorbs the menstrual fluid during menstruation days. The main materials used to make these pads are bleached rayon (cellulose made from wood pulp), cotton and plastics. These come in different shapes and sizes and capacity to absorb the fluid- so one can opt according to their convenience. While using sanitary pads, one needs to change them every 4-6 hours, as they can harm the skin due to the chemicals present in them to soak the period fluid. According to the National Family Health Survey 2015-2016, out of 336 million menstruating women in India about 121 million (roughly 36 per cent) women use sanitary pads.
There’s no “right” period product to choose from. The decision solely depends upon the woman, and the phases she goes through during her menstrual days. Comfort and safety are always measured first while choosing a period product.
Though being a necessity, menstrual products are expensive in some parts of India. Using clothes while menstruating can lead to various infections, rashes and in worse cases cervical cancer. Maintaining hygiene especially during menstrual days is extremely important to avoid falling prey to such conditions. A few women were finding it difficult to manage menstrual hygiene in Dahisar, Mumbai. The women at Upadhyay Chawl, Dahisar were finding it difficult to afford menstrual products due to the financial crises rising by the Covid catastrophe. Many women are unemployed there and needed support to maintain basic hygiene during their period cycle. To help these women, Filaantro along with its NGO partner Child Help Foundation, distributed 1400 sanitary pads to 200 underprivileged women. We were able to extend a helping hand to these women because of your support and kindness.
Author: Anjali Patel
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