Comfortable, private, and accessible gynecology care for women at every stage of life—in Osman Nagar, Tellapur, Hyderabad.

Menstrual hygiene

pubertywell woman

Menstrual hygiene products and care for girls and women

Once a girl attains menarche, menstruation is an event that she goes through periodically until menopause. Menstrual hygiene is very important to keep local irritation, rashes, itching, vaginal infections and urinary infections at bay. In this post, we will go through some of the common queries around menstrual hygiene measures and products.

What are the basic menstrual hygiene measures that one should take ?

  • Shower or bath at least once in a day
  • Change pad  once in 4 to 6 hours even if not completely soaked
  • Change the undergarments at least once in a day
  • Always wash, rinse and dry undergarments in sun before use
  • Take bath, change  undergarments and pads on return from play or exercise
  • Do NOT use soap or any vaginal wash every time
  • clean the area with plain water and dab the area dry

For more on local hygiene measures, please refer this post.

What are the different menstrual hygiene products available?

  • Sanitary pads
    • Commonly used disposable pads
    • Reusable cloth pads
    • Bio-degradable pads
  • Tampons
  • Menstrual cups

Should we look beyond the commonly used disposable sanitary pad?

Disposable sanitary pads are the most common, tried and tested menstrual hygiene product. Women are comfortable with it primarily due to ease of use, wide availability and its disposable nature.

They are primarily made of bleached rayon (wood pulp), plastic, cotton and sometimes fragrance / antibacterial agents. These constituents may contain certain harmful chemicals.

Some of the disadvantages of these pads are:

  • Skin rashes and irritation- as constituents may contain chemicals like volatile organic compounds, phthalates, dioxins etc.  .
  • Not bio-degradable -Since they contain plastic, it takes up to 500 years to degrade (a single pad can be equivalent to 5 plastic bags!). This is a significant environmental concern, considering the fact that a woman potentially creates roughly 200kgs of sanitary waste during her lifetime. “Sanitary pads” is one of the major single-use plastics polluting the environment.
  • Slippage and leakage – not be suitable for girls involved in physical activities like swimming, gymnastics athletics etc.

To overcome these disadvantages, one could opt for **biodegradable pads  or reusable cloth pads.** They are chemical free, rash free, plastic free and environmental friendly.  One could address the slippage and leakage problem using insertional products like tampons and menstrual cups.

What are the options beyond sanitary pads for menstrual hygiene?

Tampons

Tampon is an absorbent material inserted into vagina much like a sanitary pad, but positioned more safely inside the vagina. However, one needs to definitely change it every 4 to 6 hours. If not, it could lead to infections and rarely a fatal situation called toxic shock syndrome. Would recommend this product only if the girl is mature enough to understand the need to change without delay.

Menstrual cup

Menstrual cup is a small flexible cup-shaped device. It comes in various sizes and needs to be inserted into the vagina. It continues to stay inside by means of a suction mechanism. The main difference from pads and tampons is that while they absorb menstrual blood, a menstrual cup collects the blood.

  • Reusable and economical – A single well maintained cup lasts for 5 to 10 years
  • Low maintenance – One could use for 8 to 10 hours without changing during regular flow
  • No slippage / leakage issues
    • Leak proof when used correctly
    • Very useful for girls involved in physical activities
  • Environment friendly as there is significantly less menstrual waste
  • Social acceptance : One needs to insert vaginally
  • Learning curve : Initial use may require guidance by a professional. May take two to three cycles to perfect the use

Can unmarried girls use insertional products like tampons and menstrual cups?

The medical answer to this is yes. But, this query has the concept of “hymen as a symbol of virginity” at the center of it. We need to understand that this is only a social construct. There are some girls who are born without hymen. Also, physical activities like dancing, swimming, horse riding, cycling etc. can compromise this delicate structure. So, hymen is not indicative of virginity. While the use of these insertional products would typically interfere with hymen, one should not interpret it as loss of virginity.

Having said that, use of these products in the current Indian setting among unmarried girls might have lesser acceptance. A lot of cultures still hold on to the belief of relating hymen to virginity. This is a social stigma that we need to come out of and take advantage of these products.

Can I use panty liner regularly?

Panty liner is a modified thinner version of the sanitary pad. It is typically used to protect during spotting and light discharge. This comes with all the disadvantages of a sanitary pad. So, it is not advisable to use it regularly as it may lead to itching and other skin issues.

In the next post, we will be discuss on common menstrual issues in adolescence

Other related readings

References

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