A woman uses between 9,000 and 9,400 disposable feminine hygiene products throughout her fertile life. Do you know how many women there are in the world? It is estimated that approximately 3,650 million.
If you stop to do the calculations, it is possible that:
- You get scared.
- It's hard for you to assimilate the huge amount we're talking about.
And the environmental impact of our menstruation is aberrant. But that is not the only problem with the current management of menstruation. The Current feminine hygiene products are unsustainable yes, but also unhealthy for your health.
With this article we aim to bring you closer to a more sustainable and ecological menstruation and the reasons why you should opt for more sustainable menstruation management. You will see that it is not only about the environment, but also about your health, the economy, the health of your children...
But, let us start at the beginning. What do we mean when we talk about sustainable menstruation? Would the menstrual cup be an ecological product?
What is sustainable menstruation?
Sustainable menstruation is a way to experience your menstrual cycles in the most positive way possible. This means using feminine hygiene products that have less impact on the environment and are safe for your health as a woman, such as cloth pads or free bleeding.
But living menstruation in a sustainable way also means changing how you feel the menstrual phase of your cycle. Many women consider the days of menstruation as an ordeal, due to the discomfort or even pain they suffer.
In principle, a healthy woman should not experience pain during her period, but she may experience some discomfort. Therefore, managing menstruation in a sustainable way also means dealing with these sensations in the most natural way possible. A good attitude, change the word pain to discomfort or sensation and use natural remedies like infusions, They can lead us to live these days and our own body in a much more positive way.
4 Reasons to switch to sustainable menstruation
Now that you know what we mean when we talk about sustainable menstruation, we are going to give you some reasons to switch to much more sustainable feminine hygiene products.
To avoid toxins in menstruation products
The single-use ones from large stores are not the healthiest option, despite being the most widespread. Most commercial brands do not use cotton, but rather materials such as rayon, which is obtained from chemical modifications of cellulose and which unfortunately often ends up polluting the seabed.
Additionally, many of the single-use disposable pads on the market use synthetic superabsorbent polymers (also known as SAP). These polymers are obtained from the polymerization of acrylic acid, obtained through petroleum refining.
Can't you imagine putting a petroleum product in your most intimate areas? Well, that's just what many disposable pads contain. In fact, SAPs are banned in tampons due to their toxicity.
Organic pads and tampons are They are made of organic 100% cotton, and only natural disinfectants are used for disinfection.
To improve the health of your skin, your intimate area.
The menstrual cup is a product made with non-organic materials, but its useful life of almost 10 years and its high comfort makes it a star product when it comes to sustainable menstruation.
To avoid the presence of endocrine disruptors in your menstruation
Endocrine disruptors are small polluting molecules that can be found in the bloodstream.
In fact, many of the plastics used for conventional tampon applicators contain phthalates, a substance known to be a major endocrine disruptor.
Some studies done with Women who suffer from endometriosis have discovered that there is more of these endocrine disruptors in their menstrual blood than in women who do not suffer from this condition. Without a doubt, in these cases it is ideal to use cloth pads and cotton underwear.
Therefore, although there is no direct evidence that using intimate hygiene with plastics this material migrates, common sense does not say that it is better to opt for organic cotton products, both in the case of pads and in the case of tampons. And be careful, in the case of tampons we always have to remember the risk of toxic shock syndrome.
To better understand your cycle
The amount, color and smell of menstrual blood is a great indicator of your health as a woman. The advantage that organic cotton pads have over other feminine hygiene products such as menstrual cups is that they allow you to see the amount of menstrual flow you have in each cycle. In this way, it is easy to detect changes and be in time to diagnose any possible ailment. Traditional pads use toxic bleaches, as well as blue or other colored bands that mask the real color of menstruation.
To take care of the environment
Traditional disposable products have the problem of being made of plastics, with dioxins and bleaches. This elements They take thousands of years to decompose, so even if they are not flushed down the toilet (you should never ever flush pads or tampons down the toilet, because they end up in the seas), they end up in the environment in one way or another.
While it is true that organic cotton pads and tampons also generate waste (because they are single-use), their ecological materials allow them to be recycled, or some of them even composted. But it must be understood that although its useful life will be finite, it is the best material, sustainable, absorbent and antibacterial by its nature.
Sustainable menstruation, your new goal?
Now that you have seen what sustainable menstruation is, and the reasons for opting for it, its useful life or how comfortable it can be, do you dare to start a transition towards more sustainable pads and tampons that are respectful of your health and with that of the planet?
If you have any questions, ask us!
Here I leave you a list with examples of sustainable menstruation products so you can start now. 🤗
LINK Sanitary cloth pads and panty liners
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