The discussion on commercial production of various types of menstrual products is emerging in the market. Menstrual products like cloth pads, sanitary pads, tampons, menstrual cups, period panties, bio fibre pads are available besides public argue upon which product is the best. Who should decide the most effective sanitary material?
Menstrual Products
It estimated that more than 800 million people menstruate daily. There are a plethora of menstrual products available in the market from cloth pads to period panties. These products boast to be an efficient menstrual product. In an urban context, people buy a variety of products on trial and error basis. They experiment with a few products to decide which is more comfortable. An individual using a menstrual cup is secure with the process of using it while another individual may find it uncanny. So it depends upon the user that uses those products.
The Number Game
It is reported that the feminine hygiene product market is a billion-dollar industry where business persons are getting benefited by selling these products. The world Feminine hygiene products market expected to reach a whopping 42.7 billion industry by 2022.
Our previous generations had no access to such a wide range of menstrual products. All they did was to use a simple cloth, wash it, dry it and then again reuse it. The chances of Reproductive Tract Infections (RTI) increases if the reusable material is kept in shady places or stored in unhygienic places. In a study, it reported that 71.4% of the females had high chances of RTI’s as they were using reusable cloth during menstruation.
Many rural communities use a cloth as sanitary material. According to the National Family Health Survey IV report, 62% of the young women in our country use cloth during menstruation. There is no harm in using a cloth pad which is clean and hygienic before use.
Know More About The Product You Use
Sanitary pads are used by only 36% of the menstruating population according to National Family Health Survey IV report. There are quite a few issues with the usage of a sanitary pad. An important reason is they are made of non-biodegradable material (plastic). Sanitary waste produced will live until a very long time in the environment. It reported that one sanitary pad takes around 500-800 years to decompose.
Other issues include leakage if worn for a long time. Also, it may cause rashes and irritability if worn more than the specified time. The gel used in the pads reacts with the blood to produce a type of smell which may not be pleasant to some. A study reports that the layers used in the pad making process are detrimental to health as well. To counter this, business companies came back to using cotton cloth pads in a fancy manner by incorporating designs and colour. It had issues relating to rashes and irritability. Various products entered the market like bio fibre pads, biodegradable pads. An alternative narrative by sustainable menstrual hygiene expert Jaydeep Mandal was that products need to be ‘compostable’ rather than being just biodegradable.
Tampons are also widely used by many people. Tampons are used by sports persons as it gives a comfortable feeling while performing strenuous activities. Issues with this were Toxic Shock Syndrome if worn for more than 8 hours.
Then came menstrual cups. They are an environmentally friendly option as it reduces the ecological footprint in the environment. If we compare it to the usage, one cup is used by one person for at least 4-5 years. All the other products mentioned were one-time-use products which add to the waste burden. Also, the cup is user friendly once the users get accustomed to using it. The issue with the cup is that people may not find it comfortable to insert it. Some myths dispelled about cups is that they don’t remain virgin after using it. These myths and stigmas ensure that people do not get the right information and be aware of the true nature of the product.
Period panties, not that popular in our country are effective product as they come with a waterproof layer to soak even heavy flow. One can wear them just like regular underwear. They are good to go! Here is a link that has information regarding the same.
Way Forward
We may argue about which product is the most effective. The bottom line is that each product has its pros and cons. No product is ideal. You can decide what you want to use, it is your choice. We have to be aware of each of the sanitary material that we are using.
Let the user determine the effectiveness of the products they use!