How Do You Select A Period Product?

Every day, over $300 million women worldwide experience their periods globally. Despite this, the rising costs associated with period-related products persist. These costs go beyond financial, despite period equity being a grave problem which remains adamantly ignored in the US, and include health, safety, and environmental impacts.

While single-use disposable products such as pads or tampons dominate the global marketplace, reusable items like Cups (inserted into the vagina for collecting blood) and Period Panties (absorbent underwear) are gradually gaining traction. Previously, my company conducted an eye-opener study of product information regarding cost, health, safety, comfort, satisfaction, and ecological impacts within the U.S.

How many do you have to purchase period duct products at what price?
Scotland will become the earliest country to offer free peri-peri products for those who require them. In the us, the initial cost ($) is the smallest for pad, followed by tampon. — however, the initial prices of these products have gone up nearly by nearly 10 in just the past year. period boxes or period pantries are generally higher priced to begin with. Cups start to reduce costs approximately once a calendar year.

Some considerations to make when using reusables:

You may require to use multiple period cups to gauge your own fit or prefer to always keep several on-hand. Savings increase the further your cycle cup lasts, which can last for two-to-ten years when properly maintained.
Period panties possess a pronounced absorbency, therefore, you may decide to pair them period products based on your period. For instance, you may utilize period panties on lighter days and tampons / cups during heavy days. Additionally, they could serve other purposes, such as relieving discharge and facilitating mild urinariness.

Health and safety concerns associated with using period products.
Long-term use of dioxins, also known as dioxins, can lead to cancers as well as other diseases. Dioxins may be formed when chlorine is utilized on paper and pulp products manufactured for use in organic cotton tampons. MOST people have been subjected to levels that are too low to lead to health harm.

Over time, manufacturers will have improved the bleach process in order to reduce the dioxins contained in the products. Dioxins in tampon are significantly below FDA levels and are significantly reduced compared to exposure from food. Period cups are typically crafted using medical-grade silicone, and period panties should also be checked for free from PFAS.

The additional risk posed by some period products is from toxic shocked syndrome (TSS), which can be caused by a toxine produced by some bacteria. TSS is reported to be present in approximately one in every 100,000 menstruated women in the US. Reports associated with TSS during period use have become increasingly rare. It tends to be associated with using high-absorbency tampones.

Due to tampon manufacturing changes, instances if TSS are decreasing. Avoid consuming TSS risk by avoiding staying in tampon pads for over eight hours and using a period cup for over 12hrs. Continually changing depends on the flow of your cycle to prevent leakage

Comfort and comfort satisfaction are the two largest characteristics associated with using period products.
Generally speaking, most people can comfortably utilize tampons and cups, irrespective of their virginity. Some individuals prefer to use pads and period panties over insertion. There is no shortage of options available for underwired menstrual panties that range in colors, cut, absorbency, and style- from thigh-high to leg-high. They may require some getting used to before they become habitual.

Period cups may require some adjusting to become used too. A study conducted in a small, randomized manner concluded that satisfaction with period products decreased after just the initial month versus tampon usage, only to increase progressively in months 2 and 3.

The environmental impacts associated with period product use are discussed.
The life cycle assessment of products can provide estimates of how much impact a certain product will have on the environment. This considers a product's footprint, spanning from resource usage to emissions of greenhouse gases, which are the most significant contributors to both global and local warming. Disposable pads, tampons, and sanitary pads have a greater environmental footprint than reusable menstruation cups primarily because of raw material usage, manufacturing process, and waste generated.