by Janey Lee Grace
Do you remember your first ever menstrual period? I’ll lay a bet that you remember that day even clearer than your wedding day / child’s birthday / first day at work. You would no doubt have been issued with the regulation huge sanitary towel with elastic ties that worked their way up outside the top of your skirt if you weren’t careful and there was that awful smell in the incineration unit in the girls loos to contend with.
Thankfully we’ve moved on since then and most women use tampons or very lightweight and discreet disposable sanitary pads. All OK then ? Certainly not. You will have read over the years scare -mongering stories about women who’ve got toxic shock syndrome (TSS), a serious form of blood poisoning and other serious infections from wearing tampons and like me you’ve dismissed it as too small a risk to care about but what about the other factors?
There are the environmental considerations of course, landfill sites are full of the horrors, not to mention the cost of calling out Dynarod to unblock your drains if a well meaning (not) girlfriend disgustingly flushes one down your loo.
I was absolutely horrified to read not so long ago about the chemicals used in the production of some sanitary products: bleaching agents, chlorine, and even allegedly a ‘chemical’ that encourages more bleeding. There are fears that many tampons contain dioxins, and there is evidence that even low levels of dioxin may be linked to cancer, as well as adversely affecting the immune system. There are even worries about the rayon used in the materials during manufacture and it’s contribution to the onset of TSS. Now if that’s not scaremongering I don’t know what is but it certainly made me think before inserting the little gems.
So what’s the alternative ?
Well just as there are cloth nappies there are cloth menstrual pads too that are totally reliable and washable, but for those who simply can’t function with padding around their private parts there’s the menstrual cup. The best known is the ‘Mooncup’ and boy is it an amazing little invention. Its basically a tiny ‘cup’ that is inserted high into the vagina to catch the flow of blood. When its full (you get to know how often you need to check) you simply flush the blood away and rinse the cup out. During the course of your period you lose on average about 30 to 40 ml of blood, (6 to 8 tablespoons) so its not as much as it may seem, but I know what you’re thinking – "theres no way I’m going ferreting up there getting blood on my hands to insert a plastic flying saucer 5 times a day!!!"
I do sympathise. When I first tried a contraceptive cap many years ago, I faffed around for what seemed like hours in a bizarre half seated half lying position – legs in air - only for it to flirt out again the moment I sat up. I never could get on with the cap but trust me this is easier. For a start the cup is small and ‘mouldable’ and once you’ve got the knack of sort of ‘clicking it’ into position it doesn’t drift and really is no more hassle than a tampon. The really big advantage with the menstrual cup is that it seems to help with erratic. heavy periods and menstrual cramps, To be honest I don’t think there’s any scientific research to prove this as yet but several women I know have reported that their periods have become regular after years of irregularity. The blood flow has seemed considerably less – unless they just couldn’t really moniter it on an absorbent tampon, but most of all they suffered less bloating and menstrual cramps. The theory for this could be that tampons because of their absorbency and chemical toxins actually dehydrate the vaginal area and it’s the dehydration during blood loss that can cause pain and discomfort. Obviously if a tampon, and even a sanitary towel to a lesser extent, has high absorbency then it absorbs all the natural fluids as well as the menstrual flow. As for making periods more regular well I can only guess it's more natural and so allows your body to regulate itself.
Menstrual cups are incredibly good value at around £20-30. They should last at least 10 years if you look after them and if you compare that with what you spend on tampons and panty liners even in a year you’re up on the deal.
If its just not your thing or you want to use tampons when you’re out and about cos you can’t face rinsing out the cup in public loos then make sure you only ever use organic sanitary protection. NatraCare is one firm who makes an excellent range of tampons and disposable sanitary pads and they are 100% organic GMO free cotton, so much less potentially toxic. It's interesting that even if you get the ‘super’size they don’t have anything like the absorbency of the conventional makes. That’s actually a good thing because it makes you change the tampons more frequently. That scares me as to what really is in the others, rather in the style of a commercially bought slice loaf lasting nearly a week, when the one I just popped out the breadmaker stays ‘fresh’ for two days if I’m lucky. Interesting isn’t it ? Those preservatives and chemicals are leaching into you – literally. (If any guys are reading this don’t ever think about the gag that follows that statement !!)
NatraCare tampons and towels are available in most health food shops, just slightly more expensive than regular brands but well worth it. www.natracare.com
You can buy many eco-menstrual products and get loads more info from www.treehuggermums.co.uk
Heavy Periods and pain
While we’re on this subject, I’ve been fairly lucky over the years though I have noticed that what I eat and drink has a definite effect on me just before and during menstruation Try and cut down on wheat, sugar, caffeine and alcohol, the usual suspects and drink copious amounts of water.
I’ve also recently tried a great little product called the Ladycare magnet. This clips onto your knickers and really does seem to help relieve pain. Again the theory is that magnets also help to replace the fluids in the body so it goes without saying drink lots of water too, before and during your period
If you can afford one a ‘rare earth magnet’ is meant to be the birds and the bees knees but its expensive. My cheaper one also seems to work. It’s the ‘Ladycare magnet’ available at most Lloyds pharmacies.
If you want to try Homeopathic remedies by the way, ‘agnus castus’ is meant to be very effective for heavy periods. It's renowned for its hormone balancing properties, it can significantly increase the progesterone levels in women, thereby helping with PMS and menopausal symptoms. Magnesium can help with reducing bloating, cramps and can reduce irritability. If you can’t eat copious amounts of green leafy veg take a magnesium supplement for a few days before your period is due. Many women also swear by evening primrose oil capsules but GLA gamma linolenic acid is an essential fatty acid that plays a key role in easing pre menstrual syndrome. Biocare make Mega GLA complex capsules that contain four times more GLA than 500g of evening primrose oil capsules.
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