Periods, otherwise referred to as Aunt Flo, plain out suck. We don’t want them. But unfortunately, our menstruation cycle is an essential part of being a woman and a key thing that must take place for us to remain fertile and bear children.
With periods having taken over women’s lives since the beginning of human kind, there is now a range of feminine hygiene products that have been created to help us battle the monthly annoyance of our periods.
But not all feminine hygiene products are created equal. In fact, there is a range of factors we must all consider first before determining which ones to use. The top factors to consider are:
- Physical activity—as if we are more active, we want more security in ensuring that the products we use will absorb and stay put without interfering with the activity we are wanting to do
- Cost—we do not all have the same budget. All feminine hygiene products are not created equal, meaning that there will be a range of cost factors to consider. Especially since we know this will be a monthly investment we have to make.
- Sustainability—many feminine hygiene products are made to be re-used, while others are designed to dispose of and decompose. The decision of which one you feel better using is entirely up to you and an important one to consider.
- How easy it is to use—you don’t want to waste time trying to use feminine hygiene products. They are there to make your life easy, not consume all your time!
- Longevity—another important factor is how long the product will actually last. Because again, the more you need to replace, the more money you will need to spend in replacing it.
So, to help you decide which products are right for you to cope with your period, here are the top feminine hygiene products to consider using.
1. Tampons
Some women love them, some women hate them. Regardless , they are an effective way for many women who are more active to get the security of absorption and assurance blood won’t be going everywhere while they are moving around. Tampons are basically a wad of cotton that can be easily inserted with an applicator and stay in your vaginal area for up to 6-7 hours.
2. Menstrual cups
If you have a super heavy flow, cups might be the way to go for you. They are made with silicone and do not dry your vagina out the way that tampons do. The insertion of this product is pretty easy, and many women say it helps prevent extra cramps from occurring during their period. Plus, you can leave the cup in much longer than you can a tampon! In fact, for up to 12 hours at a time and can be re-used for up to a year—a great way to budget for your period.
3. Period panties
This is a newer feminine hygiene product that is very exciting for women everywhere! These panties are designed to absorb blood without staining the fabric. This is because special microfibers are used to keep the moisture of the blood in your panties rather than seeping onto your pants. The period panties are another great once-off investment because they can be re-used and washed in between uses. In fact, many period panties are able to last up to two years, making your monthly period investments in feminine products become practically eliminated!
4. Pads
For women who don’t want to use tampons, or for those that do but need some extra absorption support, pads are a great option to use! Pads are also a wad of cotton but designed to stick to your underwear. They need to be changed more frequently to ensure that your skin does not get irritated from the constant rubbing on the cotton on very sensitive parts of your skin.
5. Yoni pearls
This is a feminine hygiene product that is designed to be used before or after periods. This small herbal ball can be inserted like a tampon and is amazing at cleansing out the vaginal area. This means it can zap away any bacterial build up caused from your period, circulate blood flow to minimize period pains, and get out any leftover blood that may be clogging up the area.
With all these different feminine hygiene products at our disposal, we are well set to be able to take on the monthly periods with a little less frustration, pain, and embarrassment. We have options for still being able to exercise while on our periods, less intrusive options for those who don’t want to insert any foreign objects into the vaginal area, options for those with really heavy flows, and options to help us live a more sustainable and hygienic life long term. Try out these feminine hygiene products and find the right ones for you!