Alternative and Environmentally Friendly Menstrual Products

 

What Happens During Puberty?	Alt. Menstrual Products
Breast Development	PMS
Why Do I Get My Period?	Menstrual Cramps
Timing of My Period	Clotting/Spotting Blood
Feminine Protection

 

If you're concerned about the chemicals and synthetic materials used to make regular pads and tampons, or you're looking for a more cost effective way to deal with your periods, you may want to consider using alternative products that are also easy on the environment. Read on to learn about alternative menstrual products that are both safe and reusable.

 

 

 

The Center for Young Women’s Health does not endorse any of the following products. Our goal is to provide a sampling of alternative and environmentally friendly products available to consumers.

 

What are some “natural” menstrual products that are also environmentally friendly?

Non-chlorine bleached all-cotton pads and tampons are available at many natural foods stores and even in some larger supermarket chains. They are generally a little more expensive than regular pads and tampons. They are disposable, so they are not as environmentally friendly as reusable products, but they are not made using chemicals. However, even 100% natural cotton can contain pesticides, so if you want to be sure that the product you are buying has no chemicals, it's best to choose a brand made with organic cotton.

 

Reusable, washable, cloth pads work just like regular disposable pads, but instead of throwing them away after use, you rinse them out, wash them, and use them again. Reusable pads usually come in two parts: a liner and a liner holder. The liner goes inside the holder, which has wings that snap around the crotch of your underwear to keep it in place. They come in different sizes and absorbencies and are usually less irritating because they are made of cotton, not plastic. Cloth pads are more expensive than disposables (when you first buy them) but they will save you money over time because they last for years. You change reusable pads as often as you would change disposable pads, except with reusable pads you hand or machine-wash them instead of throwing them away.

 

Sea sponges are a natural alternative to tampons that come in different sizes to absorb varying amounts of menstrual flow. On average they cost between $8-15 dollars (each). These are not the same sponges that you might buy in a grocery store to wash dishes with. Sea sponges are actually harvested from the ocean floor and contain no synthetic materials. They are not sterile, however. One sea sponge will last about 6 months, but some may not last as long. A menstrual sea sponge should be thrown away and replaced if you notice that it rips apart while you are inserting or removing it from your vagina. You should follow the instructions that come with the product. Before using a sea sponge, you’ll have to dampen it, squeeze it tightly in your hand, and then gently insert it into your vagina. Once in place, it works like a tampon to absorb menstrual flow.

 

A sea sponge needs to be rinsed out about every 3 hours and thoroughly cleaned and dried and properly stored at the end of each menstrual cycle. Care must be taken to remove the sea sponge to avoid tearing it. In the 1980s, the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) found that some sea sponges marketed as menstrual products contained potentially harmful bacteria. One sea sponge manufacturer (Sea Pearls™) offers ways to disinfect their product. As with tampons, it is possible to get toxic shock syndrome from sea sponges.

 

Reusable Menstrual Cups

Menstrual cups are another alternative to tampons. The Keeper®, The Keeper Mooncup®, The DivaCup, and one disposable cup (Instead Softcup) are examples of different kinds of menstrual cups. Menstrual cups are made of rubber or silicone which makes the cup easy to fold so that it can be inserted into the vagina to “catch” menstrual blood rather than absorb it. The design is simple; a cup to collect menstrual blood and a “pull-tab” to remove it to make emptying it easy. Although it looks like a funnel, the blood does not drain out through the pull-tab (the tube is solid not hollow). Menstrual cups are not linked to TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome) because they simply collect the blood rather than absorb it. There are about ten different kinds of reusable menstrual cups available on the market today. The most popular menstrual cups come in two sizes. The bigger cup is recommended for women over 30 who have delivered a baby vaginally. The cup may not be the right choice if you are not sexually active or you have a heavy flow.

 

The Keeper® menstrual cup is made of natural gum rubber from trees. The Keeper is placed inside the vagina a few inches below the cervix and can be worn for 6 to 12 hours (depending on the amount of your flow), including overnight. When The Keeper® is full, simply empty (into the sink, toilet, etc.), rinse with clean water or wipe clean with toilet paper, and reinsert it. The Keeper® cannot be worn by women who are allergic to latex.

 

 

 

 

 

The Keeper Mooncup® menstrual cup is made of non-latex, medical-grade silicone. The Keeper is placed inside the vagina a few inches below the cervix and can be worn for 6 to 12 hours (depending on the amount of your flow), including overnight. When The Keeper Mooncup® is full, simply empty (into the sink, toilet, etc.), rinse with clean water or wipe clean with toilet paper, and reinsert it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The DivaCup is made of a medical-grade silicone, which makes it an alternative for women with latex allergies or who are sensitive to The Keeper®. Like The Keeper®, the DivaCup sits a few inches below the cervix, can be worn for up to 12 hours, including overnight. It is emptied and cleaned the same way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both the DivaCup, The Keeper®, and The Keeper Mooncup® sell for about $35 (a piece) which costs a lot more than a box of pads or tampons. However, with proper care they can last for years, making the cost reasonable over time. Some girls and women like to wear a panty shield when using the menstrual cup for extra protection.

 

Disposable Menstrual Cup

The Instead Softcup is worn at the very back of the vagina and covers the cervix. It can be used for up to 12 hours at a time, depending on your flow. The manufacturer claims that it can be kept in place during any activity, including sexual intercourse (Note: Wearing The Instead Softcup during sex does NOT protect against pregnancy or STDs). The cup must be thrown away after a single use. Instead Softcups are sold in drug stores and supermarkets, but they can be hard to find and are more expensive than tampons.

 

 

 

Are reusable menstrual products safe and healthy to use?

Although it may be challenging for some girls and young women to handle their menstrual blood or place a menstrual cup in their vagina, it is important to know that there is nothing “dirty” about menstrual blood. These reusable products are sanitary as long as they are properly cleaned and stored according to the manufacturer's instructions.

 

Of course, you should never share reusable menstrual products with anyone else, and you must follow the manufacturer's instructions about when and how to replace the product.

 

Where can I learn more about alternative menstrual products?

Because most women are not familiar with these products, their manufacturers are often willing to provide education and support to anyone interested in switching from the more popular menstrual products. Most manufacturers even offer a money-back guarantee to encourage uncertain consumers to give eco-friendly menstrual products a try.

 

When you consider all of the tampons or pads that you would use over the course of your menstruating years, choosing a reusable product (instead of a throwaway one) would definitely have a positive impact on the environment. But keep in mind on average, it takes 2-3 menstrual cycles of using these products to tell if you like them, especially if you have been using name-brand tampons and pads for a while. You might decide that you are happier using an alternative product or you might find that you would rather stick with regular tampons and pads-and that’s okay. There is no right or wrong choice! The best menstrual product is the product that you are most comfortable using.

 

Here are some commercial web sites with FAQ’s about alternative & environmentally friendly menstrual products:

 

GladRags

 

Lunapads

 

Divacup

 

The Keeper

 

 

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Written by the CYWH Staff at Children's Hospital Boston

 

Updated: 4/28/2010

 

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