The Victorian Period (And Beyond) From the 1890s to the early 1980s, people used sanitary belts, which basically were reusable pads that attached to a belt worn around the waist – and yes, they were as uncomfortable as they sound.
Therefore, while women continued most of their daily work, they avoided activities they believed could halt the flow. The most salient precaution was avoiding getting chilled, whether by bathing, doing the wash in cold water, or working outside in cold, damp weather.
Medieval women had two choices, much like we do today: she could find a way to catch the flow after it left her body, or find a way to absorb it internally. In our modern words, medieval women could use a makeshift pad or a makeshift tampon. Pads were made of scrap fabric or rags (hence, the phrase “on the rag”).
1800s to 1900: Turn of the century – From rags to riches? In European and North American societies through most of the 1800s, homemade menstrual cloths made out of flannel or woven fabric were the norm–think “on the rag.”
The age old question remains, how did women of the time cope with their monthly periods without the use of tampons or sanitary napkins? The most common form of sanitary item was the use of rags.
1800s: More Inventions + The First Disposable Period Product
In the Victorian Era, rags were commonly used as pads which coined the term, “on the rag”. These 'rags' were reusable and commonly homemade from flannels or woven fabric.
Over the past century the age at menarche has fallen in industrialized countries, but that trend has stopped and may even be reversing. The average age at menarche in 1840 was 16.5 years, now it is 13. The age at menopause, however, has remained relatively constant at approximately 50 years.
What did women use before pads and tampons? It may be difficult to believe, but once upon a time none of these modern period products existed. Before the 1800s, women made do with softened papyrus leaves, lint wrapped around a stick, rolled up grass and sea sponges.
Easy peasy,no? Well, it turns out that Regency and Victorian women didn't have periods. This whole menstruation thing didn't come into vogue until around 1880 and then every woman wanted to have a period and stores had to stock “napkins” and “belts”.
5th - 15th century
Women use rags as makeshift pads, leading to the term “on the rag” becoming slang for menstruation.
There was no deodorant, let alone disposable razors, so some women placed half-moon-shaped “dress shields” between their clothes and their hairy, sweaty armpits. But really, the most surefire way for a lady to deal with body odor was to wear perfume — a lot of it.
They were needed to provide comfort and privacy while working long hours. Then in 1931, the Colorado doctor Earle Haas invented the cardboard applicator tampon. Businesswoman Gertrude Tendrich bought the patent, produced, and distributed it, which was the beginning of the modern company Tampax.
While Dr. Earle Haas patented the first modern tampon in 1931, tampons had been used for thousands of years prior to that by women across the globe. The Papyrus Ebers, the world's oldest printed medical document, describes the use of papyrus tampons by Egyptian women as early as the 15th century BCE.
The first of the disposable pads were generally in the form of a cotton wool or similar fibrous rectangle covered with an absorbent liner. The liner ends were extended front and back so as to fit through loops in a special girdle or belt worn beneath undergarments.
For most girls, their first menstrual period, or menarche (say: MEH-nar-kee), begins about 2 years after she first starts to get breasts. For most girls this is around age 12. But it can be as early as age 8 or as late as 15.
There's no set age when menopause should start, but usually a woman will enter menopause in her mid-40s to mid-50s. Menopause that occurs before a woman is in her mid-40s is known as early or premature menopause. If a woman is 55 or older and still hasn't begun menopause, doctors would consider it late-onset menopause.
Most girls start their periods when they're about 12, but they can start as early as 8, so it's important to talk to girls from an early age to make sure they're prepared.
Tendrich and Haas's tampon was made of tightly compacted absorbent cotton, shaped like a bullet, and had a string attached at the base that allowed for easy removal from the woman's body. Some tampons had a plastic or cardboard applicator, while other digital tampons could be inserted with a finger.
Women also used herbs and tinctures to regulate their menstrual cycle in order to better track when pregnancy was possible. They also breastfed—sometimes against the slaveholders demands to stop—in hopes of lessening the chance of becoming pregnant.
Mary Beatrice Davidson had invented the first generation of what would eventually be called the sanitary pad or napkin. It meant you could actually go out in public without fear of getting blood everywhere. When she first patented it, a company sent a representative down to speak to her.
Historically, the word "tampon" originated from the medieval French word "tampion", meaning a piece of cloth to stop a hole, a stamp, plug, or stopper.
Commercial manufacturers borrowed this idea and the first disposable pads were available for purchase came as early as 1888 – called the Southball pad. In America, Johnson & Johnson developed their own version in 1896 called Lister's Towel: Sanitary Towel's for Ladies.
Victorian Oral Hygiene & Dental Decay
Most people cleaned their teeth using water with twigs or rough cloths as toothbrushes. Some splurged on a “tooth-powder” if they could afford it. Sugar became more widely distributed, thus contributing to an increase in tooth decay during this time period.
By the middle of the Victorian era, bergamot and lemon oil had surpassed Eau de Cologne to become the most popular fragrance for women. According to Goodman: “Bergamot and lemon oil, sometimes employed separately but more often used in combination, was the signature smell of the middle years of the century.