Pads are a necessity for managing menstruation, preventing leaks, protecting clothing, and maintaining hygiene, allowing individuals to participate fully in daily activities without discomfort, shame, or the risk of infections like UTIs or bacterial vaginosis. They're essential for health, dignity, and equality, helping to avoid health risks from makeshift products and supporting focus in school or work by alleviating period anxiety, making them as crucial as soap or toilet paper, not a luxury.
Sanitary pads for women play an essential role in managing menstrual flow safely and effectively. Designed to absorb blood and prevent leaks, pads ensure women can carry out their daily routines comfortably, even during their periods.
A menstrual pad is an absorbent item worn in the underwear when menstruating, bleeding after giving birth, recovering from gynecologic surgery, experiencing a miscarriage or abortion, or in any other situation where it is necessary to absorb a flow of blood from the vagina.
Without access to menstrual hygiene products, women may use makeshift sanitation products. That practice can lead to dangerous physical health impacts such as vaginal and urinary tract infections, severe reproductive health conditions and toxic shock syndrome.
It's going through your period without the use of menstrual products — literally going with the flow. Some people free bleed onto towels and some people wear leggings or period panties. I gave free bleeding a shot during my last period, and didn't use a single tampon or pad. Even on the second, typically heaviest, day.
We believe it's because you let your body do what it's supposed to do when practising free bleeding. You don't suppress its natural processes. When you let your uterus do its thing, when you let the blood flow, your body rewards you by cramping less.
Makeshift pads produced from cotton wool are not only easy to make, but they also provide good coverage. Cotton Wool is absorbent, just like socks are. A rectangularly-shaped, pad-size piece of cotton wool can be used as an alternative of sanitary pads with phenomenal ease.
The use of menstrual care products goes back centuries: in ancient Greece, lint wrapped around wood was used as a tampon, and moss as well as buffalo skin were used as pads by Native Americans. In the 18th and 19th centuries, women in Europe used woven fabric or flannel to make homemade cloth pads.
Using the calendar method, the Amish typically begins tracking her menstrual cycles for several months to establish the length of her average cycle. She then identifies the period of her menstrual cycle when she is most likely to ovulate based on the number of days before and after her average cycle length.
Here are some reasons why people choose to wear pads when they're not on their period: Light Bladder Leaks - Small urinary leaks can happen due to stress incontinence, sneezing, laughing, or physical activity. Vaginal Discharge - Daily discharge is natural and often prompts people to wear pads to feel dry and fresh.
The three most common menstrual products in Korea are disposable pads, liners, and tampons. The most commonly used of the three are pads.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that reusable period pads, menstrual pads and period pants can make your periods end faster. There's no scientific evidence as to why this should be the case.
How Do You Use Pads? Pads should be changed every 3–4 hours, even if you have a light flow. Regular changing prevents buildup of bacteria and stops odor. If you have a heavier flow, you might need to change pads more often to make sure you don't leak.
Key points. Periods that last for more than 7 days are considered heavy. Periods that require a new tampon or pad after less than 2 hours or involve passing large clots are considered heavy. Your healthcare provider can determine if you might need testing for a possible bleeding disorder.
The super-absorbent gel is made of sodium polyacrylate crystals: a chemical absorbing polymer that turns into a gel when exposed to moisture and can absorb 800 times its weight in water.
During menstruation, you should avoid heavy/intense exercise, excessive caffeine, alcohol, salty/sugary foods, and tight clothing, as these can worsen cramps, bloating, and mood swings; also, practice good hygiene by changing menstrual products frequently (every 3-4 hours for tampons) to prevent infection and avoid strenuous activities if you feel fatigued or in pain.
The Amish wedding night will usually be spent in the bride's parent's home, as the couple will need to assist in clean up the following day. They will then spend their first months of marriage – their honeymoon – visiting relatives. (This is when most gifts they receive will be given.)
Amish girls typically get married in their early 20s, usually between ages 20 and 22, often shortly after being baptized into the church, which usually happens in their late teens or early twenties. While dating starts around 16 during the Rumspringa period, marriage follows baptism and joining the church, with females often marrying slightly younger than their male partners.
For many Indigenous cultures, menstruation is not a taboo or shameful occurrence, but a time for reverence. Women's menstrual cycles were often seen as linked to the moon's cycles and the earth's natural rhythms. This connection symbolized a greater unity between women, the earth, and the cosmos.
Rags - first disposable menstrual supply
As the first disposable menstrual supply, rags were used in the 1800s. It was the Victorian era when menstrual supplies started to become more available and people used homemade menstrual clothes made out of woven fabric or flannel. This is where the term 'On the Rag' came from.
In the book, authors Elissa Stein and Susan Kim also recount how women wrapped lint around wood to create tampons in ancient Greece and Rome. In ancient Japan, women turned to paper to absorb blood, while the Native Americans made pads out of moss and buffalo skin. These were the first “all natural” products.
The 1700s:
Women who lived on farms used sheepskin which they recycled by boiling it clean. For ladies-on-the-go, a cheesecloth sack stuffed with cotton was the predecessor to the pads we know and love today. Once used, they would pitch the cotton, wash the cheesecloth, and stuff it with cotton again.
You can go about your day, sleep comfortably at night, or even exercise, knowing your blood flow is absorbed and secure. Another reason is comfort. Many people say wearing regular underwear with pads feels bulky or awkward, whereas period pants feel just like everyday undies — but with hidden leak protection.
Women and people who menstruate who don't have period products sometimes use tissues or paper towels as DIY pads.
Product Details
Our herbal sanitary pads are made from pesticide-free cotton and infused with essential oils, which creates a cooling effect that helps with cramps and discomfort. With lavender, rose, aloe vera, and mint, these cotton menstrual pads are designed to soothe, refresh, and reduce irritation.