Let's talk about period products

A topic few dare to discuss in public...and one that my male readers can skip 😉

---

Do you ever talk to your mother or your girl friends about what they use?

What they recommend? Challenges they’ve had with some of those menstrual products?

I took all my recommendations from the ads I saw on TV, social media and what I found at the supermarket or pharmacy.

I didn’t even know what it meant to “want to be active” during my period by the time I saw the first Tampax ad. But, I knew that when my period finally came, I had to get Tampax, so I could “continue on with my life” as if nothing was going on.

Without even thinking about it, I started using tampons the second my period came. I continued to do that, and only that, until approximately 2022 - more than 22 years. Then, exposed to the knowledge of so many chemicals and learning about a friend's health problems due to tampons, I did the research.

So what’s the story with today's menstrual products like the most popular tampons and the most popular pads?

Are there healthier period product options?

This is how the feminine care aisle looks like at supermarkets today. I'd like to know their beauty secrets; they look exactly the same as 20 years ago!

Let's look at the ingredients:

🚫 Rayon

The first material you are likely to see in tampons. Rayon (a plant derived pulp) is treated with harsh chemicals and bleaches. While that “gets washed away” prior to going into the tampons, it is hard to believe that no chemical traces are left in Rayon after the chemical intensity of the process. Then we insert this in our vaginas for up to 8 hours (if you’re being disciplined about replacement).

🚫 Polyester

A synthetic polymer made from petrochemicals. P.s., the same chemical combination used in most plastic bottles. When washed, polyester sheds microplastics…hm, makes you wonder what it does when it is moist in your vagina for hours.

🚫 Ethoxylated fatty acid esters

These are composed of: fatty acids + alcohol or glycerol + ethylene oxide. Ethylene Oxide is a known carcinogen; and it has developmental and reproductive toxicity concerns.

How these products are allowed to be sold to us, 50% of the population, is beyond my imagination.

I was mortified when I saw the ingredients list of products marketed to teenagers. The female reproductive system is still in development for a few years after the first period yet it is exposed to all these unnecessary chemicals and artificial dyes.

By the way, I tried researching for the most current ingredients by going to the Tampax and Always websites. No ingredients listed online. Tried Amazon product pages since Amazon usually has the ingredients list, also not available. I had to go to the store and look at the package to find it!

Back in 2022, I resorted to The Honey Pot Company after studying the ingredients. It had only 4 ingredients, organic cotton being one of them. I fell in love. More on this later.

Since we were still working in a hybrid environment and I could work remotely, I decided to give pads a try. My thinking being that this would allow my body to go through its cycle without any foreign objects and chemicals next to one of the most sensitive and absorbent tissues in our body.

The first change I noticed was interesting. My period got shorter! While using tampons, it would last 5-7 days (I always used Tampax Pearl Regular + liners to protect my underwear, a double whammy of chemicals). With these pads, it shortened to approx. 3 days. That was wild and I still haven’t found an explanation for that.

The second change I noticed was that my period started working like clockwork…I was never irregular but my period would come anywhere from day 23 to day 28. Once I stopped using tampons, I went into almost exact 25 day cycles. I don’t know if the ingredients in the tampons caused this change or if it simply came with age.

That said, between stopping to insert petrochemicals, fragrance and chemically-laced rayon in my body for 3 months and just getting 3 months older, it is hard for me to attribute this change to age. I enjoy being able to know exactly when my period will come. It makes travel and planning for what I need so much easier.

I’m not advocating for you to stop wearing tampons (see bottom of article). I know those make life a lot easier.

The third change I noticed was related to dryness. Maybe this is common knowledge but I didn’t know dryness came from wearing tampons. I have erased from my mind the feeling of nails against a chalkboard when removing the tampon. And then, a little TMI, the dryness I would experience while having sex is also gone.

Pads are a bit annoying. I need to make sure I'm always 30 minutes away from a toilet because when my body sends me the first signal that I need to pee, I know what’s about to happen and need to make it to the bathroom quickly. This way, the pads rarely have a trace of blood.

That’s a nuisance but, I also like knowing that I’m not inserting polyester, rayon, dyes and other petroleum byproducts inside my vagina, where the tissue is so absorbent. There is a reason why blood has to come out, so keeping something soaked in it for hours and hours inside our vaginas doesn’t sound all that healthy to me anymore. Annoying? Absolutely!

But I try to think of it as a little effort for preventive self-care.

In doing research for this article - which was prompted because I need to replenish my menstrual products - I was disappointed to discover that The Honey Pot Company has changed its ingredients since being acquired. Of all things, they’ve added polyethylene terephthalate. When I saw this, my mind raced to phthalates. But upon more research, this ingredient is currently not identified as being harmful. Still, I don't feel comfortable with it so I'm now looking for other alternatives.

One friend recommended trying the cup. Another one recommended the disc. Now that I’m in my forties, asking my friends what they use is a lot more comfortable. And surrounded by friends that are equally committed to - or work in - female health, the recommendations come pouring. They swear by these products.

I will do an update on this if I do try them. While one of them claims to use a medical-grade polymer blend, I know polymers mean plastic and plastic is a petrochemical. I'm still not comfortable with the idea of having petrochemicals by choice inside my vagina. And having worked for a brand that claimed to use medical-grade talc when no such thing exists, makes me uneasy about anything that doesn’t show the mix of ingredients.

As of the time of this writing, I haven’t found a menstrual product alternative I like and seems fully safe. This is why I cannot share my recommendation yet. But, I hope sharing this knowledge and this awareness helps you decide what's best for you. I will be sharing an update in a few weeks since I will need new period products soon.

The good news is that while at the store, I did notice that The Honey Pot Company's tampons are still very very clean. I'd recommend them if tampons is what you prefer. I tried them before resorting to pads and they performed well.

The Honey Pot Company's tampons are still clean. I'd recommend them as a clean tampon option

P.s., wild that the Tampax Pearl, with all its bad ingredients, is the #1 US gynecologist recommended brand. Makes you wonder, do these guys have vaginas?

Anyway, thought I’d share in case this hasn’t come up before 😉

And, check back because I will continue my research this month and share an update.

Toodeloo!

And, if you want to send me a love note, I'm at Alexandria@AlexandriaCollective.com

And, this is a collective of knowledge so if you have questions or suggestions, please share them in the comments!