Is choosing reusable sanitary pads simply a trendy choice, or a well-thought-out decision?
Some might think that wearing reusable sanitary pads has drawbacks. First, let's look at the advantages:
Savings
First, a point to consider is the question of savings. Indeed, in the medium term, buying disposables can become a considerable financial burden. As for the reusable sanitary pad, its price can be spread over its longevity, i.e., three to five years. Moreover, if you are conscientious, you could even go up to seven years.
Consider, for example, a seven-day menstrual flow requiring feminine hygiene products. Let's assume that a pack of disposables at $7.50 covers one cycle. After five years, you could spend approximately $450.
However, for the same period, if you opt for 15 reusable sanitary pads, you would have spent approximately $175 or even less, which represents a saving of 61%. By opting for a smaller number of reusable sanitary pads, let's say ten pads (cost $115), your savings could increase to 74.5%.
Health
Gynecologist Sylvie Dodin, quoted in the August 2017 Protégez-Vous magazine, explained that some women using disposable products experienced problems such as itching and recurrent bacterial vaginal infections due to these products.
In rarer but fatal cases, some have even been victims of toxic shock syndrome (TSS) caused by a bacterium, namely Staphylococcus aureus.
Several brands of disposable pads contain chemicals such as dioxin and chlorine and have a disastrous effect on the vaginal mucosa as well as on the environment. Dioxin is a product that our body cannot get rid of. Since the vaginal flora is more sensitive during menstruation, this chemical enters our body through the mucosa and accumulates over time, causing serious health problems.
Comfort
On the other hand, reusable sanitary pads are made of fabric. Since we naturally wear clothes made of textile fibers, by choosing reusable pads, our intimate parts almost thank us. Contact with breathable natural fibers can help reduce the multiplication of harmful bacteria. Note that it is important to change your reusable protection several times a day to optimize good intimate hygiene.
Plasticized disposables can give off bad odors. Indeed, this is a comment we hear regularly. This would be due to the lack of ventilation caused by the plasticized waterproof film.
The environment
Each woman will use between 10,000 and 15,000 sanitary pads in her lifetime. If we multiply this figure on a planetary scale, the effect is catastrophic. Add to this all disposable diapers and disposable incontinence protections, these are products that cannot be composted. They go directly into landfills or incinerators, which in turn release dioxin into the environment.
Small note on the menstrual cup
Some might say that they prefer the menstrual cup to the reusable sanitary pad. Even these women find it practical to have a reusable panty liner for days when they don't have the opportunity to wear their cup. This will be another topic to discuss eventually.
Protection against urinary leakage
In addition, the reusable sanitary pad can also protect against urinary leakage as well as menstruation. To do this, simply find the right model. For example, a blend of bamboo rayon and cotton is capable of absorbing several times its weight in moisture. Similarly, Zorb ™ (a blend of bamboo viscose, cotton, and polyester) allows many models of sanitary pads to also absorb 10 times their weight in moisture (Zorb is a trademark of Wazoodle, an American textile company).
Reusable protection; the other side of the coin
Transportation
Some might say that having to carry reusable pads could deter some. However, there are pretty little wetbags that allow us to have them with us at all times. They don't need to be washed immediately after use. It can wait until the end of the day.
Care cost
Others believe that maintaining reusable pads can be a chore. However, it only takes five minutes of soaking to clean them, much like removing soap from a sponge. You can squeeze the pads a few times under running water. Then, you can use laundry soap and hand wash and hang to dry, or put it in the washer/dryer in a mesh bag if preferred.
Ultimately, there are two choices: reusable or disposable. Which decision will you make? Why not try reusable ones?