Evolution Of Period Products

  In today's day, we cannot imagine our life or say our days of menstruation "the 4-6 days of bleeding" without pads, buffers, measuring cups, and other health products. But what about Ancient women? Have you ever thought about how they spent their average 5-day cycle of mensuration without these products? What did they use until Pads? Yes, almost all of us think they used pieces of clothes and yes that’s right, but clothes weren’t the only thing that they used to avoid the strains in their clothes. Let's find out what they actually used.

        ANCIENT PERIOD PRODUCTS

In Japan, women used papers to absorb blood. Likewise, Women in Egypt used papyrus as tampons. While in ancient Greece and the women of Rome wrapped lint around the wood to create buffers. Whereas Native American women's used pad made out of moss and buffalo skin.

In some parts of the World, Women even used rags, cotton, or sheep’s wool in their underwear to stem the flow of menstrual blood. Knitted pads, rabbit fur, even the grass were also used by women during their period.

First Disposable Pad

According to femmeinternational.org  The first disposable pads were developed by nurses, looking for new ways to stop excessive bleeding. The first pads were made from wood pulp bandages by nurses in France. It was very absorbing and cheap enough to throw away afterward. Commercial manufacturers borrowed this idea and the first disposable pads were available for the purchase came in 1888 and were referred to as the South ball pad.

However, In America, Johnson & Johnson developed their own version in 1896 called Lister’s Towel: Sanitary Towels for Ladies. Although the Sanitary Pads were available by 1896 Some women still prefer to follow ancient products, and Some of them couldn't afford them. The key reason why women preferred ancient items over modern sanitary pads was that they were afraid to ask for them. Disposable pads did not become widely used for many years.

 The earliest disposable pads were typically in the shape of cotton wool or a similar fibrous rectangle covered with an absorbent liner, according to the same website femmeinternational.org. The front and back ends of the liner were extended to fit through loops in a special girdle or belt worn undergarments. The companies also checked sanitary aprons and sanitary bloomers between 1896 and the early 1900s. The early period panties functioned similar to the rubber diaper covers that are often used for cloth baby diapers. 

 This style had a habit of sliding forward or backward from its intended location. Later, an adhesive strip was added to the bottom of the pad to enable it to be attached to the saddle of the pantyhose, and this became the preferred method among women. In the early 1980s, the belted sanitary napkin was soon substituted out.

  However, Some women still felt uncomfortable and shy to buy the sanitary pads shop owners were encouraged to leave the products on the counter along with a box where women could drop in money. Which allowed them to avoid interacting with shopkeepers.

EVOLUTION OF PRODUCTS

Dr. Earle Haas designed the tampon in the late 1920s and the early 1930s. Almost every woman favored tampons. Tampons encouraged women to do all kinds of physical activities, while pads didn't allow them to do all of them properly. The first women to purchase tampons were mostly dancers and swimmers. Some people were hesitant to use it because Tampons were designed to be inserted into the "VAGINA." Even in the 1950s, using Tampons was a big deal, particularly for unmarried women. It was thought to be a way to lose one's "VIRGINITY." Basically, while virginity was cherished above all else, girls didn't want a tampon to split their hymen.

Tampons had become a popular product used during menstruation by the 1980s, prompting companies to investigate their offerings. Playtex, a well-known brand, created a deodorized tampon that claimed to catch the odor inside of you, which doesn't make sense because internal blood has no odor.

In the early ’80s, a super-absorbent tampon made of polyester was released. These synthetic tampons were linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome.

Even in the early 1980s, people didn't talk much about the period and period items, mostly on public platforms like television. Courtney Cox said the term "period" for the first time on television in 1985.

Women started skipping times in the early 2000s. Seasonale, a birth control pill that allowed women to skip monthly menstruation, was approved by the FDA in 2003. However, by the time super-absorbent period underwear or menstrual cups were already in the market.

Likewise, In 2016, Cora launched its subscription service for organic tampons. Cora’s tampons come in sleek black packaging. They’re an alternative to drugstore tampons filled with toxic or unreported ingredients and packaged in wrappers. (INFORMATION FROM Bloodandmilk.com).

P.S: According to a report, ancient women got a lesser period than today's modern women as “if someone is pregnant multiple times, they are not having their period, and if they are lactating multiple times they are not having their period. If someone has five or six kids, that's 10 years of their menstrual life". And in ancient times people used to have a lot of "KIDS" that went down to 1 or 2 on today's day.