The menstrual cycle of a regular woman is five days a month. In a year, it would be approximately 60 days. If we calculate it for 40 years, the average menstruation of a woman in her life, we would be talking about six and a half years when you buy disposable pads or tampons.
If we see it as a minimum monthly expense, perhaps the impact is not noticeable but if we see it all together we would be talking about a very high amount of money invested in something that we will later discard.
The three R's
Faced with this arises a sustainable response based on the principle of the three Rs, a proposal popularized by Greenpeace that pursues responsible consumption and develops responsible habits by reducing waste or garbage which results in saving money and reducing the human impact on nature.
With the proposal to use reusable products for menstrual hygiene, we will understand the value of reducing, reusing, and recycling. But also, we will be taking a big step in the conservation of the planet and making a favorable impact on our economy.
Reusable vs. disposable
Perhaps for many women, talking about menstrual hygiene products on the reusable principle is a crazy and unhygienic idea.
They may wonder why to reuse if they can buy disposable products that are more hygienic.
Maybe it is true that buying sanitary pads or tampons does not mean a considerable expense within the monthly budget. But if you put that minimal expense together for all the menstruations you may have in an average of 40 years, you will see that the figure will be considerable.
If you evaluate the investment when using reusable products, you will be surprised to know that this figure will decrease considerably. You can create significant savings by using products that will allow you to maintain the same menstrual hygiene and have the same comfort you get with disposable products.
Recommended products
Among the proposals for sustainable menstrual hygiene, three alternatives are gaining ground and positioning themselves in the female market, which is gradually becoming their favorites:
1. Absorbent cloth pads
This proposal is ideal for those who do not want to leave immediately to use sanitary pads. These pads fulfill the same function as a disposable pad, being able to change them whenever necessary, only that instead of discarding you only have to wash them to reuse them.
They are designed with hypoallergenic and absorbent materials to avoid infections or poor menstrual hygiene.
2. Menstrual underwear or panty liners
That is one of the most recent alternatives. Panties are designed to absorb menstrual flow just as an absorbent pad would, without the risk of staining your clothes.
They are made of cotton and come in different sizes not only to adapt them to your body to prevent accidents but also they come in different sizes according to the absorption capacity for abundant flow or softer flow. They can be washed manually or in the washing machine and reused.
3. The menstrual cup
That is also a sustainable proposal and is becoming the replacement for tampons. Perhaps it is a little out of the ordinary and many women don’t feel comfortable. It is a silicone cup adaptable to the body that collects the menstrual flow inside.
At first, you need to adapt while you find the most comfortable way to wear it. They are easy to sterilize. They do not absorb but collect the menstrual flow protecting the intimate balance.
The advantage of these three alternatives is how economical their use can be, besides contributing to not polluting the planet with plastic products and chemicals that take time to degrade.
