7 REASONS YOU SHOULD SWITCH TO WASHABLE SANITARY PAD

1. You will reduce your menstrual cramps, infections and skin rashes.

If you suffer intense pain during your period and are using disposable pad, consider using alternatives like washable pads or 100% organic cotton products. Disposable pads also use plastics, which block airflow to your vagina, and not surprisingly, can encourage a painful rash. Disposables also use synthetic fibers like rayon which are super-absorbent, but will also absorb all the moisture in your vagina, increasing your chances of severe pain and infections -- especially if you are wearing one for hours, all day, and all week. Once I switched to reusable cloth pads, my own severe cramping was reduced to nil -- a real menstrual miracle.

2. Reusable options are much healthier for you.

Disposables are typically made with a combination of plastics, cotton, synthetic fibers and wood pulp. Conventionally produced cotton is one of the most toxic crops grown, using 20 percent of the world’s pesticide and herbicides. These materials are then bleached with chlorine dioxide, creating polluting, harmful and bio-accumulative byproducts like dioxin, which not only end up in the environment, but also remain in our bodies for decades. Add other synthetic chemicals and artificial fragrances to the mix, and you've got a recipe for side effects like allergic reactions, hormone disruption, reproductive and gynecological disorders like endometriosis.  .

3. You will save loads of money.

If the health reasons don't sway you, maybe the numbers will be more convincing. Granted, reusables have a larger initial cost, but they last much, much longer. With proper care, cloth pads can last for years (my own cloth napkins are six years old and are still going strong). Compare this to the disposable that has a lifespan of a few hours before it's thrown away, forcing you to buy more and more -- all of them ending up in a landfill.

You can do the math: assuming a woman menstruates for 40 years, buys a N450 pack for a month, you can do the rest.

4. You will help save the environment.

Switching to reusables is a striking example of how seemingly small personal choices can have a tremendous positive impact on our environment. The plastics in a pad will take hundreds of years to decompose. The process of manufacturing these disposables also pollutes our waterways, air and animal habitats. Switching to reusables can make a difference.

5. You will support independent companies.

If you are already leery of handing your money over to big, faceless corporations that probably don't have your best interests in mind, check out the companies that specialize in providing safe and healthier alternatives.

6. Its sanitary, doesn't leak and easier to clean than you think.

When talking about reusable options, one is inevitably faced with the questions: "is it clean?" and "will it leak?" Our washable pads use a removable liner for extra absorption, and many have a waterproof lining sewn inside. It may be a tad bulkier, but occasional bulk is infinitely better than a lifetime of health problems. With the right maintenance, reusable products are just as sanitary. For washable pads, we recommend soaking them overnight in water before washing.

7. Heck, it's pretty. And empowering.

Forget those boring, bleached white synthetic products -- reusable options are bursting with color, patterns, unique designs -- personality. I don't know what the background science may be, but surely bright colors can help alleviate any premenstrual syndrome-related moodiness.

We would also do well to remember that non-disposables are nothing new; women have been using sea sponges and rags forever. The culture of concealment surrounding menstruation has influenced women to feel ashamed about their bodies, and this imposed shame makes us docile, unquestioning consumers of products that are neither good for us, nor the environment.

WHY GIRLS MENSTRUATE!

 (LET’S KNOW MORE ABOUT MENSTRUATION)

Puberty and Periods

Menstruation (a period) is a major stage of puberty in girls. It's one of the many physical signs that a girl is turning into a woman.

Menstruation can be confusing, just like a lot of the other changes that come with puberty. Some girls can't wait to start their periods. Others may feel afraid or anxious. Many girls (and most guys!) don't have a complete understanding of a woman's reproductive system or what actually happens during the menstrual cycle. That can make the process seem even more mysterious.

Girls usually start to go through puberty between the ages of 8 and 13. Their bodies and minds change in many ways. Hormones kick off changes like growth and breast development. About 2 to 2½ years after a girl's breasts begin to develop, she usually gets her first menstrual period.

About 6 months or so before getting her first period, a girl might notice an increased amount of clear vaginal discharge. This discharge is common. There's no need for a girl to worry about discharge unless it has a strong odor or causes itchiness.

When a girl first gets her period, doctors call it menarche. Menarche doesn't happen until all the parts of a girl's reproductive system have matured and are working together

When a girl starts puberty, the pituitary gland releases hormones that stimulate the ovaries to produce other hormones called estrogen and progesterone. These hormones have many effects on a girl's body, including physical maturation, growth, and emotions.

About once a month, a tiny egg leaves one of the ovaries — a process called ovulation — and travels down one of the fallopian tubes toward the uterus. In the days before ovulation, the hormone estrogen stimulates the uterus to build up its lining with extra blood and tissue, making the walls of the uterus thick and cushioned. This happens to prepare the uterus for pregnancy: If the egg is fertilized by a sperm cell, it travels to the uterus and attaches to the cushiony wall of the uterus, where it slowly develops into a baby.

If the egg isn't fertilized, though — which is the case during most of a woman's monthly cycles — it doesn't attach to the wall of the uterus. When this happens, the uterus sheds the extra tissue lining. The blood, tissue, and unfertilized egg leave the uterus, going through the vagina on the way out of the body. This is a menstrual period.

This cycle happens almost every month for several more decades (except, of course, when a female is pregnant) until a woman reaches menopause and no longer releases eggs from her ovaries.

How Often Does a Girl Get Her Period?

Just as some girls begin puberty earlier or later than others, the same applies to periods. Some girls may start menstruating as early as age 10, but others may not get their first period until they are 15 years old.

The amount of time between a girl's periods is called her menstrual cycle (the cycle is counted from the start of one period to the start of the next). Some girls will find that their menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, whereas others might have a 24-day cycle, a 30-day cycle, or even longer. Following menarche, menstrual cycles last 21–45 days. After a couple of years, cycles shorten to an adult length of 21–34 days.

Irregular periods are common in girls who are just beginning to menstruate. It may take the body a while to sort out all the changes going on, so a girl may have a 28-day cycle for 2 months, then miss a month, for example. Usually, after a year or two, the menstrual cycle will become more regular. Some women continue to have irregular periods into adulthood, though.

As a girl gets older and her periods settle down — or she gets more used to her own unique cycle — she will probably find that she can predict when her period will come. In the meantime, it's a good idea to keep track of your menstrual cycle with a calendar.

How Long and How Much?

The amount of time that a girl has her period also can vary. Some girls have periods that last just 2 or 3 days. Other girls may have periods that last 7 days. The menstrual flow — meaning how much blood comes out of the vagina — can vary from girl to girl, too.

Some girls may worry that they're losing too much blood. It can be a shock to see all that blood, but it's unlikely that a girl will lose too much, unless she has a medical condition like von willebranch disease.  Though it may look like a lot, the average amount of blood is only about 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) for an entire period. Most girls change pads 3 to 6 times a day. They'll probably change pads more often when their period is heaviest, usually at the start of the period.

You may be worried about whether your period is normal in other ways. This is normal when a girl first gets her period and isn't sure what to expect. Your doctor or nurse can answer any questions about your period. Here are some times it's especially important to talk to a doctor or nurse if:

·         your period lasts longer than a week

·         your blood soaks thorough more than one pad every 1–2 hours

·         you go longer than 3 months between periods

·         you have bleeding in between periods

·         you have an unusual amount of pain before or during your period

·         your periods were regular then became irregular

Cramps

Lots of girls notice body or mood changes around the time of their periods. Menstrual cramps are pretty common. More than half of all women who get periods say they have cramps during the first few days. Doctors think that cramps are caused by a chemical called prostaglandin that causes the muscles of the uterus to contract.

Cramps can be dull and achy or sharp and intense. Sometimes a woman feels cramps in her back as well as her tummy area. Some girls find their cramps aren't as bad as they get older. Sometimes they go away completely.

Many girls and women find that over-the-counter pain medicine (like acetaminophen or ibuprofen) can help cramps. So can taking a warm bath or putting a warm heating pad on the lower abdomen. Exercising regularly throughout the monthly cycle may help lessen cramps, too. If these things don't help, ask your doctor for advice.

PMS and Pimples

Some girls and women find that they feel sad or easily irritated during the few days or week before their periods. Others may get angry more quickly than normal or cry more than usual. Some girls crave certain foods. These types of emotional changes may be the result of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

PMS is related to changes in the body's hormones. As hormone levels rise and fall during a woman's menstrual cycle, they can affect the way she feels, both emotionally and physically. Some girls, in addition to feeling more intense emotions than they usually do, notice physical changes along with their periods — some feel bloated or puffy because of water retention, others notice swollen and sore breasts, and some get headaches.

PMS usually goes away soon after a period begins, but it can come back month after month. Eating right, getting enough sleep, and exercising may help relieve some of the symptoms of PMS. Talk to your doctor if you are concerned about your premenstrual symptoms.

It's also not uncommon for girls to have an acne flare-up during certain times of their cycle; again, this is due to hormones. Fortunately, the pimples associated with periods tend to become less of a problem as girls get older.