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Why Use Cloth  Menstrual Pads?

Cloth menstrual pads are better for the environment, easy on the pocket book, and so much more comfortable than paper and plastic pads. No more sweaty, itchy, rashy, chafing paper and plastic pads! Instead you can use comfortable, soft cotton, fleece, velour or other soft fabrics. No more adhesive sticking to your skin. No more running out of pads at the worst possible time. You'll have a fresh set of comfortable, clean and ready to use pads at hand with just a simple load of laundry.

If you menstruate for 33 years (age 12-45) and you use about 20-25 pads per cycle, you will throw away 8,000-10,000 pads! That's a lot of trash - and a lot of money and resources in the landfills.

Comfort

I believe in saving the planet, but let's face it, I would not use cloth menstrual pads if they were uncomfortable. I am just not that dedicated. I am more of a "Save the Planet but I need a daily hot shower" sort of environmentalist.  I became a cloth convert from the very first time I tried them. Why? Because cloth menstrual pads are so comfortable!

Cloth menstrual pads were not my foray stop in the search for a better menstrual product. I tried several other products first:

• I tried the Instead cups. I have no idea who they were made for but it sure as heck wasn't me. Ouch!
• I tried Sea Pearls sponge tampons. Way messy and they were not even close to sufficient for my heavy flow. I just don't have time to rinse out a tampon every hour. Not to mention the leaking when I sneezed....
• Unbleached and biodegradable disposable tampons.  Expensive and still not comfortable. I was shelling out big bucks for tampons that still caused overdrying and chafing.

I knew there had to be a better way. So when I heard about cloth menstrual pads I was intrigued but kind of grossed out. I couldn't imagine how comfortable they would be and it seemed like a lot of trouble to wash them--but I was really sick of the sweaty, itchy, chafing disposable pads and the real discomfort I was in at the end of a cycle with tampons.

So, I used some hemp, cotton flannel, and other nice fabrics I had some small pieces of to make myself a couple of pads. Before the day was through I was sewing a few more pads to get me through the night. Those were so comfortable, and leak proof, that I decided to make even more so I could do laundry just twice during my week long period. I could not believe how comfortable these pads were!

Then I made a few for a friend who suffers from stress incontinence when she coughs or sneezes. She was soon back asking for more cloth pads as well. With the moisture proof backing I added to the pads, she was able to relax knowing that her pads would not leak - even during allergy season.

It was such a relief to know I could sneeze without embarassment! I especially do not miss the  adhesive on disposable pads that always seems to stick better to me than to my underwear!

Environment

Any time we throw away something after one use we are throwing away resources. The average woman will throw away almost 300 pounds of disposable menstural products in her lifetime. 

Tampons are no better than pads when it comes to the environment. Tampons clog plumbing (my brother is a plumber, he makes a lot of money off those "flushed away" tampons). Tampons also contribute heavily to the sewage sludge problem that cities are dealing with all over the industrialized world. Sewage overflows lead to tampons and applicators washing up on beaches, in fact, tampon applicators are one of the most common sources of beach debris!

Cloth pads require only an extra small load of laundry or two each month and can last 5-7 years or more. Compare a dozen cloth pads to the mountain of tampons or disposables necessary for 5-7 years!

Producing cloth pads also requires less resource investment as there is minimal packaging, much lower dossil fuel cost for transportation to buy disposables, and far fewer chemicals and waste produced in their manufacture.

Health

Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is still a risk for anyone using tampons. The risk is much higher with disposable products. This is why they are required to warn you on the label and on the instruction sheet inside the box. Experts agree that TSS is underreported, despite the fact that all states are required to report all cases.

Despite the bleached white appearance, tampons and pads are not sterile. They are not sterilized - no disposable menstrual products are sterile.

The FDA does not require disposable menstrual pad users to list the ingredients on the label so you do not know exactly what chemicals are being placed against your sensitive and absorbant tissues for several days each month.

Disposable products are bleached white with chlorine, leaving behind traces of the known cancer causing chemical dioxin. To read more about dioxins and Toxic Shock Syndome, click here to read about tampon safety.

Savings

Using cloth pads will save you money. You will need from 6-24 pads in your stash. 

Cost of 7 years worth of cloth pads: $30-180 dollars



Cost of 7 years of disposables at an average of $7 per month: $588



Cost of 30 years worth of cloth pads: $150-900



Cost of 30 years of disposables: $2,940



I don't know about you, but I can think of lots of things I'd rather do
with my money!



This information is provided for entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. It is important to make your own informed decisions about anything involving your health..