What's The Best Period Product For Me?

For galore of us, our first lessons astir periods were little and practical, often constricted to learning really to usage pads aliases tampons.

Alongside these accepted options, there's now a wider scope of products available, including reusable options specified arsenic menstrual cups, play pants and washable pads.

Making nan prime astir which 1 is champion for you tin beryllium overwhelming. You mightiness wonderment really these products activity and whether they're foolproof capable to put nan fearfulness of bleeding done your apparel astatine bay.

Dr Tempest, a advisor gynaecologist astatine nan University of Liverpool, spoke to Radio 4's Sliced Bread astir really each merchandise useful and nan pros and cons to thief you determine which mightiness suit you best.

• Listen to Dr Tempest talk astir play products

Menstrual cups are mini elastic cups made of medical-grade silicone.

You fold and insert them into nan vagina, wherever they cod humor alternatively than absorbing it.

Dr Tempest says location are different types of cups disposable to bargain based connected really dense your travel is aliases whether you've had children.

Hygiene is besides really important truthful make judge you lavation your hands earlier you insert nan cup and cleanable nan cup betwixt uses, she adds.

Pros

• The astir eco-friendly play merchandise
• Holds up to 3 times much humor than a tampon
• Can beryllium worn for up to 12 hours
• Reusable for years - they tin past up to 10 years but betwixt 2 and 4 years is nan mean
• Cost effective complete clip

Cons

• Takes believe to insert and region
• May return clip to find nan correct fresh
• Messy to empty, particularly successful a nationalist toilet
• Needs sterilising betwixt cycles
• Larger upfront costs which tin beryllium astir £20 to £25

Period pants are underwear pinch built-in absorbent layers. You deterioration them for illustration normal pants past rinse, lavation and barren them for reuse.

They're peculiarly celebrated for sleeping aliases connected lighter days.

Leakage worries are normal but Dr Tempest says they are reliable for astir group and person a built-in waterproof furniture and odour lining.

Pros

• Looks and feels for illustration regular underwear
• No shifting astir and past betwixt six and 8 hours
• Reusable and eco-friendly - they past betwixt 2 and 3 years
• Can beryllium layered pinch different products for other protections

Cons

• Can person an costly upfront costs - prices commencement from astir £10 and spell up to £50
• Requires washing and drying betwixt uses
• May not beryllium absorbent capable for dense flows
• Inconvenient for recreation without entree to laundry
• Will request to transportation a utilized brace location pinch you if changing them during nan day

Reusable pads look akin to disposable ones but are usually made from fabric aliases bamboo and fasten astir your underwear pinch poppers.

Instead of throwing them away, you rinse, lavation and barren them to usage again.

Pros

• Softer and much comfortable to deterioration than plastic-based pads
• Eco-friendly truthful celebrated if you're wanting a much sustainable option
• Variety of sizes and absorbencies
• Cost effective complete time
• Can past betwixt 3 and 5 years

Cons

• Need to beryllium washed aft each usage
• Requires readying - they must beryllium dried decently betwixt uses says Dr Tempest arsenic damp cloth against your tegument tin summation nan consequence of infection
• Bulkier than disposable pads
• Less convenient if you're retired of nan location arsenic you'll request to transportation nan utilized ones location pinch you

Disposable sanitary pads are nan astir commonly utilized play merchandise - they instrumentality into your underwear, sorb humor externally and are wrapped and binned aft use.

Dr Tempest advises changing pads regularly (every 4 to six hours) and they shouldn't beryllium worn for much than 8 hours arsenic they tin irritate nan tegument if worn for excessively long.

Pros

• Simple to usage
• Widely disposable successful galore different sizes from ultra-thin to heavy nighttime pads
• Good for overnight protection
• Can beryllium much comfortable for beginners

Cons

• Can consciousness bulky aliases displacement retired of spot
• Not applicable for water-based sports, specified arsenic swimming
• Environmentally harmful - an mean battalion of pads holds nan aforesaid magnitude of integrative arsenic 5 bearer bags according to Dr Tempest
• More costly than reusable options complete clip - women walk astir £5,000 connected play products complete a lifetime

Tampons are besides commonly utilized and inserted into nan vagina, wherever they soak up humor earlier it leaves nan body.

Dr Tempest stresses that they must beryllium correctly disposed of.

Every day, 2.5 cardinal tampons are flushed down nan toilet erstwhile they should beryllium placed successful a bin.

Pros

• Discreet and mini capable to transportation successful a pocket
• Good for sports and swimming
• Range of absorbencies

Cons

• Requires insertion which immoderate group whitethorn find uncomfortable
• Low consequence of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) if worn for excessively agelong
• Environmentally unfriendly
• More costly complete a life compared to reusable products