Why You Should Definitely Ditch Conventional Tampons and Sanitary Towels

Most of us don’t give much thought to our sanitary protection, do we?

We just toss our choice of tampon or towel into our shopping trolley when it’s ‘that time of the month’, probably opting for the same brand that we’ve used for most of our lives and head straight to the till.

So it might surprise you to know that your choice of tampon or towel is something that you might want to seriously rethink.

Because increasing numbers of studies show that, far from being the convenient and clean option we think they are, these regular tampons and sanitary towels could actually be disrupting our hormones, damaging the environment and even increasing our risk of developing certain cancers.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’d heard these kinds of warnings for a long time but didn’t think I needed to change my shopping habits at all. After all, if they were that bad, they wouldn’t be right there in the supermarket, would they?

It was only when I started my health coach training that I discovered just how dangerous sanitary towels and tampons can be for the female body, and of course, I immediately made the switch. I hope you will too.

But before we do that, I’m going to give you a handful of reasons why you should ditch your towels and tampon and opt for something healthier.

What you put into your vagina matters!

You’re probably familiar with the idea that what goes onto your skin gets absorbed straight into your bloodstream. But did you also know that the skin on the inside of your body also absorbs everything?

Actually, the skin in the vagina is much thinner than the skin on the outside of your body, and therefore, any chemical nasties that are in your sanitary towels or tampons will find it much easier to make it inside your body and do their damage.

The bad news is that tampons and towels are absolutely jam-packed full of these chemicals and can have the following effects on your body and the world.

They’re making your PMT or peri-menopause symptoms worse

Tampons and sanitary towels contain four main substances which can have a huge impact upon how you feel when you are ‘due on’ and also during the peri-menopause and menopause. They include:  

Dioxins

Most regular brands of sanitary protection use a chemical which has been linked to a whole host of hormonal problems, endocrine system disruptions and even cancer. This chemical is chlorine bleach, used to make your towel and tampons look white.

However this chlorine bleach also produces a chemical called dioxin which is highly toxic and incredibly carcinogenic for the human body. [Read about it on the World Health Organisations website for more info].

Scarily enough, dioxin works as a potent anti-oestrogen. This means that even if you’re producing normal levels of oestrogen, that oestrogen probably isn't doing it's job, and you will continue to suffer from those horrible hormonal symptoms. 

(Yes, they really do put this stuff into sanitary towels and tampons!)

Worse still, these dioxins can accumulate in our bodies and get stored in our fat.

Pesticides

Non-organic cotton tampons have usually been sprayed with an array of pesticides such as dicofol and trifluralin which affect your oestrogen production and impact upon your metabolism and your entire reproductive system.

Phthalates

Phthalates are plasticising chemicals which are used in plastic water bottles, plastic boxes, plastic wrap. These can mimic the oestrogen in your body and cause a hormonal imbalance in the body.

Turns out that phthalates are used in tampons too- they’re the chemical applied to those paper applicators to give a smooth, clean finish.

Odour neutralisers and fragrances

They use an astonishing array of odour neutralisers and fragrances in the regular kind of sanitary towel and tampon which doesn’t just say a lot about our relationship with our menstrual cycle, but can also cause...you’ve guessed right...hormonal disruption, cancers, birth defects, dryness and infertility.

They could also increase your risk of breast, cervical and ovarian cancer

Many of the chemicals used in the manufacture of sanitary towels and tampons have been shown to increase your cancer risk.

This includes the super-absorbent cellulose gel and bleached wood pulp which are used in certain brands of towel, and usually contain that toxic chemical ‘dioxin’ plus many more potential cancer causing substances.

They make you more likely to suffer from vaginal thrush, vaginal soreness and infections

If that wasn’t enough, towels and tampons could also increase your risk of suffering from infections like thrush and vaginal soreness.

In the case of towels, this is caused by the synthetics and plastics the pads are made from which restrict normal air flow, trap heat and dampness and enough bacterial and yeast growth ‘down there’.

The use of tampons, especially those made from rayon can irritate the vagina wall, cause microscopic cuts and abrasions and even leave fibres behind. This harms the vaginal bacterial balance and trigger yet more problems.

They increase your risk of developing TSS

Worryingly, tampons can also increase your risk of suffering from a potentially lethal bacterial infection known as TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome). They’ve done a great job of raising awareness about the risks over the years, but still it exists.

They say this happens when you have a small tears in the vaginal wall (often caused when you insert that tampon) which allows bacteria to build up and take over. This risk is said to be higher when you choose a rayon tampon instead of a cotton one.

They’re really bad for the environment

If you consider yourself to be eco-aware or even green, you’ll be shocked to learn about the damage that conventional tampons and sanitary towels are doing to the environment.

The cotton is grown using pesticides and herbicides (and it’s almost certainly GMO too)

That non-organic cotton will have been sprayed by pesticides and herbicides which aren’t just toxic for your body, they’re also highly damaging for local ecosystems, waterways and the soil.

Too much plastic!

You have to admit that there’s an awful lot of plastic involved with your tampons and towels.

Not only do you need to consider the plastics used in the products themselves, but also the packaging, the applicators and that plastic wrap that usually surrounds every packet.

This stuff doesn’t decompose. It just sits there, polluting the seas and the rest of our planet too.

What is the alternative to regular sanitary towels and tampons?

I’ve told you all about the dangers of sanitary towels and tampons and you’re probably feeling a) worried about your health, and b) worried about your options. You might even think, as I did, that we’d have to go back to doing what my grandmother did and using old rags to soak up our menstrual flow!!

But don’t worry. There are many wonderful natural alternatives out there on the market that are easy, healthy and much better for the plant. You can choose from:

Organic/ Natural Tampons and sanitary towels: Great brands include Natracare, Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Organic Cotton Tampons, Organyc 100% Organic Cotton Tampons. This is what I like to use.

Cloth pads: You can also buy pretty, feminine, washable pads which keep it all convenient and healthy.

Mooncup: These are medical grade silicone cups which sit inside your vagina and collect the blood throughout the day. Simply remove, flush your blood down the loo, rinse the cup and reinsert.

“What about a sea sponge?”

I thought you might ask me that! Sea sponges used to be recommended as a natural alternative for sanitary protection.

However, they do carry several health risks, including an increased risk of TSS, bits can break off inside and bacteria find it very easy to breed here. That’s why I’d advise you opt for one of the above options instead.

Regular sanitary towels and tampons could spell disaster for your health. Containing a toxic blend of carcinogens, hormone-disrupting chemicals, various pesticides, herbicides, fragrances and other nasty chemicals, they’re most definitely not something you want to be putting next to your ‘lady bits’.

So make a decision for the sake of your health. Opt for one of the natural options, whether this is just choosing the organic cotton brand instead of your regular one, or perhaps even trying a mooncup.

Further reading:

--A Question for Women’s Health: Chemicals in Feminine Hygiene Products and Personal Lubricants 

--Women Beware: Most Feminine Hygiene Products Contain Toxic Ingredients