The Sanitary Napkin and Other Feminine Hygiene Products

During menstruation, women can face several problems. Fortunately, modern feminine hygiene products help in managing period hygienically. These include sanitary napkins, panty shields, and tampons.

A study found that education and community-level media exposure significantly influence the use of sanitary napkins. This article aims to establish the relationship between these individual and household level factors and sanitary napkin use among adolescent girls.

What is a Sanitary Napkin?

The sanitary napkin is an absorbent pad that girls wear under their panties to catch menstrual blood. They come in a range of lengths and thicknesses to suit different flow patterns and personal preferences. Some also have wings that fold over the edges of a girl’s underwear to keep them in place. Pads are often sold in packs, so a girl can try out different products until she finds the ones that work best for her.

The first commercially produced sanitary napkins were invented in the 1920s by Johnson & Johnson. They were called Lister’s Towels, a nod to the surgeon Joseph Lister, who developed sterile surgery and inspired the company. These were the first mass-produced feminine hygiene products, a welcome alternative to the homemade, cloth pads that women had relied on for most of history.

Today’s sanitary napkins are made of super-absorbent materials that help women feel comfortable and confident, especially on heavy days. Most contain a layer of cotton and gauge, but some are made with rayon (a cellulose fibre that comes from wood pulp) or bicomponent fibres with a PE sheath and a PP core.

A sanitary napkin’s ability to absorb menstrual fluid depends on its four functional components: (i) the fluid acquisition layer; (ii) the distribution component; (iii) the absorbent structure and (iv) the liquid impervious membrane. The amount of menstrual fluid retained by the sanitary napkin is determined by weighing it after each use, then drying it and reweighing.

Sanitary Napkin History

Before disposable pads and tampons became widely available, menstruating women used a variety of homemade products. These were usually made of a cloth material like cotton or cheesecloth, or even old rags.

Many of these menstrual products grew out of inventions that stemmed from wartime applications. One example is the use of cellucotton – a wood pulp bandage developed during World War I that Sanitary Napkin was five times as absorbent as cotton and inexpensive enough to throw away after use. The company that produced this revolutionary product, Kimberly-Clark, eventually created sanitary napkins from it.

Prior to the 1920s, most menstruating women bought or fashioned their own cloth pads through local fabric stores and mail-order catalogues. It was also common for women to trade handmade pads with one another, particularly if they lived in the same household. Despite the growing number of period-product inventions, these were not widely used due to a combination of factors. It was still taboo to advertise menstrual products, and the sanitary pad itself was seen as an embarrassing secret that should be kept private.

Advertising for the new Kotex sanitary napkins – a breakthrough in both function and form – helped change the public perception of menstruation. Instead of presenting menstruation as something that needed to be concealed, the 1920s’ ad campaigns portrayed it as an attractive part of a woman’s life that she should embrace.

Sanitary Napkin Functions

The sanitary pad functions as an absorbent material that soaks menstrual blood during periods. It also helps in preventing irritation and provides women with an opportunity to feel comfortable during menstruation. It is available in different sizes with varying absorbencies for days of heavy or light flow. It is used by many women and girls around the world. It is a convenient alternative to tampons, which are often associated with a higher risk of toxic shock syndrome and contain synthetic materials.

Sanitary napkins are made up of several functional components: (i) Fluid acquisition layer; (ii) Distribution component; (iii) Absorbent structure; and (iv) Liquid impervious membrane. Fluid flow through these components is important for the performance of the sanitary pad. For this reason, it is essential that the interface between the acquisition and the distribution components be tight so that fluid doesn’t leak out of the sanitary napkin.

In addition, the sanitary pad must not have any gaps, as the fluid may leak out from the gaps and clog the pores in the absorbent layer. Modern feminine hygiene materials use thin cores Sanitary Napkin manufacturer that are air-laid and low-loaded with SAP, which enables sanitary napkins to be smaller. They are also more hygienic than traditional tampons, which are prone to causing irritation and a high risk of toxic shock syndrome.

Sanitary Napkin Benefits

When you’re in puberty, it’s natural to have a lot of questions about your period and how best to handle it. Whether you use regular tampons, pads or panty liners, you’ll want to choose the one that works best for you. There are lots of choices available, so experiment until you find the one that feels good and fits your flow.

Originally, pads were rectangles of paper or cloth that you attached to the inside of your underwear. They caught menstrual blood and stayed in place, but it was messy. First World War field nurses were said to have popularized disposable pads, made from wood pulp bandages that could be quickly and easily disposed of. The sanitary napkin of today is mostly plastic. It usually has super-absorbent polymer as its absorbent core, and a back sheet of either polyethylene or polypropylene that keeps it dry.

A sanitary napkin can also have wings to hold it in place and help prevent leaks. It can have different levels of absorbency depending on your flow. You can even get night-time sanitary napkins that are longer and wider to give you more coverage while you sleep. It’s important to have the right sanitary pad for your flow and to change it regularly so that you don’t get infections like vulva disease or bacterial vaginosis.