Menstrual Hygiene- Everything You Need to Know About

Menstruation refers to the monthly process of blood and tissue discharge from the uterus that begins in pre-adolescence and ends with menopause.

Generally, women are introduced to periods during puberty. This is the period in which females' first menstruation occurs and perhaps, this is the time when girls hear “sanitary napkins” or “sanitary pads” for the first time.

In many circumstances, menstruation can also reap several mental and social repercussions. It has been noted that periods have been a hindrance in day to day routine for most women, and have even stopped them from attending school or work.

In many cases, it has even led to fertility issues among women.

Hence, this makes it important to understand and practise menstrual hygiene.

Read below to understand menstrual hygiene and the best menstrual hygienic practices to follow.

Menstrual Health and Hygiene

Menstrual health and hygiene is a state of physical, social and mental well-being and not just the absence of a disease or infection relating to the menstrual cycle.

It encompasses several ways that allow women to safely manage this biological process so that it has minimal effect on women's lives.

Good Menstrual Hygiene Practices You Must Follow

Most women go through periods very secretively and don't really bother to know whether their practices are hygienic or not.

To help decrease the odds of vaginal infections and infertility, we have mentioned some menstrual hygienic tips that you must practice strictly.

1. Select your method of sanitation:

There are numerous ways of sanitation during periods like using sanitary pads or napkins, tampons and menstrual cups to maintain hygiene.

While using tampons, choose one that has the lowest absorbency rate for your flow. Whereas, in the case of pads, the best tip here is to use only one brand and protection to figure out if it helps you out in the long run.

Repeated switching between brands can may cause irritation since every brand suits everyone differently.

2. Wash frequently:

Menstrual flow can be messy, as the blood flow can enter between the tiny spaces around the vagina and cause irritation. This can also cause infections and other ailments.

Hence, your vaginal region and areas around it should be cleaned with soap and warm water regularly. Dry the area with clean tissue paper and dust some powder to avoid rashes or rubbing.

This also helps to remove any bad odour from the vaginal area.

Moreover, you should also trim your pubic hair very short before your period begins.

3. Be cautious of pad rash:

If you at any time experience heavy flow, then you might also experience pad rash.

It generally happens when the pad has been wet for a long time and continues to rub along the thighs.

To prevent this, you must always stay dry during your periods. If you do experience rash, change your pads frequently.

After a bath and before bed, apply an antiseptic ointment to heal the rash and avoid further chaffing.

However, if it still gets worse, consult a doctor who can prescribe you a medicated talcum or any other ointment to provide relief.

4. Discard your used sanitary product appropriately:

It is critical to throw away your used pads or tampons properly as they smell very foul and can spread infections.

Wrapping the pads before discarding them ensures that the odour and infection are limited. Do not flush them down the toilet as they can form a block and cause the toilet to back up.

Moreover, you must wash your hands with soap and water after you discard the pads as you might have touched the used portion of the pad or tampon while disposing of it.

5. Don’t keep your pads for too long:

You must keep changing your pads every few hours to prevent skin infections, irritations, rashes, and so on.

By changing your pads regularly, your vaginal area stays dry and less prone to infections. The same can be said for tampons.

6. Avoid using too many soaps or vaginal washes:

The vagina has its own cleaning mechanism that works with a fine balance of good and bad bacteria.

Using too much soap or vaginal washes are not typically recommended as they can disturb the balance of the vaginal flora.

So, while it is imperative to wash yourself frequently during your periods, all you need is some warm water to wash down the area. You can use mild soap on the external parts but don’t go much near your vagina or vulva.

7. Select your method of sanitation:

There are numerous ways of sanitation during periods like using sanitary pads or napkins, tampons and menstrual cups to maintain hygiene.

While using tampons, choose one that has the lowest absorbency rate for your flow. Whereas, in the case of pads, the best tip here is to use only one brand and protection to figure out if it helps you out in the long run.

Repeated switching between brands may cause irritation since every brand suits everyone differently.

8. Wash frequently:

Menstrual flow can be messy, as the blood flow can enter between the tiny spaces around the vagina and cause irritation. This can also cause infections and other ailments.

Hence, your vaginal region and areas around it should be cleaned with soap and warm water regularly. Dry the area with clean tissue paper and dust some powder to avoid rashes or rubbing.

This also helps to remove any bad odour from the vaginal area.

Moreover, you should also trim your pubic hair very short before your period begins.

9. Be cautious of pad rash:

If you at any time experience heavy flow, then you might also experience pad rash.

It generally happens when the pad has been wet for a long time and continues to rub along the thighs.

To prevent this, you must always stay dry during your periods. If you do experience rash, change your pads frequently.

After a bath and before bed, apply an antiseptic ointment to heal the rash and avoid further chaffing.

However, if it still gets worse, consult a doctor who can prescribe you a medicated talcum or any other ointment to provide relief.

10. Discard your used sanitary product appropriately:

It is critical to throw away your usedpads or tampons properly as they smell very foul and can spread infections.

Wrapping the pads before discarding themensures that the odour and infection arelimited. Do not flush them down the toilet as they can form a block and cause the toilet to back up.

Moreover, you must wash your hands with soap and water after you discard the pads as you might have touchedthe used portion of the pad or tampon while disposing of it.

11. Don’t keep your pads for too long:

You must keep changing your pads every few hours to prevent skin infections, irritations, rashes, and so on.

By changing your pads regularly, your vaginal area stays dry and less prone to infections. The same can be said for tampons.

12. Avoid using too many soaps or vaginal washes:

The vagina has its own cleaning mechanism that works with a fine balance of good and bad bacteria.

Using too much soap or vaginal washes are not typically recommended as theycan disturb the balance of the vaginal flora.

So, while it is imperative to wash yourself frequently during your periods, all you need is some warm water to wash down the area. You can use mild soap on the external parts but don’t go much near your vagina or vulva.

Menstrual Hygiene and Fertility

Infertility is an experience that impacts at the very core of a woman’s life. Inability to reproduce can strike a woman’s relationship with her husband and may even further hamper her mental conditions.

The unclean vaginal area is one of the main factors for the woman’s inability to conceive.

A bad and unclean vaginal area paves way for several types of infections that can further lead to infertility among women.

Such physical and psychological traumas can be avoided by implementing simple yet effective hygienic menstrual practices.

Conclusion

Girls and women should be aware of the concerns of discarding used menstrual products in open or flushing them in toilets. Dustbins with proper lids should be placed in the toilets.

Furthermore, ignorance, fallacies, unsafe practices, and illiteracy of the mother and child regarding menstruation and hygiene are the primary causes of many problems.

Hence, right from adolescence, girls must be taught and encouraged to practise safe and hygienic menstrual behaviours.

Disclamer:

Though all attempts are made to provide correct information on the subject, inadvertent & typographical errors arising out of manual intervention cannot be ruled out. It is requested to bring any such discrepancies to the notice of the blogger for correction.