The recent controversy over the
tampon tax has been good for pretty much one reason: bringing the discussion of
periods into the public conscious. Now, all us girls get them, and they affect
us in a pretty extreme way, but we’ve been conditioned into considering them a
shameful thing, not to be discussed, especially in front of men. Thankfully by
bringing the ridiculous nature of the tampon tax into light (in case you don’t
know what I’m talking about, in the UK tampons are taxed because they’re
considered a “luxury” and, well, helicopters aren’t because they’re necessary.
Makes sense right?), Osborne and our band of merry politicians have encouraged
both men and women to discuss the tabooed issue of periods.
Now,
here’s why I think this is important. We’ve all heard of thrush and BV
(bacterial vaginosis) right? Well these can be caused by a number of factors,
but the material which both our underwear and sanitary items are made of can
contribute to the development of these conditions. Now that we’re finally able
to discuss tampons, and by extension sanitary towels, I think it’s important we
look at what they are doing to our health, and alternatives to the heavily
marketed perfumed ones which ever-so-hygienically allow us to wear them for
hours and hours, trapping all the nasties that our bodies get rid of during our
periods.
I came
across a brand called Natracare in my local Gaia store a couple of months ago
and would never look back to the kind of sanitary products I was using
previously. Did you know that normal sanitary towels contain chlorine and are
made of around 80% plastic? And that tampons contain artificial fibres that can
shed whilst inside you and remain in your vagina after you remove the tampon
itself? Because I certainly didn’t until I started doing more research into it.
And this is why I use Natracare products. Their tampons, for example, only
contain organic cotton, whereas most mass-produced and well-recognised ones
contain a mixture of rayon and cotton. It is rayon which has the potential to
shed and cause vaginal infections. Let’s face it, most people are either a
tampon girl or a pad girl. We all want whatever we feel most comfortable in when
we’re feeling at our most uncomfortable physically. Natracare offers both styles for women to
wear, which are chlorine free (and yes, that does mean normal pads contain
chlorine, ugh!) and made from 100% organic cotton. At some point in their
lives, most women will suffer from thrush or BV, and gynaecologists urge women
to change their hygiene routines, and now many are supporting Natracare,
suggesting that it could be incredibly beneficial to move to sanitary products
which will not irritate the skin.
Ultimately,
we all want our vaginas to function at their optimum right? Not only does this
impact our day to day comfort, but it can have a massive effect on our sex
lives. So, I think we should all think about exactly what we are using at a
time when our vagina is at its most sensitive and perhaps opt for brands that
offer the opportunity to improve our sexual and vaginal health.
I recently read this article about how this girl had to have a leg amputated because she accidentally left a tampon in for a week. I think this kind of news is just extremely shocking and makes us think twice about what we're putting into our bodies and the kind of bacteria that may be harbouring as a result!
ReplyDeleteIt's really alarming! I think there definitely needs to be more awareness about these kind of products
DeleteSteph x