The first period is an important event in a girl’s life and part of the normal process of becoming an adult. While some girls can’t wait for their first period to come, others may dread it, not knowing what to expect and feeling shy or embarrassed to ask questions.

As I have promised in my previous post, I will continue answering girls’ questions about the first period.

• Can I Play Sports or Be Involved in Other Activities During My Period?
  

Of course you can! Your period should not affect your daily activities. You can continue to exercise, swim, bike ride, and have fun. Some girls and women even find that exercising while they are having their menstrual period reduces or prevents stomach cramps and discomfort. During these activities, it is important to use high quality sanitary pads, like Love Moon Anion Sanitary Napkins, so as to prevent spotting and discomfort. You can also use tampons, which come handy especially when you are involved in activities like swimming.

• How do I know which feminine care products are best for me?

There are many products on the market and there is a variety of products to choose from, according to your needs. It is best to talk openly to your mother, school nurse or another adult you trust and who can help you make a good choice. To learn more detailed information about how to choose a sanitary napkins, here is a great page I recommend: FreeSanitaryNapkins.com

• How do I know if I need to see a doctor about my period?

You should consult your doctor:

• if you are bleeding for more than 7 days
• if you are bleeding excessively
• if you suddenly feel sick after using tampons
• if you have unbearable pain during your period
• if you bleed between periods (more than just a few drops)
• if your period has suddenly stopped
• if you have not started menstruating by the age of 16.

If you have any specific questions that have not been answered in this post, please feel free to write them in the comments section.

So we’ve seen how important the package of sanitary pads is. It has to be sealed to protect the pads from contamination. And today we’ll go one step forward. We are going to open the package, take a pad out and start to analyze it. We are actually going to open not only one package, but several of them from different brands, and we will compare them.

Watch out! Sealed or not, we’re coming in!

Sanitary pads are not as simple as it may seem at a first glance. They are made for the most complex beings in this universe, and consequently they are complex themselves. They are made of several different layers, each with different characteristics and for different purposes.

The top layer is very important because it is directly coming into contact with a most sensitive part of your body.

Have you tried to see how different brands of sanitary pads feel? Run your fingers over them. Some of them feel so rough that you don’t want to put them on. And it’s not only about how they feel. It’s what they are made of! Many are made of synthetic materials and contain chemicals, so no wonder many women complain about skin irritations and rashes after using some pads. And these synthetic materials pads do not only pose risks for our health, but they are also not good for the environment.

I tried some of the most popular brands on the market: Always, Stayfree, Kotex. All of them feel rough in comparison with Love Moon Anion Sanitary Napkins produced by Winalite. If I were to grade them on a scale 1 to 4, where 1 is the best, according to the quality of the top layer, I would give Stayfree a 4, Always a 3, Kotex a 2 and Anion a 1.

If you run your fingers over the surface of a Stayfree pad you will see it is very rough. I ripped the top layer off to be able to see better what it is made of, and to me it looks like plastic. The label doesn’t say what it is, and I assume that if it were some quality material, they would say it because it would be to their advantage. Always feels smoother, but it doesn’t say what it is made of either. Kotex feels softer and it also mentions on the label that the top layer is made of cotton, which is an important detail to be taken into account. Anion feels the best -very soft and the label also shows that the top layer is made of premium soft cotton.

Next thing we will look at will be the absorbency level. I did some tests and the results were quite intriguing. I will tell you more and also show you pictures in the next post.

Ruth Taylor

How do you evaluate the quality of feminine care products, whether we are talking about sanitary pads or tampons? What is the first thing you are looking at?

The package! Yes, that is the first criteria by which you can tell whether you are dealing with a good quality or poor quality product. And when I say the package, I don’t mean the colors on it, even if that is something that definitely catches the eye. The important part is how the package is sealed and if it is resealable and then how the individual pads or tampons are packed.

I’ve just read a poll asking women what are the first three things to be found in their bags and almost all of them mentioned sanitary pads or tampons. Someone said “Only three things? You can find everything in a woman’s bag!” And that is right! Everything is in there. So, you throw a sanitary pad or tampon in your purse, among everything else. And later the same pad or tampon that touched who knows what gets to be placed in a very intimate, sensitive part of your body. That is why it is vital that the pad or tampon be safely packed, in a completely sealed package.

Most pads are packed in a piece of plastic whose sides overlap, but they are not sealed. Air and germs can easily get in there. Others have a tag that keeps the package closed, but they are not completely sealed either, leaving room for contamination. And then, as we all know, there are plenty (especially panty liners and tampons) that don’t have any individual package at all.

I have also mentioned that the big package should be resealable. Why is that? Because most packages are stored under the counter or in different places in the bathroom, which are not the cleanest environment. If the package, once opened cannot be resealed, and, again, the individual pieces are not completely sealed, there is again risk of contamination.

The best packaging that I have seen so far in feminine care products is that of Anion sanitary pads, produced by Winalite. Each Anion Love Moon sanitary napkin is completely sealed in an automated line without human contact, so it is free from contamination. The big package is also resealable with a food grade foil. You can open it, take a pad out, seal the package back air tight, and it will look like new.

So, as you can see, the way the products are packed is important for your health. Next time you are making a purchase I hope you will remember to take this slight detail into account.

Ruth Taylor

What are ten things you cannot live without? If you are a woman sanitary pads will most probably rank high on your list. And because they are so important and used so much, we have to choose them carefully and make sure we get the best.

What are the qualities we should look for in a sanitary pad? How can we test them (except for trying them on and exposing ourselves to some unpleasant experiences)? What materials are sanitary pads made of? How can the tampons or sanitary pads we use affect our health?

You will find the answers to these questions (and many more) in the following posts on this blog. Our team has done extensive research and is ready to share lots of information about feminine care products. I am sure you will find these articles useful, some of them intriguing bringing up issues you did not know about or were not aware of, and all of them will be practical, aimed at improving your comfort and health.

Please feel free to ask questions, make suggestions or add comments. You are all most welcome here!