What are Sustainable Menstrual Alternatives to Pads, and How Do Pads Impact the Environment?

hello and welcome to my tiny little slice of the internet. It has a bit of an echo, but that's okay. Pull up a chair and read for a bit! This Friday's post is about sustainable periods. Yep, you heard me. Period talk. So, if you would like to hear more about it, stick around and find out what I know! Thank you for being here. Your presence is appreciated and welcomed.

Okay, so we're here to talk about periods.

Yeah, that lovely monthly visit from Aunt Flo. Shark Week. The Crimson Wave. Or whatever other names you have created for your period. But, every month, people who menstruate use up sanitary products like pads and tampons. In case you don't know much about periods, Mayo Clinic states, "Menstrual flow might occur every 21 to 35 days and last two to seven days," (Source: 5). So, let's assume all periods last four days, for mathematical purposes. A package of "Always Extra Heavy Overnight Pure Cotton Pads with Wings - Size 5" from Target costs $7.39 for 18 pads (Source: 2). This ends up costing 0.4105 cents per pad, rounded up to be $0.41 per pad. Kidshealth.org states, "No matter how light your flow is, or even if there is no flow, bacteria can build up. Changing your pad every 3 or 4 hours (more if your period is heavy) is good hygiene and helps prevent bad odors," (Source: 3). So, the minimum that a pad should be changed is every 3 to 4 hours, and even then, it could need to be changed more frequently depending on period flow and pad absorbency. With 24 hours in a day (minus an average of 8 hours of sleeping), that means a menstruating person must change their pad 4 times every day, plus an additional change before going to sleep. So five times total. This doesn't include the added strain on the body from physical activity, which will also increase the frequency of pad changes. Five times a day for four days means a menstruating person will use 20 pads each month, minimum. That doesn't count if you have a heavy flow. So every month, the average period costs a person $8.20 ($0.41 per pad x 20 pads). That means they will spend $98.40 a year on pads alone. This doesn't include tampons, if someone has a heavier flow, or if they participate in sports. $98.40 a year, minimum. Every year.

What does price have to do with sustainability?

It doesn't unless you consider budgeting to save up for sustainable products. If you are, then setting a small budget of $5 to $10 per month to put towards acquiring sustainable period products doesn't seem too daunting. Considering people will likely spend $9 per month on a package of pads, doubling that and setting aside the extra $9 for sustainable menstrual alternatives will help quickly save up money for those items, if those funds aren't currently available. Or, if $9 is too much or too little, adjust your budget accordingly.

So, what are the other options for sanitary items for periods?

Thankfully, there are many already available on the market, such as...

Thinx

Thinx is a company that is focused on period underwear. Their about page, https://www.thinx.com/thinx/about-us explains their purpose (Source: 1). Thinx creates underwear, and these are underwear that you wear during your period, and they absorb the blood in place of a pad. Then, when the underwear needs to be changed, they can get thrown in the washing machine and are good to go for your next period! You can shop by absorbency or by underwear type. From what I browsed, the cheapest pair of individual underwear starts at $25. That means, with a budget of $9, you can have that saved up after 3 months. Even if you can only afford one pair of underwear, that can replace 4-5 pads per day, saving you $1.64-$2.05 per month. Which, if you want, you can put that money aside into your sustainable period products budget and save up money for another pair that much faster! You'll be saving $2 per month for 3 months, adding up to $6 extra dollars to your budgeted amount. Every little bit adds up.

Menstrual Cup

Menstrual cups are another alternative available if that interests you more than underwear. They range in price on Target.com from $20 for one to $50 for two (Source: 4). So, with the same monthly budget of $9, you can afford the $20 in just under two and a half months. These are used by catching the blood and allowing it to be disposed of later. Some of these even advertise that you can go 12 hours without needing to dispose of the blood (depending on your flow).

Menstrual Disk

This is a very similar option to the menstrual cup, but it is in a disk form instead of a cup form. They serve the same purpose - to catch the blood to be disposed of later. However, not all of the options for these are designed to be reusable, so be careful if you purchase them. Target.com has reusable ones specifically selling from $29 to $34 (Source: 4). With our $9 budget, you'll save up enough money for a reusable menstrual disk in just under three and a half months.

So, it isn't too scary after all.

By implementing maybe a few of all of the above, you can find the sustainable routine that works for you. Even by getting rid of 4-5 pads for one day out of your period, that is keeping 4-5 pads out of landfills each month. And, if your entire period becomes sustainable, then you're keeping 20 pads out of the garbage each month, adding up to 240 pads per year minimum. Wow! It's weird to think about just how waste-producing periods can be. You don't have to stop using pads or tampons, but a reduction in them can help the environment significantly.

I hope you've enjoyed today's blog post. Let me know what you think! I appreciate any feedback. Thank you for joining me in my corner of the internet. I am very grateful that you're here!

- Inspiring Green

Sources:

1. Thinx

https://www.thinx.com/thinx/about-us

2. "Always" Pads from Target

https://www.target.com/p/always-extra-heavy-overnight-pure-cotton-pads-with-wings-size-5-18ct/-/A-81782460#lnk=sametab

3. Kids Health - How long to wear a pad for

https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/changing-pads.html#:~:text=No%20matter%20how%20light%20your,around%20from%20class%20to%20class.

4. Menstrual Cup and Menstrual Disk from Target

https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=menstrual+cup&category=0|All|matchallpartial|all%20categories&tref=typeahead%7Cterm%7Cundefined%7Cmenstrual%20cup%7C%7C%7C%7Cservice%7C%7C%7C%7C&searchTermRaw=menstrual%20cup

5. Mayo Clinic Source

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/menstrual-cycle/art-20047186#:~:text=Menstrual%20flow%20might%20occur%20every,begins%2C%20long%20cycles%20are%20common.

Formal Works Cited (in corresponding order to above):

“About Us: Thinx Inc.” Thinx, https://www.thinx.com/thinx/about-us.

“Always Extra Heavy Overnight Pure Cotton Pads with Wings - Size 5 - 18ct.” Target, https://www.target.com/p/always-extra-heavy-overnight-pure-cotton-pads-with-wings-size-5-18ct/-/A-81782460#lnk=sametab.

“Can I Wear the Same Pad All Day? (for Teens) - Nemours Kidshealth.” Edited by Larissa Hirsch, KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation, July 2018, https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/changing-pads.html#:~:text=No%20matter%20how%20light%20your,around%20from%20class%20to%20class.

“Menstrual Cup.” Target, https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=menstrual%2Bcup&category=0%7CAll%7Cmatchallpartial%7Call+categories&tref=typeahead%7Cterm%7Cundefined%7Cmenstrual+cup%7C%7C%7C%7Cservice%7C%7C%7C%7C&searchTermRaw=menstrual+cup.

“Menstrual Cycle: What's Normal, What's Not.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 29 Apr. 2021, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/menstrual-cycle/art-20047186#:~:text=Menstrual%20flow%20might%20occur%20every,begins%2C%20long%20cycles%20are%20common.