Safe Menstrual Products

Most young women use these products every month, but have you ever looked at what’s in them or how they’re made?

Source: The Guardian

Unfortunately, many of these products are made with harmful chemicals which is a huge concern, especially with reproductive cancers on the rise. These chemicals are in direct contact with mucus membrane tissues all day long for several days, and these chemicals can be absorbed into the skin. Many of these products are known to contain bleach, pesticides, PFAS, synthetic fragrance, and other chemicals that are harmful to our health.

In the book Countdown by Dr. Shanna Swan (affiliate link), she discusses the health impacts of exposure to these chemicals, including our growing fertility crash/crisis and how we are currently on track to have a severe population replacement issue in the near future. Over generations, these chemicals are already reducing genital size in boys and reducing the distance between the taint and the anus, indicating reduced sperm counts/fertility, among other health effects. In her book, Dr. Swan is sounding the alarm that we need to regulate the use of these chemicals and save our populations fertility.

What I Use For My Monthly Cycle

The best brands for commercial pads and tampons are made from unbleached, undyed, and fragrance-free organic cotton, and contain no plastic. I use and highly recommend the brand Natracare since they meet all these requirements and also do not use any plastic, whatsoever, even in their packaging. This is what I use every month. They make offer both pads and tampons at a variety of absorbancy levels, however they are a bit more expensive compared with many of the problematic commercial brands. Plastic free packaging is very rare for this kind of product, so even though it is more expensive I will continue to use it until I find something better. I love that it doesn’t sound like I’m sneakily eating a snack in the public restroom every time I change out my pad or tampon.

Natracare Products Are:

• 100% Certified Organic

• Plastic-free

• Free from GMO ingredients

• Fully Biodegradable and Compostable

• No Chlorine

• No Perfumes or dyes

• BPA Free

Menstrual Cups & Disks

Menstrual cups have become widely popular in recent years, and are another good option that is available. The nice part is that you pay a little more upfront (most are around $25-$40) and they last a very long time, with proper care.

I personally don’t like them after trying out several different brands over the years, because I have found them to be messy and unreliable for leakage. I know women who use them and have no issues, so maybe it’s just user error on my end. You may find that they work for you. I am always suspicious about plastics, even silicone because our society has this cycle where we produce a new plastic-based material and tout it as super safe, then years later we find out it’s actually incredibly toxic. You may still trust the institutions saying “silicone is safe”, but we know from women who have experienced breast implant illness that this may not necessarily be true. Personally, I’m going to stick with my organic cotton pads.

Another issue with menstrual cups that you should know about is that the suction that keeps them in place can actually be strong enough to pull out an IUD. I’ve also heard that some people forget about them after placing them, and then get toxic shock syndrome from them, just like tampons. They are also annoying to clean (in my opinion), since you need to boil them on the stove often to disinfect the silicone - which brings me back to the issue with trusting them to not break down and release silicone particles into your system. Heat can make plastics break down more quickly, so I’m really not comfortable using or recommending these products.

Side Note: IUDs & Hormonal Birth Control

If you’ve been reading my articles for a while, you may already know I am not a fan of IUDs and other forms of hormonal birth control. IUD’s, specifically the hormonal ones, are known to cause blood clots, and the hormones in them can contribute to your risk for certain cancers (they are the same level of carcinogen as asbestos or smoking), but also they literally change who you are attracted to and alter the shape and function of your brain — yikes. I cite sources for these issues in my article linked below.

My opinion is: why use them when you could just use the symptothermal method of fertility awareness to prevent pregnancy without adding additional risk and reliance on the corrupt western medical system?

Here’s an article from earlier this year, where I go into detail about how to track your cycle to plan for or prevent pregnancy, as well as the scientific data showing how symptothermal FAM works just as well as hormonal birth control for preventing pregnancy.

What About Period Undies?

Period underwear are a reusable option and are probably more eco-friendly in some ways, since you're not throwing out a whole pad or tampon plus their packaging multiple times per day throughout your cycle, however you need to be really cautious with these too. Many of these brands have been reported to be contaminated with PFAS, aka forever chemicals and other contaminants. This is because the absorbent part of the underwear often includes some kind of flexible plastic-like substance to both block leaking and also absorb all the liquid into a gel. Flexible plastics are very convenient but most of them are known to contain harmful chemicals, as this is chemically how they are made.

If you’re going to go with a period underwear, look for a brand with third party testing that they proudly publish on their website showing no plasticizing chemicals, no bleach, no PFAS, no heavy metals, etc. Personally, I haven't found a brand that meets my requirements, which also include being made from organic cotton, no toxic dyes used (many dyes are adhered to fabric using mordants that contain heavy metals), and fully natural and chemical free absorbent component. If you know of a brand that meets these needs, please share in the comments at the bottom of this article so that we can all benefit!

Final Thoughts

I share this article today in the hopes that you will be more conscious about the period products you’re choosing to have against your delicate mucus membranes every month. We have seen such a surge in reproductive issues these last few decades and I am convinced that on some level the rampant exposure to these chemicals in our sensitive, intimate areas are at least partially responsible.

In high school I used to use the brand Always, which more recently has shown in independent tests to contain many of these harmful chemicals. As many of my friends are now at the age where they are starting families, and are finding it very difficult to get pregnant and bring a baby to full term, I can’t help but wonder if these kinds of long-term chemical exposures have impacted their fertility.

If you have young girls in your family or community circles, please do them a solid and educate them about the risks that are posed by these chemical exposures and how they can impact their health long-term. It is so important, and in my opinion can affect their their ability to reproduce and have a healthy menstrual cycle as they progress through womanhood.