From a young age, most women (myself included) are instructed on how to use tampons and pads and find a hormonal birth control that works for us. Some of us continue to do fine on conventional products, but it’s important to know that there are other options that don’t contain pesticides, reduce waste, and help manage PMS symptoms and irregular periods without adding synthetic hormones.
Periods are nature’s way of reminding women that we give life, but they are bastardized and joked about in society because they can be an inconvenience. PMS, cramps, and mood swings that accompany the monthly menstruation cycle are only the tip of the iceberg. Many women have health conditions (such as endometriosis) that make periods extremely painful.
Today’s modern world is generally more geared towards convenience rather than conscientious efficiency. This can often lead to the physical and environmental safety of products we use on a continual basis being overlooked. After speaking with a close friend of mine who has been sharing what, initially to me, were radical methods of care during her menstrual cycle, I began to wonder: what is really in a tampon and how does my use of them impact the world around me?