Top 10 Menstrual Hygiene Tips Every Woman Should Know
Most women go through their menstruation every month without taking proper care of the hygiene-related factor. The subject of menstruation is often hushed off. There needs to be more awareness regarding menstrual health and period hygiene. Today, let’s talk about the natural yet overlooked: menstruation hygiene.
A lot of girls and women go through their periods every month without knowing the right hygiene practices. At times, they use one sanitary napkin for an entire day. Do you think that’s the correct hygiene? 48.4% of women use sanitary pads as per studies in 2023. With these statistics, we can understand why awareness is so important.
From preventing infection to managing comfort, menstrual health and menstrual hygiene initiative plays an important role. Let us talk about 10 such practices that will help a teenager as well as a woman to manage their menstrual hygiene. The awareness of using the right product, disposing of it properly, and dealing with skin problems correctly is significant.
Menstrual Health and Menstrual Hygiene Initiative - Following the correct practices for period hygiene
Many women in today’s date shy away from sharing tips or talking about feminine hygiene. Let’s break the silence and be aware of every woman out there to save them from diseases like UTIs.
1. Choosing the right method of sanitation
It is important to understand what suits your needs while on periods. Teenagers prefer using sanitary napkins. There are other products like tampons, menstrual cups, and menstrual diapers for heavy flow.
Using a piece of cloth during periods is entirely unhygienic. Therefore, it's necessary to use a product that suits one's comfort. Whether it’s period panties, tampons, or sanitary pads, make sure that it also suits your flow levels.
2. Change your pads in regular intervals
Menstrual blood is the cause of a lot of diseases after it has left your body. The body’s innate organisms make the blood contaminated. If your sanitary pad is wet, it will contain organisms from your genitals and sweat.
These organisms tend to multiply when they get moisture and warmth from the body’s intimate area. This is the main reason behind changing pads regularly. Preferably in an interval of five to six hours. On the other hand, if you use tampons; you should change them every two hours. Consider changing regularly even if you have a less to moderate flow cycle.
3. Wash your perineal area properly
Washing your vagina is important even after you have removed the pad from your body. Bacteria tend to cling to your skin, which irritates you. Avoid touching any other body part while washing your vagina.
Till today, 44% of women in parts of India use clothes during menstrual cycles. Clothes do not offer proper absorption and make ground for bacterial growth.
4. Avoid using soaps and intimate wash
The vaginal region balances good and bad bacteria in its own way. Using soap can disrupt the process. While keeping period hygiene in mind, it’s suggested to use warm water while cleaning your perineal area.
Our vaginal region has a specific pH. When any soap containing chemicals like glycerol or antiseptics come into contact, the natural pH gets thrown off balance. Therefore, lukewarm water is the best solution to wash your intimate areas. Usual water helps you maintain the natural pH and protects you from infections.
5. Follow the right way to wash your intimate area
Maintaining your menstrual hygiene is crucial. And just having the resources is not enough. Women need to know the right way to take care of their bodies. Always remember to clean from your vagina to your anus. This is the only direction you must go while washing your intimate regions. As we know, our perineal areas are very sensitive.
Hence, washing in the opposite direction is an invitation to bacteria from the anus to the vagina. And that is how you welcome unwanted urinary tract infections. Poor period hygiene is the doorway to UTIs and other fungal infections. So take care of your body by following the proper washing techniques.
6. Wear proper undergarments
Changing your sanitary napkins or menstrual cups is important. However, the quality and type of undergarment you wear also has high stakes. Experts suggest menstruation hygiene depends heavily on the fabric of one’s underwear. It must be preferably made of cotton or any breathable fabric.
It must not be too tight or made of synthetic material. Do not wear anything that can reduce air circulation. Wearing clothes that can cause excessive sweating can make a great pool of bacterial growth. So wear breathable clothes and have a change once they get moist to maintain menstruation hygiene.
7. Do not indulge in douching
Sometimes people clean their perineal area by flushing water through to clean any secretions. Douching involves chemicals that are likely to disturb your vaginal pH balance. And that results in destroying normal bacteria of the vaginal region. Moreover, douching has no viable help in protecting one from contracting UTIs.
8. Have regular bath
Menstrual hygiene is one of the many contributors to having a healthy life. Being clean during your menstrual cycles is important. Apart from changing sanitary napkins, you also need to change clothes and take showers regularly. Proper baths reduce chances of bacterial infection and makes you feel clean as well.
9. Safe disposal of menstrual products
Once you go for sanitary napkin changes, make sure you dispose of it properly. If disposal is not done carefully enough, then infections might spread at large. Wrap up the products in the newspaper before trashing them. Also, wash your hands after you discard your disposal.
10. Do not ignore any signs of infection or rash
Women and girls must always keep an eye out for any vaginal irritation. Never ignore any red flags. Consulting a doctor immediately in case of any foul smell, colored or excessive vaginal discharge. Research shows 56.4% of women globally often deal with genital rashes due to poor period hygiene.
Concluding
Menstruating women deal with several issues during their periods. With a few tips one can maintain feminine hygiene. Even today, women do not have much access or knowledge about menstruation hygiene. Keep in mind the discussed tips and period hygiene will be easier to deal with!