Menstrual health awareness month: Debunking myths about feminine hygiene products
Women share their experiences with menstrual products in order to break the stigma surrounding menstruation.
As part of celebrating national menstrual health awareness month, Wits Vuvuzela spoke to various students about their experiences with feminine hygiene products. The month is used to highlight women’s experiences with these products; and address any misconceptions they may have about them.
Menstruation month is also celebrated annually to highlight critical issues related to menstruation. This can be combatting period poverty and debunking the misconception that considers women being on their periods as being “unclean”.
Sinovuyo Fosi, a 21-year-old Motion Picture honours student at AFDA explained that she normally prefers pads as she struggles with tampons because they never accommodate her heavy flow. However, an article on Healthline, a website and provider of health information, explained that when tampons are correctly inserted, there should be no pain or discomfort.
Like Fosi, Nicole Ludolph, a 30-year-old journalism honours student at Wits, prefers pads unlike other products.
“It has to be the Always brand that is extra-long and it must be flat, I don’t like the ones that are more spongey,” she said.
Ludolph’s issue with tampons stems from her fear of getting toxic shock, a rare life-threatening syndrome that consists of certain types of bacterial infections that results in your body releasing toxins that can cause organ failure.
But, Dr. Melisa Holmes, OB-GYN and founder of Girlology was quoted on Tampax explaining that toxic shock syndrome (TSS) infection is only partially linked to menstruation.
“Anyone can get TSS. Even men and children can get TSS, and only about half of TSS infections are related to menstruation. You are more likely to die from being struck by lightning than you are from toxic shock syndrome,” she added.
Dr. Holmes explained that users can avoid getting TSS by using the lowest absorbency tampons that will manage your flow. She also suggested the use of pads intermittently to interrupt tampon use.
Kele Kobokoane, a fourth year BCom Marketing student at UJ said she is reluctant to use menstrual cups due to concerns about the effort required for insertion – and doubts their ability yo securely manage heavy flow. Nqobile Khuzwayo, an AFDA graduate, echoes similar concerns. She explained that as a plus size woman, menstruation has always been difficult for her to navigate.
“Pads chafe me all the time whether it is winter or summer. I would love to try a tampon though, maybe my privates would not be in as pain for once.”
Dr. Meenakshi Bharath, a senior gynaecologist based in India on Happiest Health said it’s untrue that menstrual cups can get lost inside a woman’s vagina. “If the cup is not felt while trying to remove it, it just means the cup has gone one centimetre above fingertip”, she said.
On October 22, 2020, the National Library of Medicine conducted a study that concluded that 22.6% of women lacked the knowledge of using a menstrual cup while 56.2% feared inserting it. Out of the three hundred and fifty participants the National Library of Medicine gathered for the study, only 15.1% have tried using menstrual cups. This could be due to some of the myths as highlighted in the graphic.
As we navigate through menstrual health month, it is crucial to acknowledge that the above-mentioned myths scratch the surface of a much broader narrative.
As such if menstrual product uncertainties arise, seeking guidance from a gynaecologist is recommended.
FEATURED IMAGE: Celebrating Menstrual Health Awareness month with tips. Photo: Ofentse Tladi
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- Wits Vuvuzela, Project Revolutionize works to end period poverty on campus, August 2023
- Wits Vuvuzela, Tackling period poverty one dispenser at a time, May 2023
- Wits Vuvuzela, Awareness campaign by Wits SRC tackles endometriosis, April 2022
