5 Ways To Maintain Menstrual Hygiene

Every woman goes through menstruation. However, not every woman is informed about it the right way. Women in villages receive inadequate information about menstruation, menstrual hygiene and even menopause. Sanitation in the villages is not something people talk about. Women use old dirty cloth and rags when they have their periods. This can lead to infections, rashes and more.

It is always advised to maintain hygiene when you have your period. In doing so, you avoid any illnesses or infections. Menstrual hygiene isn’t very hard to achieve, and it can even relieve you of stress and pain during your period.

Here are 5 ways to maintain menstrual hygiene:

Keep Separate Underwear for your Period
It is a good idea to keep separate underwear to be used only during a period. If you stain the underwear, immediately wash it out, and disinfect it. Make sure you disinfect before wearing it again. It is really not hygienic to walk around in stained underwear! You can also keep an extra pair with you when you are going out or to work, in case you need it.

Choose Reusable Methods
Instead of using pads and tampons, it is much better to use a menstrual cup or cloth pads. They might seem like a pain to clean and disinfect, but they are actually much better for you and the environment in the long run. Pads and tampons are known to give rashes to women, and not to mention the scary possibility of toxic shock syndrome!

Wash, and take a Bath Regularly
When you are on your period, you should keep your genitals clean. Since the vagina has a sensitive balance of useful and non-useful bacteria, it is best to avoid any soaps or vaginal cleaning products and wash with warm water instead. Taking a bath regularly helps you keep clean.

Change Regularly
Pads and tampons are meant to be kept on for not more than 4-6 hours at a time. However, women leave them on for 8-12 hours sometimes. Advertisements are misleading too - they talk about how a pad can last the whole day. This is wrong. Leaving a pad or tampon on for that long can cause infections and other issues. Therefore, one needs to be diligent and change every 4-6 hours.

Dispose of used Pads Correctly
Always carefully wrap used pads and tampons in a paper before disposing of it. Wash your hands after the disposal to avoid any infections. Certain public restrooms have a separate bin to dispose of sanitary napkins. Do NOT flush them down the toilet - this can clog toilets and cause further problems.

Also read: Ease the pain: 7 Superfoods for Your Menstrual Health