Feminine Irritations? It could be your sanitary wear!

If you suffer from irritation, itchiness or soreness, or Allergic Feminine Irritation (AFI) it may be your sanitary wear. If you've never considered that sanitary towels & tampons could be unhealthy, think again.


The ingredients in many products are not good for us and can make skin irritations, allergies and soreness worse.  The safest material is 100% organic cotton, yet every month many women continue to use 'unhealthy' products that contain rayon - for absorbancy, cellulose gel - to make the pad thin, chlorine - to bleach the colour, latex, binders and other non essential ingredients.


Many women experience Allergic Feminine Irritation (AFI) and think they have thrush, or another similar bacteria related discharge, and  In a survey of UK gynaecologists, "75% believe that conventional sanitary protection could be the cause of intimate irritation". Gyneacological tests also concur that the safest material is 100% organic cotton.


Bleaching exposes women and the pads/tampons to dioxin, which can build up in the body. Dioxin is potentially carcinogenic, linked to cancer, toxic to the immune system and reproductive systems and has been linked to low sperm counts in men and endometriosis. It is ingested in our diets and through our environment and for more information on dioxin click here.

But you don't have to suffer it in your vagina too! There are several alternatives which provide comfy, quality protection.

• Organyc and Natracare are both 100% organic cotton. I've been trying out both brands recently. Organyc for heavy and moderate flow and Natracare for liners and the difference the organic cotton makes is quite astounding. Most notably when walking or sitting at my desk for long hours.

Both brands sell tampons and each did the job, but it was the pads that really made the difference in comfort. With or without wings, super, light, maternity etc - the pads and liners are free of latex, binders, rayon, dioxide, CFCs, chlorine, perfumes, lubricants, cellulose and any other harming chemical. They are simply certified, super absorbent pure cotton.

• Another safe form of sanitary wear is the Mooncup - an innovative product that is growing in popularity. It took a few months to adjust, but once I did, it proved handy and comfortable.The average woman uses 11,000 tampons in a lifetime and when you think they all end up in the ocean, the Mooncup appears as the best 'green' option. It could replace the need for towels and tampons, collecting all the menstrual blood in the cup, which you empty regularly, rinse and re-insert.

The long established, Natracare's website is a good resource for feminine health & hygiene, conditions and research, but the new brand on the market, Organyc was equal in comfort and quality.