{"id":297,"date":"2021-06-02T14:37:30","date_gmt":"2021-06-02T10:37:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cliniquebonpasteur.com\/les-alternatives-aux-serviettes-et-tampons-quels-choix\/"},"modified":"2021-06-14T10:56:52","modified_gmt":"2021-06-14T06:56:52","slug":"les-alternatives-aux-serviettes-et-tampons-quels-choix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/old-2025.cliniquebonpasteur.com\/en\/les-alternatives-aux-serviettes-et-tampons-quels-choix\/","title":{"rendered":"Pads and tampons: What alternatives?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There are at global level 1.9 billion women who can procreate, who therefore have their period, and who spend an average of 65 days a year dealing with it. Although the human race\u2019s survival depends on it, this subject remains taboo for some. Added to this, ignorance or prudishness can hinder access to the full panoply of products available to deal with monthly blood flow. We know of disposable tampons and pads, but other more ecological alternatives are available, and are increasingly accessible in Mauritius. Overview.<\/p>\n

The cup
\nThe cup or the menstrual cup, almost unknown 10 years ago, is more and more popular nowadays. Medical silicone cup used during menstruation, it is inserted into the vagina, and sits there all day\/night long while blood flow is collected in there, and it has to be emptied couple of times a day. Blood is thus collected, and not absorbed like disposable tampons or pads. It also has the particularity of being reusable, and one cup can thus be used for upto 10 years!
\nA scientific assessment published in the medical journal The Lancet in 2019 about the cup comes to the following conclusions: the frequency of leaks is similar or even less with the cup as compared to disposable tampons and pads, the risk of infections is not higher with the cup as compared to disposable tampons and pads, even tending to be lower. One of the examples used is the toxic shock syndrome which is a rare disease that can be caused by the regular use of hyper-absorbent tampons (6-12 cases per 100,000). This risk is even lower with the use of the cup (0.8-3.4 cases per 100,000) according to a study mentioned in this evaluation. Also, the financial and environmental cost of using the cup compared to tampons and pads is significant. Indeed, being reusable, the cost of the cup represents, over a period of 10 years, 5 – 7% of what tampons or pads would respectively cost. In addition, over the same period, the cup represents between 0.4 – 6% of plastic waste as compared to tampons and pads respectively. Eco-friendly peeps who are still using the disposable pads and tampons might want to think twice!
\nHowever, what is potentially an obstacle to the use of the cup is the fact of having to insert it inside the vagina, to then remove it after 6 to 10 hours, empty it, rinse it and put it back in. In other words, those who like to keep their fingers clean might have to undergo a paradigm shift! Also, inserting and removing the cup requires a specific technique. However, one get used to it pretty quickly according to this study, thanks to practice, peer support, and the right information.
\nAlso, the cup may not be compatible with the contraceptive intrauterine device (IUD), hence the importance of discussing this with a healthcare professional. Note that cups are now available in several pharmacies across the country, as well as in some supermarkets.
\nNevertheless, 70% of those who have tried it have held on to it!<\/p>\n

Reusable pads
\nFor those who are looking for an alternative to disposables, as well as to the cup, there are also reusable pads. Although our grandmas have had to go through the use of the menstrual cloth a few generations back, which were at the time extremely bulky, reusable pads available on the market today are much more comfortable. Being of the same size as a disposable pad, but made of materials like cotton or flannel, they are just as comfortable. Reusable pads now come in specific sizes, just like disposable pads, i.e. in light \/ medium \/ heavy \/ overnight \/ etc.
\nAlthough there are fewer scientific studies on the subject, the effectiveness of the product will depend on the size chosen, just like disposable pads, but also on the material with which it is made, on the duration of use, washing, etc.
\nIt is worth mentioning that one of our compatriots has specialised in making reusable fabric pads. Indeed, Elodie Adone from Creloa Crafts, tried different prototypes before marketing this product which contains neither chemical nor plastic. She thus reminds us that the use of reusable pads has a very positive impact on the environment compared to conventional disposable products such as tampons or pads. Her products, namely Creloa Crafts, are available via Facebook or Instagram.
\nAccording to a 2019 UNICEF publication, the reusable pad has a lifespan of about a year, and should be changed roughly every 3-6 hours. Elodie Adone even points out that the fabric pads she makes have a lifespan of 5 years.<\/p>\n

So ladies, if you’re fed up with of disposables and want to move on, the options are there. However, it might be advisable to talk to a healthcare professional beforehand. Feel free to talk to your gynaecologist, who will be able to provide you with information according to the specificities of each alternative. Appointments can be made at the Bon Pasteur clinic with a gynaecologist by dialling the 401-9500.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are at global level 1.9 billion women who can procreate, who therefore have their period, and who spend an average of 65 days a year dealing with it. Although the human race\u2019s survival depends on it, this subject remains taboo for some. Added to this, ignorance or prudishness can hinder access to the full panoply of products available to deal with monthly blood flow. We know of disposable tampons and pads, but other more ecological alternatives are available, and are increasingly accessible in Mauritius. Overview.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/old-2025.cliniquebonpasteur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Reseaux_sociaux_-_article_pad_alternative__4cc0f35bed6a99a448df710e5695da8c-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/old-2025.cliniquebonpasteur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Reseaux_sociaux_-_article_pad_alternative__4cc0f35bed6a99a448df710e5695da8c-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"yaasine","author_link":"https:\/\/old-2025.cliniquebonpasteur.com\/en\/author\/yaasine\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/old-2025.cliniquebonpasteur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/old-2025.cliniquebonpasteur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/old-2025.cliniquebonpasteur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old-2025.cliniquebonpasteur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old-2025.cliniquebonpasteur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/old-2025.cliniquebonpasteur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old-2025.cliniquebonpasteur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/old-2025.cliniquebonpasteur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old-2025.cliniquebonpasteur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old-2025.cliniquebonpasteur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}