When your period is due or has arrived, you might experience a range of uncomfortable symptoms; cramps, bloating etc! But, do you experience discomfort during your period in the form of itching, rashing or even pain when using tampons or pads?
We recently commissioned a survey and discovered that nearly a third of women reported to experiencing itching or thrush like symptoms around their period. If this sounds like you then you might have come to accept this as just being ‘part of your period.’
Delicate balancing act:
A healthy vaginal pH is between 3.5 – 4.5, and it’s important to keep it in this acidic range. Changes to the pH level can result in infections and general discomfort. To maintain the balance, you need to be aware of what you’re using near the vaginal area.
Now, it’s fair to say that your period can certainly disrupt this delicate pH balance. Hormonal changes can increase pH levels and menstrual blood can also tip the balance. Therefore, it is so important to maintain good hygiene during your period. To limit the risk of irritation and infection our expert consultant Gynaecologist, Ms Anne Henderson, recommends avoiding fragrance/perfumes, unnecessary additives and synthetic fibres. These can all lead irritate the vulva and vagina causing symptoms such as itching.
Avoiding these irritants:
Unfortunately, many of these irritants can be found in mainstream period products. That’s why organic brands proudly shout about being rayon-free (synthetic fibres) and fragrance-free. Many of our customers told us that they experienced less irritation when using organic cotton. So, we decided to explore this a little further!
Putting TOTM to the test:
We put together a panel of real women, who had never used organic cotton period care products before. You can meet the panel here. We asked for their honest feedback after trying our products for one period. When surveying the panel, we found out that 6/8 of them noted experiencing irritation during their period. Including:
- Itching
- Rashing
- Pain when inserting/removing tampons
Whilst these symptoms can be caused by other factors, we simply switched them from mainstream tampons/pads to organic tampons/pads to see if this made a difference to the amount of irritation they experienced…
Stay tuned for part 3 of our trialling TOTM series where we reveal exactly what our panel said about our products – positive and negative!
