5 things you should know to maintain menstrual hygiene!

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Introduction

We are all aware that one should always maintain health and hygiene, for which we have incorporated some practices like brushing daily, taking a bath, changing our undergarments, living in clean and dry surroundings etc. But what practices to incorporate to maintain menstrual hygiene, which is arguably the most important one to be maintained. Anything regarding periods or menstrual health is still a taboo in the society, way less that it was before but not negligent and hence consequently many mothers even now don’t want to teach their daughters about the right ways to maintain menstrual hygiene, the conversation is awkward to have that they’d rather not. This can be deemed the reason for many vaginal/urinary infections in young girls. In today’s day and age not just the society but technology is changing too, so you don’t need to have that conversation with your mother, there’s an answer to everything on the internet. In this article we will discuss simple practices to incorporate not just during period days but also otherwise in order to maintain menstrual hygiene.

5 things you should know to maintain menstrual hygiene

Wash regularly

Whether or not you are on your periods, make it a habit to wash your genital area every day. You do not need any additional products washes to do this. Just regular water is good enough. Washing regularly will keep away any bad bacteria or fungus which may cultivate in the vaginal area.

Change pads and tampons every 4-6 hours

Your sanitary napkin/tampon soaks blood which is released from your uterus. If you don’t change it from time to time the collected blood warms up and causes itching, rashes etc. Not just that, secreted blood often contains harmful bacteria which should not be there for long. Changing every 4-6 hours is also good to keep the odour away.

One sanitation product at a time

We may often feel that we should use 2 pads or one tampon and one pad together in order to control and manage heavy flow. But this is actually a myth. 2 is not better than one in this case. Yes, it may make you feel dry and leak free but it causes infections and rashes. If you experience very heavy flow then just change your sanitation product more often than doubling up. For women with very heavy flow, menstrual cups are highly recommended because you won’t have to take it out for good 6-8 hours and it never leaks if fitted properly.

Disposing sanitary pads

As much as hygiene is important while using the sanitary pads, it is equally important to pay attention to proper disposal of sanitary napkins. Wrap them properly in paper so that infection and bacteria doesn’t spread. Never flush it, it will most likely block the toilet. For personal hygiene remember to wash your hands properly, with soap before and after disposing the pad. Before because you don’t want to touch your genital area with dirty hands and after because you’ve touched the used sanitary product. If you are travelling then be sure to carry a sanitiser, which is anyway a necessity in the current times.

Wear clean and comfortable underwear

Choice of underwear is very important to maintain menstrual hygiene. In general, but specifically on days when you are menstruating opt for light-weight, breathable cotton underwear. If you wear tight, lacey or silk like underwear then the tightness causes moisture to stay put and therefore becoming a breeding hotspot of infections. Also change your underwear if you feel you may have trapped any moisture in them accidentally, from the bathroom or from physical activities like work outs. If you have leaked then there’s no doubt you should change it, not only because of the stain but also for hygiene reasons, secreted blood should not be in contact with your skin for long.

Much like many other topics related to women, menstrual hygiene may not be taught to you but in the interest of keeping oneself healthy and hygienic, you should read up about it. Implement these 5 practices and rest assured you will have a healthy, infection-free vagina. This Menstrual hygiene day promise to focus on what’s most important and take care of it just like you would take care of any other visible part of your body.

To help ease your menstrual days, andMe have come up with their ‘Uncompromising Period Comfort, Period box‘!

&Me Complete Period Box includes:
(1) &Me Sanitary Pads XL
(2) &Me Period Pain Relief Roll-On
(3) &Me Period Tea Pouch