Clean Options OTR*

*on the rag

Ever heard that acronym before, or am I just dating myself?  Or, how about Eve’s Disease?  Whatever you call it, for most of us women, this event occurs monthly so it is a regular part of our lives for about 40 years.  To be honest, it is a regular part of our men’s lives too, as they have to put up with running to the store, our mood swings, cravings, and wacky life for at least a week per month.  If half the population menstruates, and the other half lives with us, why is our monthly cycle such a taboo topic?  Why do we have to talk in secret, code, or left to wonder if we are the only ones having certain symptoms monthly?  There are aisles dedicated to period care, companies making products and money being spent on a very natural part of God’s design.  What gives?

Whenever a woman has her menstrual period, she will be ceremonially unclean for seven days.  Anyone who touches her during that time will be unclean until evening (Leviticus 15:19).  Women were not singled out for her monthly cycle bloody discharge any more than a man was for a bodily discharge, it was just part of the Mosaic Law and God had regulations in place for this.  We were considered unclean for 7 days per month, but not for a lifetime.  Even though, as a whole, our society is not governed by the Mosaic Law, it still seems that our monthly cycle is hush-hush, so it doesn’t help us get the information we need most of the time.    

With periods being a regular part of our lives, is this a regulated industry?  If so, how?  Yes, it is a regulated industry – pads, tampons and menstrual cups and discs are regulated by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) as medical devices and intimate care products (douches, wipes, washes, sprays and powders) are regulated by the FDA as cosmetics.  Another question to ask – is safety a consideration in these regulations?  

Before any tampon can be sold in the U.S., each company must submit information for review by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and products are considered recommended not approved.   Reusable tampons are not considered safe by the FDA as they can contribute additional risks for yeast, fungal or bacterial infections – the only tampon cleared by the FDA is single-use.  The crochet variety that you may or may not have seen on Pinterest is considered reusable and would not be considered safe.   Tampon usage can contribute to a disturbance in the vaginal flora and an overgrowth of the wrong bacteria can cause Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS).  TSS is a rare infection caused by certain kinds of bacteria which can damage organs – including kidney, liver and heart.  It is worth noting that TSS cases have gone down in recent years because of FDA regulations on labeling on tampon packaging. 

Finding the correct answer to the regulation question has taken some digging and the results can be confusing.  However, according to Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) there has been conversations, product development, regulation and testing on feminine care products in recent years to locate and hopefully reduce potential toxins in products women use routinely. 

  “Testing has found menstrual products can contain harmful chemicals like phthalates, dioxins, furans, parabens, triclosan, toluene, and more.  Yet none of these ingredients appear on product labels—because they don’t have to.  Nor does the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) require ingredients used in menstrual products to meet any kind of safety standard or ban the use of harmful ingredients from these products.

“The Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Subchapter H lists menstrual products like tampons, pads (including reusable pads), and menstrual cups as medical devices, but it does not include period underwear. There are some labeling requirements for tampons, but it does not include ingredient listings. Labeling requirements include warnings about toxic shock syndrome and absorbency information. Tampons dispensed in vending machines are not required to meet any labeling requirements.

“Manufacturers of menstrual products are required to file a pre-market notification submission (510 (k)) to the FDA that show the product is safe and effective. However, these notifications are not readily available. A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) must be filed to obtain a 510 (k), and even then much of the information is redacted. Manufacturers do not have to submit a 510 (k) for menstrual pads if there is already an established safety profile for a “substantially equivalent” product,” (Women’s Voices for the Earth, May 5, 2021 How Are Menstrual and Intimate Care Products Regulated, wve.com).

The FDA does regulate some aspects of this industry, but is there actually a problem and should we be concerned?  According to an article published July 21, 2021 by Made Safe, period care products come in contact with a very permeable, absorptive and sensitive area of a woman’s body. And one study   concluded that there are many exposure doses of parabens, phthalates and bisphenols in period care products, especially tampons, pads and liners.  Also, companies are not required to disclose what’s inside the products even though these chemicals have known risk factors.  In a woman’s lifetime, she will use an average of 20-30 period care products every month – whether it’s tampons, pads, or liners.  Reusable products (period panties, menstrual cups and discs, reusable cloth pads) would change this number, but the fact is, we use a lot of products every month for decades over our lifetime.  And, as noted above, our feminine area is one of the most permeable areas for absorption of any ingredient – toxic or otherwise.

Are there options so that we can avoid using known carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and plastics, and yet still function in society every month?  Can we protect our vaginal flora while using period care products?  Are we limited to primitive methods or washing rags every month?  Fortunately, great strides have been made in this arena and many companies are becoming more transparent in ingredients, processes, and sourcing, so we can choose wisely.  In my follow-up article, there will be lists and resources on products.

So, by whatever name we call our cycle, we can confidently choose safe clean period care products that will help reduce our toxic load and maintain a healthy vaginal flora every month by making a few changes.  God designed our bodies to handle toxins – it’s the overabundance of toxins that can lead to problems.  Making safer switches in our product (and food) choices can lead to a healthier body, and the choices are becoming more readily accessible and affordable, as well as effective.  Starting the switch now is one step toward having a safe clean cycle and body.