Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Economically and Environmentally Friendly: Fabric Mentrual Pads

When I first began seeing the reusable, cotton menstrual pads in a few stores around town I was a little grossed out. But, once I got past the "idea" of it, I began to see that there were a lot of benefits to switching to handmade, washable menstrual pads rather than the normal disposable ones that most stores carry and that we are all very familiar with.

1. They are economically and environmentally friendly. I read somewhere that it's estimated that most women use somewhere around 10 disposable pads per month. That's 120 per year ... an estimated 6,000 per lifetime. That's a lot of menstrual products to dispose of over the years. The price per package is anywhere from an estimate of $3.00 to 9.00. That's a lot of money to spend on something you use once and throw away. Making / buying and using the reusable ones will save you a lot of money and will keep a lot of trash out of the landfills.

2. They are more healthy for some people. From what I've read, there are chemicals (often used to help absorption or to reduce/cover odors) in the filling of a lot of disposable menstrual products that could result in reactions in individuals who are sensitive to fragrances and chemicals. Some also include latex which can also pose allergy risks. These chemicals are even said to sometimes cause a woman's period to last longer or be a heavier flow than if natural fabrics were used.

3. They are prettier. Disposable pads come in white. I have occasionally seen a light lavender color as well in some, but most are just plain white. If you make your own or buy the premade ones on the market the sky is the limit for colors and designs.

I am in no way the expert on these, but if you google cloth or reusable menstrual pads you will find many sites with extensive information about the pros and cons of changing from disposable to reusable. I encourage you to check it out before simply going, "Gross!" and flipping to the next page.

I just made my first few reusable menstrual pads and wanted to share pictures and critiques on them.

The first one that I made was a three part pad that includes an outer, waterproof layer with wings. This is the base layer that snaps around the undergarment like the disposable pads with wings. On top of this layer is a removable, winged layer padded with cotton batting. This would work fine for light days. There is a third, hourglass pad that can be added on top of this for heavier days as well. The great thing about these pads is that you can make each layer as thick or thin as you want.  The basic pattern is based on Adahy's Faux Luna Multi-Layer Pad .  Total for a personal sense of security and comfort I upsided mine from the pattern that she gives because at least to start I wanted a larger surface in case of leaks (there shouldn't be any, but until I have tried them for a while I'm erring on the side of safety). Here are some pictures of the set I made.





Winged Base Layer Top Side
Winged Base Layer Bottom Side





Middle Winged Layer Side 1

Winged Middle Layer Side 2

Hour Glass Insert

Three Layers Put Together



One a few other sites that I was looking at it showed several designs that have pockets to place the inserts in rather than the strips that hold the inserts in place above. I couldn't find one with a shape that I liked in the pocket pad patterns that I found so I took the basic shape of the first one and made it a little bigger and a little more square. 

It consists of a solid flannel bottom layer, a PUL waterproof layer, another solid flannel piece, and two flannel overlapping pieces on top to form the pocket flap. I made the inserts for it the same way I did for those on top. I made one small, thinner insert, and one wider, thicker insert. Snaps were installed on the wings to secure the pad around the undergarment.  Here are some pictures of it.


Top Winged Pocket Pad- You can see the pocket if you look closely.

Bottom Winged Pocket Pad

Small Insert

Large Insert

Bottom: Here is how it looks when it is snapped.

Top: Here is how it looks when it is snapped.

These are just two design ideas. There are many many out there to choose from depending on what sort of coverage and style that you want. I have a few others in mind that I'd like to try, so I'll post them as I make them. I'll also post what I think of each one as I try them for a while and list pros and cons of each.

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