Article in USA Today Life section mentions that sanitary belt sales have trippled with new belts & thin pads?

Question

Rather than telling me why you prefer tampons or why belts are not your favorite, can women (thanks anyway guys) who have used them or do use them tell me WHY they have tripled in sales in the past 5 years to younger women? There must some compelling reason, or they would not be increasing in sales. What good about them?

Answer 1

The number one reason is because women are becoming better educated both about their bodies and about the risks of commercial sanitary products and tampons.

Commercial tampons themselves are the most harmful out of over twenty different menstrual options, as well as normal tampon risks from prevention of basic vaginal cleaning functions, drying of the vaginal walls and giving bacteria a pores environment to multiply upon, they are made from synthetics that increase risk and they use chemicals to treat tampons.

These chemicals are unknown because companies are protected by law so they do not have to inform consumers of what they use, the use of chemicals is purely to bleach tampons to make them whiter, in order to play on menstrual taboos keeping their customer base strong. The chemicals could pose real risk to general health, but also affect vaginal pH leading to increased risk of infection and TSS – in the 1990's the Women's Environmental Network made it public that commercial sanitary products were bleached using chlorine bleaching, a method that results in the highly toxic cancer-causing by-product dioxin. Commercial pad and diaper companies stopped using this bleaching method when they received a huge number of letters from consumers as well as bad press, tampon manufacturers however did not and as with the TSS scandal in the 1980's they bought out many doctors and scientists to support their claim that dioxin was safe, but eventually the government banned this bleaching process out of concern for public health.

Commercial pads carry similar risks with regards to chemicals and synthetic materials, preventing aeration to the vulva and introducing potentially harmful chemicals to a very delicate part of the body where they can be easily absorbed through the mucus membrane increasing risk of infections and TSS.

There are also other factors;

Environmental – a woman would go through approximately 12,000 disposable tampons or pads in a lifetime creating a lot of waste, tampon manufacturers claim their products are flushable when they are not, only around 30% of the wood is used in producing pulp to make commercial products, plastics are used as is cotton that is not organic, bleaching and chemical treatment result in pollution that could contribute to environmental factors contributing to cancer risk and hormonal problems in adolescents.

Social – commercial sanitary product manufacturers keep their customer base strong by playing on menstrual taboos, for example scented products because menstruation is 'smelly', whiter-than-white products because menstruation is 'dirty', or rustle proof wrappers because menstruation is 'embarrassing'. By making women feel menstruation is negative they are in turn making women feel that they need these products to deal with menstruation, in short commercial products are not very body-positive.

Ethical – as well as risking health and environment due to issues of dioxin in the 1990's and TSS in the 1980's (as a result of not testing their tampons and continuing to sell their products knowing they were killing people), in most cases they bought out doctors and scientists, so despite clear-cut cases only one person successfully managed to sue the tampon manufacturers – they and others who tried faced terrorism from the companies, there have been cases where the same companies have had people try to go up against them for other issues such as pollution and those people have been raped and left for dead [see Soap Opera by Alecia Swasy]. A lot of these companies put not only health and environment at risk but also support unethical animal testing – P&G well known for being clients of Huntington Life Sciences who not only used unethical animal testing but abused the animals in their care.

When it comes to belts or cloth pads, indeed any 'alternative' menstrual option from organic or sponge tampons through to menstrual cups or free-flow methods, these are better for health, environment and body-image, there is also a lot less history and politics involved, the manufacturers can be trusted. Pad-specifically they are also far more comfortable than commercial pads because they are made from material rather than plastics and synthetics.

There are a load of menstrual activism sites, and it is obviously working as there are more articles like this popping up and here in the UK they are even now advertising products like the Keeper - http://www.keeper.com - and they now sell the Mooncup in Boots stores - http://www.mooncup.co.uk - as well as natracare products - http://www.natracare.com

http://www.wen.org.uk/sanpro
http://www.spotsite.org
http://bloodsisters.org
http://www.tamponalert.org.uk
http://www.frontiernet.net/~ruthb

These are some sites that talk about these issues, typical my bookmarks site is not working right now so I can't give more examples, but it is a fast growing movement because of these issues and because so many women are discovering better menstrual options - I went into menstrual activism after discovering menstrual cups.

Answer 2

It is mostly due to all the studies coming out in recent years connecting the bleached cotton used in tampons to cervical cancer.

Secondly, the growth of the young religious right movement and it's obsession with an intact hymen and unbreached by no man or object vaginal passage has also played a small role. I actually attended a bible study with a friend once wherein the subject was the evils of tampon use and how God doesn't like young virgins using the gizmo's. It was surreal, I tell ya.

Thirdly, the materials from which pads are made has dramatically improved over the years making them more effective, less uncomfortable, and less odiferous.

Answer 3

because tampons are dangerous and can make you have sever cramps later on in life, more and more teenagers are being seen gynecologists office visits with tampons still stuck far up in there vagina , and its leaving them with unwanted smells and infections. so i now use pads since i've stopped tampons over a month ago i have more and more servere cramps than i ever did when i was a teenager. these tampons have increased my flow with clots as big as a tangerine . so its all up to the person to use at there own risk but i would advise all women to stop using tampons yes there easy so that u don't have make bathrrom visits all day at work or school or u can do your sports activities, but would you rather have convience now or health problems later. most ob/gyn won't tell you theres a link to endometriosis and tampons because there not obligated to tell you or they don't want to because its true. use at your own risk

Answer 4

do you mean the pads that have the loops at both ends and hook on to the belt ???????????? OMG I thought they went out the the dodo.......as someone who HAD to use them back in he day, could think of NO REASON to ever return to that system, and frankly could not see why ladies would wish to..............they still can not be flushed away and unless the are made of a material that you can wash and reuse [going even further back in time] then honestly could not see any benefit to this at all

Answer 5

Wow I thought they stopped making the belt except for medical purposes. Personally I wouldn't want to use one

Answer 6

i remember the old ones when i was very young, i like the stick on ones better than those nasty belts.

Answer 7

I guess we will have to know that these are before we can answer them.... I am sure most don't know it and never heard of it... like myself...

Answer 8

I think you're making it up.

Show us the article?

Answer 9

Why? I don't know, but that's that.



Period.