After a visit to the local drugstore, one would likely be left with the impression that there’s no alternative to disposable menstrual products. In fact, there has been a slow but growing resurgence in the use of cloth pads. Trusted for thousands of years, cloth menstrual pads are now reappearing in health-food stores across North America. Since the manufacturers of cloth pads are usually small, home-based businesses, they lack the ubiquitous advertising presence of their much bigger competitors. However, their products are enjoying an increase in popularity – for good reasons we will now explore. This paper will present a comparison of disposable and cloth menstrual pads, on the basis of comfort, cost, health effects, and environmental implications.
The majority of disposable pads are made from wood products. These pads have a layer of adhesive and a plastic sheet on their underside. In consideration of these components, it’s not hard to guess why disposables might be less than comfortable. While the wood is rigorously processed so that it is reasonably soft, the plastic and glue can still be a major source of discomfort. Meant to act as a moisture barrier, the plastic also prevents the movement of air. Consequently, heat and moisture accumulate in the pad, which in turn causes increased perspiration. Hot weather and/or physical activity exacerbate these symptoms even further. The adhesive strip, designed to hold the pad in place, can sometimes shift (especially while walking or running) and adhere to the wearer instead of her undergarments, causing a great deal of discomfort and pain.
Washable pads on the other hand, are made from cotton, which breathes well, stays cool, and promotes natural evaporation. This evaporation helps the pad stay cooler and dryer which means it is more comfortable and can be worn longer than disposable pads. Most cloth pads have a wing on either side, which wraps around the gusset of the undergarment and snaps together. If the wings are sufficiently snug, the pad is firmly held in place without the need of uncomfortable adhesives.
The cost difference between disposable and cloth menstrual pads is considerable. If a woman uses a box of 20 pads per month and a box of 20 panty liners bimonthly, purchased at the current average price of $6 per box for each product, the total cost will be approximately $108 each year. After 35 menstruating years, a woman will have spent $3,780.00.
Cloth pads are considerably cheaper. If laundered in cold water without the use of bleach, cloth pads will last approximately seven years. The total number of pads that are required for the average menstrual cycle is 8. With this number of pads, it will not usually be necessary to launder any for reuse in the same month. At an average price of $10 each, these 8 pads will cost $80 every 7 years. Over 35 years, that would round out to approximately $400.00 -- $3,380.00 less than disposables. That’s an 89% saving!
On the issue of health, there is more startling dissimilarity. Multitudes of irritants are found in disposable pads that can precipitate allergic reactions, rashes, redness, itching, and burning. These irritants include chlorine residues left over from the wood pulp processing, anti-bacterial agents, perfumes, absorbency-enhancing chemicals, plastics and adhesives. The stagnant environment created in a hot, wet, airless pad is conducive to bacterial growth; hence, the use of anti-bacterial agents. It is also an environment conducive to fungal growth. Both bacterial and fungal proliferation can cause odor, as well as increase a woman’s susceptibility to yeast infections.
Cloth pads provide a considerably cooler and drier environment that’s conducive to vaginal health. They allow the free exchange of air, and they don’t introduce a cocktail of chemicals to the body. Although the cotton used in washable pads may contain bleach residues and fabric starch from the milling process, these can be washed out prior to the first use, and need not ever make contact with the wearer.
The environmental cost of disposable pads versus cloth pads provides perhaps the most compelling contrast of all. Based on the estimates used in the price comparison, a woman will use approximately 12,600 disposable menstrual products in her life. Each one of these pads significantly contributes to the degradation of the planet, both through its ingredients, and through the way in which it is are made. The processing of wood pulp, a main ingredient in most pads, results in an effluent of chlorine-laden sludge – tons of it in fact. This unfortunate byproduct is often released untreated into streams, lakes, and oceans, polluting entire ecosystems. The plastic used to line the back of each pad and to wrap it, will take hundreds of years to decompose, slowly releasing PCBs into the environment all the while. As well, the host of chemicals used to boost the efficiency of disposable pads will filter its way through the soil, and ground water, then eventually back into the food chain. Each pad is like a small environmental hand grenade, which many women unknowingly hurl at our Mother Earth 12,600 times each.
In stark contrast, cloth pads leave a very small environmental footprint. They are fully biodegradable, and will provide approximately 7 years of use or more before being returned to the earth. Even the metal snaps can be recycled.
Cloth pads are comfortable, cost effective, healthy, and environmentally responsible. Just try them and you’ll never go back to disposables. Mother Earth will thank you!
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