6 tips for good menstrual hygiene

An important part of managing your menstrual hygiene during those days. We are often so flustered with the idea of getting our period, that we forget to make sure that our usual practices are sanitary.

Celebrating the Menstrual Hygiene Day on 28th May, here are some tips that we make sure to follow to have a clean period.

1. Use only one type of menstrual product at a time: Some women who experience an extremely heavy flow during their period choose to use two sanitary pads together, or a tampon and a sanitary pad together, or even two tampons. This may seem like a definite way to prevent you from leaking out. However, this may cause you to forget to change your pad or tampon at frequent intervals causing infections. In fact, leaving tampons in your vagina for long periods of time can put women at risk of developing Toxic Shock Syndrome.
2. Bathe regularly during your period: This has several benefits. Not only does it help to keep your vagina clean by removing the excess blood that could stay and cause an infection or bad odour, but is also believed to help alleviate our mood and reduce menstrual cramps.You can also relief your period pain through some mild heat and Cramp Comfort keeps you warm and comfortable for 8 hours straight. You can pick your pack here and go about your day without any worry.
3. Carrying extra underwear: This is a very basic tip but we often forget to do it. In case you stain your underwear, having an extra one is always beneficial because wearing stained underwear for prolonged periods of time could cause infections. An additional benefit is that it would help to change your stained underwear before it stains your clothes.
4. Abstain from using fragrance soaps in the vulva area: We are often very conscious about vaginal odour and resort to using scented cleansers around the area. However, fragrances can potentially irritate the vagina and cause pain or inflammation. Using water alone or a mild, unscented soap is more beneficial.
5. Washing your hands before and after changing your tampon or pad: Most women remember to wash their hands after they put on their pad or insert their tampon. However, it is very important for us to remember to clean our hands before we wear our pads. This helps avoid the bacteria that could be on our hands from entering our vagina and cause infections.
6. Getting enough rest: This is my most favourite of all and also the most underrated one! Getting enough rest may not keep you hygienic physically but definitely ensures mental hygiene. Periods can take a toll on us with mood swings, fatigue and cramps, and therefore following healthy sleeping habits can only help with this.

Periods can be very arduous and difficult to manage. However, if following these simple tips can make it any better, it’s definitely worth a shot!