Feminine Hygiene Products: Are They Safe to Use?

Vaginal health is often a major concern for all women. Thus, most of them are inclined to use one or a combination of feminine hygiene products to ensure it. Menstrual hygiene goods include menstrual pads, tampons, panty liners, menstrual cups, menstrual sponges, and period panties, which are all used during menstruation.

Douches, feminine wipes, and soap are examples of feminine hygiene items that are used to clean the vulva. Women increasingly regard these products not as a convenience, but as a necessity for fulfilling their social, professional, and familial obligations. However, the debate over the safety of intimate hygiene products is as old as the products themselves.

Hence, today we are dwelling on the discussion about the mechanism of the vagina and if the feminine hygiene products are safe to use. In order to initiate the conversation about this, it is important to understand the vagina’s and vulva’s structure properly.

Vagina and Vulva’s biological structure -

Though both the terms are often used interchangeably, they actually differ in meaning. Medically, the vagina is the internal muscular tract extending from the cervix to the vaginal opening. On the other hand, the vulva is the external part of the female genital tract that includes;

• the labia inner and outer (labia minora and majora)
• the clitoral hood and glans clitoris (the exterior component of the clitoris) (the fold of skin protecting the glans clitoris)the vestibule (which surrounds the vaginal opening)
• the urethral opening

Ensuring vulvar and vaginal health -

There are two most important aspects when it comes to maintaining and determining this –

1) pH balance – It is a measurement that indicates the acidity and alkalinity of something. Numerous studies have suggested that the vulvar pH should be usually between 3.4-4.7, whereas the vaginal pH seems to differ as per person’s age and stage of the menstrual cycle as stated below

1. before reaching reproductive age and starting menstruating – pH 7 (neutral)
2. reproductive age – pH 3.8-4.4
3. Menopause – 4.5-7

2) Bacterial balance – Studies have found that bacterial populations differ during the phases of the menstrual cycle. It should however be noted that the vagina has a self-cleaning mechanism that maintains the appropriate pH balance and prevents bacterial outgrowth.

Role of Feminine hygiene products-

Most female intimate care products are marketed as a necessity which will ensure a healthy and odour-free vagina. Therefore, this lures most women to use them regularly despite the various hazardous warnings associated with their overuse.

Most feminine hygiene products contain harmful chemicals that may be potentially dangerous to the health of the vagina. And though these chemically infused products may provide temporary relief from bacterial infections or ensure a good-smelling vagina, they may disrupt the pH balance of your vagina. So it becomes important to wisely select the products you want to use.

Things to keep in mind –

Look out for chemically free products – Female hygiene products are not necessarily bad but one should look out for the ingredients. If the product contains harmful substances like VOCs, you should either change the product or the brand.

Moderation is the key – It is not advised to use hygiene products like deodorants and wash them every time you pee. You can choose to use the products regularly but not multiple times a day.

Thus, it can be concluded that feminine hygiene products are actually beneficial if selected smartly and used moderately.