How Women Dealt With Menstruation Before The Discovery Of Menstrual Products

When we sit back and ponder, as women of this new generation, we are extremely lucky to be able to place our hands on the various range of menstrual products and pick our fave to battle out the days when Aunt Flo visits us. We’ve got different designs of sanitary pads, tampons, menstrual cups, etc. to choose from. But this wasn’t the case before, decades ago.

However, there’s one thing that’s been persistent through centuries now — the stigma that surrounds menstruation. Just imagine, if it still exists, in earlier times, the case would have been much worse. In the past, women definitely didn’t have too many options when it came to a career, lifestyle, and of course, the feminine products. Tampons were patented only in 1931 and disposable sanitary pads were invented somewhere during the late 1970s. So, what did women using before the invention of sanitary napkins, menstrual cups, etc? In the archaic era, women certainly had limited access to menstrual hygiene and associated supplies, so how did they manage to sail through the period tides? What must’ve been their DIY menstrual products? We did some research and found out what they used. You’ll be surprised (and also glad) that you didn’t have to use these! Read on.

1. Papyrus Plant

Shutterstock

These plants usually grow in the dry and hot climatic conditions, mainly in the areas of Egypt. It is said that ancient Egyptian women used to make tampons out of the fibers of the papyrus plants (1). If you read a little about ancient Egyptians on the Internet, you’ll understand that they were the first people to use papyrus. They made tons of things out of it — rope, paper, baskets, sandals, mats, and even boats. So, the women decided to make tampons out of it. We aren’t surprised as Egyptians are considered to be the most creative people of ancient times. But, papyrus for tampons? We’re not too sure how pleasant that could have been.

2. Wood

Shutterstock

This method was mainly used by Greek women. It is said that they would insert wooden sticks down there. Before you get a gory image in your head, allow us to explain this to you better. Let’s put it this way — the women used to pick up tiny pieces of wood, wrap it with lint to create a tiny, absorbent like object and then insert it into their bodies. Kudos to these women for being so brave and so strong to insert such hard materials into their bodies just for the sake of periods.

3. Hay

Shutterstock

In earlier times, some cultures expected menstruating women to stay in huts when they had their periods (2). These menstruating huts were filled with hay. And the women were expected to just go inside, sit on the hay and bleed. We wonder for how long they’d sit in there. The Jews were one among the followers of this custom. And it’s said that even to this day there are a few cultures that still follow it.

4. Grass Mats

Shutterstock

Just like how we segregate fresh veggies and fruits from the rotten ones, there was a time when women who were on their periods were segregated from the ones who weren’t on their periods. Ridiculous, right?This was something that was followed by Native Americans (3). When women used to menstruate, they entered these specific teepees where they’d sit on grass mats that absorbed their period blood. However, women loved doing this, as it was their relaxation period. They engaged in sewing, weaving, or just simply chatting with other fellow women. It was more like they were on leave from their daily household chores. That’s a pretty decent deal, right?

5. Moss

Shutterstock

For those of you who aren’t aware, moss is considered as a relative of the grass community. Peat moss or sphagnum mosses were used as a menstrual product because of its ability to hold water. In earlier times, women used to take cloth sacks and stuff them up with mosses. They used to place these sacks on their underwear to let it absorb their period blood. Although, we think this is a clever idea, what we don’t understand is how on earth is moss hygienic? We all know for a fact that moss and dirt are like BFFs. A lot of natural bacteria, bugs, and insects survive on moss. We think menstruating huts are a better idea than this one. (Rolls eyes)

6. Sand

Shutterstock

Chinese women made use of sand and cloth to make period pads in ancient times (4). They would take pieces of cloth and wrap them around tightly packed sand. When they thought that sand had absorbed enough of their period blood, they would unpack throw the sand away and use fresh packed sand again. This was their way of keeping blood stains at bay. It sounds like a decent solution, doesn’t it?

7. Rags

Shutterstock

You must be familiar with this as your mother or grandmother might have already told you about it. Because in the early 1900s women actively used absorbent rags while on their periods. They used to simply fold the rags and place it inside their underwear. When they felt the rags had become heavy due to the absorption of period blood, they would wash it with bleach, dry it, and use it all over again.

Today, women have plenty of options when it comes to menstrual products. They even have organic products that cause no harm to their bodies or the environment around them. We can only be thankful that we didn’t have to go through the above-mentioned ways! Which one from the above list do you think is very absurd? Let us know in the comments below.

The post How Women Dealt With Menstruation Before The Discovery Of Menstrual Products appeared first on STYLECRAZE.

from STYLECRAZE https://ift.tt/2JmroWW
via IFTTT