Monthly hygiene

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The term monthly hygiene (also menstrual hygiene ) summarizes the use of hygiene articles that women use during their period , during the weekly flow after childbirth or also continuously to protect laundry from blood , cervical mucus , vaginal secretions and other natural excretions that are sexually mature Women occur in the area of ​​the vulva or vagina .

In the industrially developed countries, industrially manufactured articles play a key role in monthly hygiene, including sanitary napkins , panty liners , tampons , sponges , soft cups and menstrual cups .

Basics

During a normal period, up to 60 ml of blood is excreted, which is around 10 ml per day, whereby the blood flow can be significantly stronger in the first few days than in the later. Many women also have periods when more than 80 ml of blood is excreted in a week ( hypermenorrhea ).

The amount of vaginal secretion fluctuates with the monthly cycle and is highest in the days after ovulation . On average, it is around 4 to 6 ml per day. With a pH of 3.8 to 4.4, vaginal secretions are acidic ; In particular, dark underwear can develop bleach stains from prolonged contact with the secretion.

Monthly hygiene without industrial products

In imperial China , thanks to the invention of textiles and paper, women had various types of hand-made sanitary towels that were fastened to the waist belt with ribbons or scarves, including textile bags that were filled with absorbent material, as well as disposable sanitary towels made of straw paper, cotton or old clothes.

In Europe, until industrial monthly hygiene products became common, women either did not wear underpants, or they used wool or linen towels, which they washed after each use. American women, especially when traveling, used cheesecloth in which they wrapped flattened cotton .

Monthly hygiene with industrial products

Full page advert for moss sanitary napkins dating from 1890
Full-page advertisement for moss pads from 1890

Monthly belts, sanitary towels and women's panties

Before 1900

At the turn of the 20th century, the “Diana belt” from Teufel was supposed to enable women to move about freely even with a bandage.

As early as the end of the 19th century, the Paul Hartmann bandage factory , founded in 1883 in the Bohemian Hohenelbe , was producing sanitary towels that could hold the “Mulpa” bandage material made of wood wool , which was delivered in compressed blocks.

Carl Moritz Marwede , who had been running a factory for “surgical moss preparations” in Neustadt am Rübenberge near Hanover since 1888, had pads in his product range made from peat moss , designed for single use, which he sent to his customers by post.

In 1893 the Stuttgart company Wilhelm Julius Teufel patented its "Diana belt". The belt was later supplemented by a "fluff bandage" with the model name "Cleopatra", which was used rolled up and spread out for washing. In addition, the company also produced towels made of terry toweling .

In the United States in 1897, Johnson & Johnson introduced single-use pads made from cotton wool pillows wrapped in cheesecloth. The company initially sold them as "Lister's Towels" and from the 1920s on under the brand name "Nupak". Marketing was difficult at the end of the 19th century because mentioning the female body functions was considered inappropriate.

1900-1950

Advertisement for sanitary towels in the cure list of Gries near Bozen , 1908

In the early 20th century, when they were on their period, some American women wore a " sanitary apron " sewn from rubber and fabric under their skirt , which was supposed to prevent blood from getting through to their outer clothing.

After nurses discovered during World War I that bandages were better suited to absorb menstrual blood than the pieces of cloth they had been using up until then, the paper manufacturer Kimberly-Clark bought material from leftover bandages from the American Army and brought it under the brand name from 1921 on "Kotex" disposable pads on the market. The Kotex-binding to use, women Month belt wearing (Engl. Sanitary belts ), most of the popular brand "Hoosier" which - - back of a Straps and forward to a metal buckle safety pins held in which the napkins were pinned. Although the belts were considered uncomfortable, they remained in use until the 1970s.

In Germany , in 1926, the United Paper Works in Nuremberg , which later also marketed Tempo handkerchiefs, developed a cellulose bandage in a mesh tube for single use; the product was named "Camelia". To prevent the sanitary towels from slipping, they were put into so-called monthly panties.

Since 1950

A millimeter-thin "Always Infinity"

In the German Democratic Republic , the “Alba Zell” and “Rosa Extra” branded sanitary towels made of cellulose, gauze and cardboard have been popular since the 1950s.

In 1958, the United Paper Works in Nuremberg in the Federal Republic of Germany brought out a "Camelia Record" bandage which, instead of a gauze, had a fleece wrap that was supposed to prevent liquids from passing by. After American products were already equipped with adhesive strips in 1970, the first self-adhesive bandage "Camelia 2000" appeared in the FRG in 1973, and in 1973 - since many women had less withdrawal bleeding than menstruating because of the use of the birth control pill - the "Camelia Mini" ". After Kotex had introduced a panty liner in the United States in 1975 , Johnson & Johnson followed suit in 1976 with the “Carefree” product. From 1977 the product was also available in Germany. Camelia followed in 1981 with its own panty liner. Some women wear panty liners for very light menstrual periods, after sexual intercourse and often for everyday protection of their underwear from vaginal secretions.

In 1983 , Procter & Gamble introduced the Always brand in the United States, Great Britain and France ; in Germany the products have been on the market since summer 1991. Today they are sold under different brand names in many other countries. In 1986 Procter & Gamble presented the "Always Plus", a sanitary napkin that had wings on the side to prevent blood from running past the side of the sanitary napkin. In 1991 the “Always Ultra” followed, which transforms the absorbed liquid into leak-proof gel and could therefore be much thinner than previous sanitary towels. In “Always Infinity” released in 2008, the even stronger binding material “Flex Foam” is used. A total of 34 different sanitary towels and 17 different panty liners are now available under the brand name “Always”. The “Radiant” series is designed to appeal to teenagers in particular. Wet wipes are also marketed under the “Always” label .

The company TZMO, which was founded in 1951 in the Ukrainian town of Torun as a dressing material factory, has also had a large market share in Germany today , but has also been manufacturing feminine hygiene products since 2003, which are sold in the German-speaking region under the brand name "Bella" in the discount segment; in Central and Eastern Europe this product line holds the largest market share.

Modern textile products

Sanitary napkins

With the resurgence of the textile diaper for babies in the 1980s, the cloth napkin for women also came back. In 1988 Marie Walleberg founded the company ImseVimse in Visby, Sweden , which today also produces cloth napkins in addition to cloth diapers. Eco femme sells cotton towels and donates part of the profits to charitable projects in India. There are also numerous other providers, such as the Austrian company Popolini , the German company Kulmine (founded in Osnabrück in 1993 as Die Vivas ) and the Chinese manufacturing company Dutchess .

In Brooklyn resident entrepreneur Miki Agrawal brought in spring 2015 washable panties (Engl. Period panties can brand name "Thinx"), but there are and on the market that look like ordinary underwear made of very absorbent material be worn during menstruation without further protection . At the 2015 World Technology Awards , Agrawal was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year for this market move .

There are also monthly panties that no longer contain a device for attaching sanitary towels, but are made from impermeable material in the crotch and are worn by some women as a supplement to sanitary towels, tampons or menstrual cups.

Tampons and sponges

Disposable tampons

ob -Tampon
Tampon with applicator

The cellulose tampon with a pull-back cord , which collects menstrual blood directly in the vagina, was invented in 1929 by Earle Haas , an American osteopathologist . Haas patented the invention but was unable to market it. In 1933 the businesswoman Gertrude Tendrich acquired the patent and thus helped the Tampax company, founded in 1936, to a steep rise. It was important to Haas that users did not touch the tampon with their fingers. The Tampax products were therefore equipped with an applicator , a telescopic tube made of cardboard. In the 1960s, the company faced competition from similar products from Playtex, which was founded in 1947 . Playtex patented a plastic applicator in 1973; plastic is still the standard for more expensive products today.

Tampons without an applicator were also traded early in the United States under the brand names Wix and Fax . In the 1950s the “Pursettes” tampons followed, which had a moistened tip for easier insertion; a younger target group was advertised intensively for the first time.

The idea came to Germany in 1947 through the engineer Carl Hahn , who founded his own company and adapted the technology of tobacco rolling, which he had previously got to know as the head of the Bremen cigarette manufacturer Martin Brinkmann , for the manufacture of cotton tampons. Hahns ob tampons were sold from 1950 onwards.

In the United States in 1978, Procter & Gamble developed a tampon made from a more absorbent material that assumed a bell-like shape as it expanded. In the early 1980s, this new material was occasionally linked to toxic shock syndrome , which had led to death in several women.

In the GDR, tampons of the Imuna brand were traded until 1989 , which were produced in the VEB Vliestextilien Lößnitztal . In the FRG there were also tampons from Camelia from 1995.

In Florida in 1989 a product called "Fresh 'n' Fit ​​Padettes" was introduced, a tampon for light days that should not be inserted into the vagina but rather placed between the labia and only used on lighter days of the period. The article was presented a second time in 1997 as “inSync Miniform”, but it did not attract any customer interest. Since 2008 it has been on the market again as the “Unique Miniform”, but now more for use in bladder incontinence .

Reusable products

Washable tampons are also available as an alternative to disposable tampons. However, there is greater demand for menstrual sponges, such as those sold by Jade & Pearl , a company founded in Florida in 1974 ; Menstrual sponges are untreated, small natural sponges that are inserted into the vagina without a withdrawal cord and later pulled out again with the index and middle fingers. Corresponding products made of plastic are called soft tampons . Unlike tampons, sponges and soft tampons do not need to be removed during sexual intercourse.

  • Washable tampon

  • Soft tampon

Menstrual cups and soft cups

Menstrual cups

Menstrual cups are folded up for insertion.

The first menstrual cup was patented in the United States in 1867 as a “catamenial sack”, but it was never industrially manufactured. The invention consisted of a sachet attached to a ring, which was to be inserted into the vagina and placed with the ring in front of the cervix so that the blood flow would be collected directly in the sachet. The inventor suspected that the sack would not keep its position without external stabilization, so he added a hip belt that was connected to the sack with a wire.

In 1937, the American Leona Chalmers patented a rubber menstrual cup that was made in the shape of a goblet. Chalmers assumed that the cup would be held by the muscles of the pelvic floor so that it would not slip in the vagina; she simply provided the cup with a short handle for emptying and cleaning. The invention was produced in small numbers as "Tass-ette" until rubber became so scarce during World War II that Chalmers had to stop manufacturing. With the support of the entrepreneur Robert Oreck, Chalmers brought out the product again under the name "Tassette" at the end of the 1950s. The “tassette” was only sold in small numbers; In 1963 production was completely stopped. In the late 1960s - mass production of disposable sanitary towels had begun - Chalmers tried again with a disposable menstrual cup "Tassaway", which was produced in small numbers until 1973.

In 1987, a company founded in Cincinnati took up the idea of ​​the "Tassette" and has since produced menstrual cups made of rubber ("The Keeper") and silicone ("The Moon Cup"). Since it is lighter and more flexible than rubber ("latex") and does not cause allergies , silicone has since established itself as the standard material. The Finnish company Lunette has been offering similar products since 2005 . The Swedish company Intimima followed in 2012 with an asymmetrically shaped "Lily Cup" cup, and in 2014 with a collapsible "Lily Cup Compact" cup. There are also various other providers, including the Canadian company Diva International ("Diva Cup"), which also markets its products in large North American department store and drugstore chains.

One of the latest developments is the "Looncup", a menstrual cup with an electronic chip that measures the color and amount of the cup's contents and notifies the user via her smartphone via app when the cup should be emptied. The Looncup goes back to the invention of the Loon Labs group from Brooklyn. Production is in preparation.

Soft cups

Softcup from Instead

The company Instead Healthcare in San Diego brought out a "Softcup" in 1996, a disposable cup made from a polyethylene bag attached to a flexible plastic ring. The ring is larger than the circumference of a menstrual cup and the product sits in front of the cervix in a position similar to a diaphragm . Unlike a conventional menstrual cup, a soft cup does not need to be removed during vaginal intercourse. The company Evofem , which Instead took over in 2009, added a product that can be used several times within a cycle, but should be thrown away afterwards.

taxation

With a sales tax of 19%, the taxation of monthly hygiene articles in Germany was higher than in most other countries until December 31, 2019. Due to a successful petition, the reduced tax rate of 7% has been in effect in Germany since January 1, 2020. In Austria, the normal rate of 20% VAT is charged on monthly hygiene articles, in Switzerland the normal rate of 7.7%. A full exemption from sales tax is not possible in the EU according to the current legal situation, as a minimum tax rate of 5% is provided for hygiene products.

In most states in the United States , feminine hygiene products are classified as luxury items rather than everyday necessities for tax purposes. Unlike z. As bandages, painkillers or candy, they are therefore not in the countries concerned by the excise tax ( sales tax exempt). Since Canada abolished the so-called tampon tax in 2015, it has been the subject of controversial discussion, especially in the United States, as a disadvantage for women. Internationally, the handling of tampon tax differs between states . Kenya abolished the tampon tax in 2004 - Canada, Malaysia, India and Australia followed suit. Scotland decided to make period products available free of charge in the future. The Scottish Parliament passed the relevant law on November 24, 2020 .

literature

  • Walter Stolle, Sabine Zinn-Thomas: Menstruation: Monthly hygiene in change from 1900 to today. An exhibition by the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt in the Lorsch branch, November 26, 1998 to July 31, 1999 . Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Darmstadt 1998, ISBN 978-3-926527-52-3 .
  • Magdalena Handlechner: "Taboo advertising": what differences can be found in the reception of tampon advertising between men and women? (=  Academic treatises on communication science ). VWF Verlag for Science and Research, Berlin 2005, ISBN 978-3-89700-429-0 (137 pages, Master's thesis University of Salzburg 2005).

Web links

Wikibooks: Alternative Menstrual Hygiene  - Study and Teaching Materials

Individual evidence

  1. ^ IS Fraser, G. McCarron, R. Markham: A preliminary study of factors influencing perception of menstrual blood loss volume. Retrieved June 14, 2016 .
  2. ↑ David A. Eschenbach, Soe Soe Thwin, Dorothy L. Patton, Thomas M. Hooton, Ann E. Stapleton, Kathy Agnew, Carol Winter, Amalia Meier, Walter E. Stamm: Influence of the Normal Menstrual Cycle on Vaginal Tissue, Discharge , and Microflora. In: Clin Infect Dis., Volume 30 (2000), Issue 6, pp. 901-907 , accessed June 14, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Bacterial vaginitis. Retrieved June 14, 2016 .
  4. ^ Development History of Sanitary Towel. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on June 20, 2016 ; Retrieved June 20, 2016 .
  5. ^ A Brief History of Feminine Hygiene Products. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  6. ↑ This sheet belongs to the housewife! Journal for household affairs. No. 40/1890. Advertisement section, F. Schirmer Verlag, Berlin, 1890
  7. ↑ Rubber and Asbestos Newspaper . tape 7 . Vienna, Munich January 5, 1908, p. 31 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  8. ↑ Museum Sybodo: sanitary napkins (4), peat moss. Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
  9. ^ Repertory of the technical journal literature . Berlin 1893, p. 197 ( limited preview in Google Book search). Dr. G. Beck's Therapeutic Almanac . tape  27 . Leipzig 1900, p. 282 ( limited preview in Google Book search). Gynecological review . tape  1 . Urban & Schwarzenberg, Berlin, Vienna 1907, pp. 192 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  10. ↑ Eduard Müller (ed.): The therapy of the general practitioner . tape 1 . Julius Springer, Berlin 1914, p. 559 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  11. ↑ Ads for washable menstrual pads. Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
  12. ↑ Margaret: The Product that Dared Not Speak Its Name. Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
  13. ↑ a b A Brief History of Feminine Hygiene Products. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  14. ^ The Museum of Menstruation and Women's Health: Sanitary Apron. Retrieved June 16, 2016 . Jennifer Owens: Dealing With It. Memorable Points In Menstruation History. In: Chicago Tribune. August 2, 2000, accessed June 16, 2016 .
  15. ↑ Menstrual pads made of sphagnum moss and gauze. Retrieved June 16, 2016 . Cellucotton & Kotex menstrual pads & tampons. Retrieved June 16, 2016 . A Brief History of Feminine Hygiene Products. Retrieved June 16, 2016 . Jennifer Owens: Dealing With It. Memorable Points In Menstruation History. In: Chicago Tribune. August 2, 2000, accessed June 16, 2016 .
  16. ^ "Hoosier" Ladies' Sanitary (menstrual) Belt. Retrieved June 15, 2016 . "Hoosier" Ladies' Sanitary (menstrual) Belt. Retrieved June 19, 2016 . "Hoosier" Ladies' Sanitary (menstrual) Belt. Retrieved June 19, 2016 . "Hoosier" Ladies' Sanitary (menstrual) Belt. Retrieved June 19, 2016 .
  17. ↑ On the social development of hygiene. (PDF) (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on June 15, 2016 ; accessed on June 15, 2016 .
  18. ↑ Feminine Hygiene: Then and Now. (PDF) (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on June 16, 2016 ; accessed on June 16, 2016 .
  19. ↑ Sanitary napkin ALBA Zell / AGFA special wadding. Retrieved June 15, 2016 . From the Diana belt to the Hela. Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
  20. ↑ a b c The Camelia® story. Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
  21. ^ Thomas Heinrich, Bob Batchelor: Kotex, Kleenex, Huggies: Kimberly-Clark and the Consumer Revolution in American Business . Ohio State University Press, Columbus, OH 2004, ISBN 0-8142-0976-9 , pp. 182 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  22. ^ Carefree. Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
  23. ↑ Sexual Health: How can I keep from leaking so much after sex? Retrieved June 19, 2016 .
  24. ↑ Always History. Retrieved June 15, 2016 . Commission decision of June 21, 1994 on the compatibility of a concentration with the common market and the functioning of the EEA Agreement , accessed on June 17, 2016
  25. ↑ Always History. Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
  26. ^ Procter & Gamble's Always Brand Delivers Innovation to Feminine Care Category With Launch of Always Infinity (TM). Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
  27. ↑ Shop Products (company website). Retrieved June 19, 2016 .
  28. ↑ TZMO: History (corporate website). Retrieved November 3, 2017 .
  29. ↑ meinetage: Our suppliers. Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
  30. ↑ meinetage: Our suppliers. Retrieved June 15, 2016 . EcoFemme. Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
  31. ↑ Popolini. Retrieved June 15, 2016 . Kuline: Company website. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  32. ↑ Christine Wang: Thinx CEO Miki Agrawal: Don't let a taboo stop you. Retrieved June 14, 2016 . Carolin Würfel: You see red. In: The time . May 31, 2016, accessed June 14, 2016 .
  33. ^ The 2015 World Technology Awards Winners. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  34. ^ History of Tampons and Tampax. Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
  35. ↑ Part of the Tampax menstrual tampon patent. Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
  36. ^ Playtex Products, Inc. History. Retrieved June 17, 2016 .
  37. ^ The Tampon: A History. Retrieved June 17, 2016 .
  38. ↑ The Wix menstrual tampon and box. Retrieved June 15, 2016 . Cardboard ad for fax menstrual tampon. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  39. ↑ Pursettes menstrual tampon ad. Retrieved June 16, 2016 . A Brief History of Feminine Hygiene Products. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  40. ^ The former VW CEO Carl Hahn about DKW-Hahn, Audi, VW and whether. Accessed on June 15, 2016 .
  41. ↑ 65 years of freedom for women. Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
  42. ↑ IMUNA - modern feminine hygiene. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  43. ↑ Interlabial Padette menstrual pad. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  44. ↑ InSync Miniform pad for urine, menstruation & other secretions. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  45. ↑ Unique Miniform (company website). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on June 1, 2016 ; accessed on June 16, 2016 .
  46. ↑ Etsy. Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
  47. ↑ Jade & Pearl. Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
  48. ↑ Very early American menstrual cup patent, 1867. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  49. ↑ Leona Chalmers possibly produces the first commercial menstrual cup, around 1937. Retrieved June 16, 2016 . The History of the Menstrual Cup. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  50. ↑ Short history of menstrual cups. Retrieved June 16, 2016 . The History of the Menstrual Cup. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  51. ^ The Keeper: Company website. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  52. ↑ Short history of menstrual cups. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  53. ^ The History of the Menstrual Cup. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  54. ↑ Diva Cup (company website). Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  55. ↑ 'Smart Menstrual Cup' Looncup Deciphers Your Flow. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  56. ↑ Instead's Softcup. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  57. ↑ Instead vs. DivaCup for your menstrual cup needs. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
  58. ↑ In these states, tampons are considered a luxury. Retrieved June 19, 2016 .
  59. ↑ Official Journal of the European Union: COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 2006/112 / EC of November 28, 2006 on the common VAT system. In: Official Journal of the European Union. Official Journal of the European Union, November 28, 2006, accessed on September 1, 2020 (German).
  60. ↑ Monthly hygiene items are only tax-exempt in New Hampshire , Massachusetts , Pennsylvania , New Jersey , Delaware , Maryland , Minnesota , Montana, and Oregon . The 'tampon tax,' explained. Retrieved June 19, 2016 . 50 Simple Pieces for Building a Classic Wardrobe. Retrieved June 19, 2016 .
  61. ↑ Tampon tax scrapped in Canada after petition convinces conservative government. Retrieved June 19, 2016 . Winand von Petersdorff: The fight against the tampon tax. In: FAZ . March 21, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2016 .
  62. ↑ Chris Bobel: The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies . Ed .: Chris Bobel et al. S. 2 .
  63. ↑ Phillip Plickert: "FOR EVERYONE YOU NEED": Free pads and tampons in Scotland. In: FAZ. February 26, 2020, accessed on September 1, 2020 (German).
  64. ↑ Henriette Engbersen: World premiere - In Scotland, pads and tampons will be free in future. In: srf.ch . November 25, 2020, accessed November 25, 2020 .