Doctors looked at previous research on equivalence between vintage products and found that vintage tests were typically done with saline.
A lack of industry testing standards makes it more difficult for doctors to identify patients with heavy menstrual bleeding, which can impact quality of life and lead to further health problems such as iron deficiency and anemia. said Bethany Samuelson Vaneau, a hematologist and one of the testers. Co-author of the study.
Recognizing that saline is a poor substitute for menstrual blood, researchers decided to conduct their own study to compare the maximum absorbability of menstrual products using human blood instead. did.
The study was published in August. BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health Journal, we used expired human packed red blood cells from a hospital blood bank. Researchers tested 21 products from 11 different brands, including menstrual discs and cups that are worn inside the body to collect menstrual blood, tampons and pads that absorb blood, and 13 types of menstrual underwear.
Tests have shown that menstrual discs typically carry the most blood and menstrual underwear typically absorbs the least when compared to pads, tampons, and menstrual cups.
They found that the majority of the products underperformed compared to their absorbency claims, likely because they were tested using liquids other than blood.
The findings may have medical relevance for people who experience severe menstrual pain and rely on labels and advertising claims to help them choose the right product.
Actual menstrual blood in the quantities required for the study was not available. The expired human red blood cells the research team used also had limitations. In addition to red blood cells, menstrual blood also contains endometrial cells and other secretions, making it more viscous than the researchers used. It also couldn’t reproduce the flooding and clotting that occurs during menstruation, or the angle and pressure on the product when worn, Samuelsson-Bano said.
The research team hopes further research into cases of heavy menstrual bleeding will provide further insight.
“The reality is that we don’t know as much about the uterus as we do about other organs in women’s health,” says Samuelson-Bano. “As a hematologist who studies bleeding disorders, it’s completely shocking to me that we have an organ that literally bleeds every month and is designed to stop the bleeding, but we haven’t delved into exactly how it works. That’s the point.”
How to test vintage items
Tampons are regulated as medical devices by the Food and Drug Administration. In the 1980s, after many women developed the life-threatening disease toxic shock syndrome after using superabsorbent tampons, an expert panel proposed a standardized method for testing products.
Task force members settled on using saline through a laboratory machine known as a synthetic vagina, which mimics vaginal pressure and flow to simulate menstruation. The FDA subsequently required standardized tampon labels, such as Regular or Super Plus, based on research by the Tampon Task Force.
There are no similar regulations for sanitary napkins, menstrual underwear, menstrual cups or menstrual discs.
Brands launch their own tests
Vintage manufacturers are embarking on their own testing methods.
Carla Welch and Sasha Markoff, co-founders of The Period Company, say that while the brand’s period underwear undergoes fabric testing in a lab, the best way to test it is on real people. He said he believes in testing.
Following the OHSU investigation, the brand aisleThe company, which sells period underwear and reusable pads, posted a TikTok to let customers know it was testing using synthetic menstrual blood that mimics the viscosity and texture of real menstrual blood.
Suzanne Siemens, co-founder and chief executive officer of Aisle, said: “Aisle has partnered with SGS, a global testing facility, to verify how much our products can absorb and conduct PFAS testing. “
“We don’t want to make claims about our products that we can’t substantiate,” Siemens said. “We hope that consumers will become more aware of the need to look behind brand claims and hold brands accountable. I hope that people will become more aware and aware that there is.”
Saalto, a company that makes period underwear, tests the absorbency of period underwear, menstrual cups and menstrual discs by measuring the release time of synthetic blood and adding weight, said Dana Hall, the company’s director of product development. he said.
Cherie Hoeger, Saalt’s chief executive officer, said she hopes increasing awareness of the research will normalize conversations about periods and, in turn, help people find the menstrual products they feel most comfortable with. I am.
Samuelson-Bano said she is not focused on any particular product, but rather on helping women seeking help with heavy menstrual bleeding.
“We’re not encouraging anyone to change the menstrual products they use,” Samuelson-Bano says.
But, she says, “If your quality of life is being affected by the frequency of product changes, the real solution is to manage the bleeding.” Her goal is to encourage patients to “see their doctor and take strategies to reduce bleeding, rather than changing products or using more absorbent products.”
