United States: A new study suggests that menstrual discs may be better at dealing with heavy monthly blood flow compared to traditional pads or tampons. This is reportedly the first study to compare the absorption of period products using human blood.
Manufacturers of traditional products typically use saline or water to estimate their product’s absorption, but menstrual blood contains blood cells, secretions, and tissue from the shed endometrial lining, which are factors that impact its absorption. Except for tampons, there are no regulations for labelling period products. This lack of regulation complicates the ability to determine if one product is more absorbent than another.
Dr. Bethany Samuelson Bannow at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, US, and colleagues packed red blood cells into what remained of whole blood after the plasma and platelets had been removed to measure the capacity of 21 menstrual hygiene products.
The products included regular pads from two different manufacturers with different reported absorbencies and pads for postnatal bleeding, the same brand tampons of different reported absorbencies, the same brand menstrual cups of different sizes, four different brands of menstrual discs in small and large sizes within the same brand, and three pairs of super absorbency period pants. The study was published in BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health.
While we are unable to directly measure absorption of menstrual blood, the packed red blood cells we used are at least a closer approximation of the viscosity of menstrual blood than saline.
Dr. Bannow said.
The results showed that, on average, menstrual discs held the most blood at 61 ml, with one brand, Jiggy, holding 80 ml. Losing more than this amount during an entire period is considered excessive blood loss and requires medical assistance. The team discovered a difference between reported and actual absorbent capacity in many products. Most products claimed a higher capacity than what the research actually revealed.