Menstruation Matters: Three Reasons You Must Stop Using Tissues For Menstruation
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In the report below, women have been warned against the use of tissues for menstruation.
Dr Daniel Adegbulu, a registrar of gynaecology and Obstetrics at the Federal Medical Centre in Asaba, Delta state gave this warning.
He advised women to stop using tissue paper in place of sanitary pads for menstruation.
Adegbulu listed three reasons why this habit must stop:
- Tissues can cause severe infections.
- Tissues are made from waste papers.
- Tissues contain toxic substances which are unsuitable for the vaginal.
Adegbulu explained that some tissue papers are made from waste papers. This makes them a grave health risk for any woman who may be using them in place of sanitary pads.
The gynaecologist counsel was coming as Nigeria celebrated the 2022 Menstrual Hygiene Day with the rest of the world.
Menstrual Hygiene Day helps women:
- To create awareness about menstruation.
- Provide safe and hygienic practices to girls.
- To eradicate persisting taboos and stigma.
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In a chat with PUNCH HealthWise, the fertility doctor said:
“The use of tissue paper as a sanitary pad could lead to severe health complications as infections which pass through the vagina cavity can ascend to other parts of the genital tract.
“Some of these tissue papers are products of waste paper. If tissue paper must be used it should be as a make-shift for 1 to 2 hours before a proper sanitary pad is used and should never be inserted into the vagina.”
Adegbulu also warned against other unhygienic menstrual practices. He said that they are also means through which a woman can get infections.
According to a recent study published by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information, poor menstrual hygiene management may increase a woman’s susceptibility to reproductive tract infections.
The publication, entitled ‘Menstrual Hygiene Practices, WASH Access and the Risk of Urogenital Infection in Women from Odisha, India’ elaborated on the effects of poor menstrual hygiene on the female’s reproductive health.
The research stated that a limited body of evidence supports the premise that bacterial vaginosis may be more common in women with unhygienic menstrual hygiene management practices.
It further noted that women with bacterial vaginosis may be at higher risk of adverse pregnancy. These includes:
- Preterm birth.
- Acquisition of sexually transmitted infections.
- Development of pelvic inflammatory disease.
The research also stated that urinary tract infections are among the common forms of infection in girls and women of menstruating age. It emphasised that this is often caused by unhygienic menstrual practices.
It said:
“The exact biological mechanism by which, unhygienic menstrual hygiene management practices affect bacterial vaginosis and urinary tract infection is not clear, but one possibility is that menstrual hygiene management creates abnormally moist conditions in the urogenital area that promotes opportunistic infection and imbalance in microbiota.”
Adegbulu further advised persons who may not have the finances to buy a sanitary pad to use materials that are hygienic and non-toxic.
Such materials, he said, should also be changed regularly and not allowed to cause skin irritation or bacterial infection.
His words:
“The aim should be to stop the build-up of bacteria and odour.
“This can be achieved by regular changing after use for about three to four hours. The use of pieces of clothes and towels is not unhygienic in itself but can cause infection build-up if not properly used.
“For example, if they are used for more than four hours, not properly washed and dried before being used again, they can cause infection.”
Source: PUNCH HealthWise