Hygiene during menstruation: what should you remember, how often to change sanitary pads?

Although women have menstruated for centuries, the topic of proper hygiene during menstruation is still often overlooked. Many questions and doubts arise especially in young girls who have only recently started menstruating. How often should I change sanitary pads and which ones should I choose to feel comfortable during the day and at night? How often should you change a sanitary napkin at night and is it absolutely necessary? Should you wash yourself every time you change your sanitary napkin? 

How much blood does a woman lose during her period and on which days can there be more discharge? In this article, we answer the most frequently asked questions and doubts about hygiene during menstruation.

How long is the menstrual cycle and how much blood does a woman lose during her period?

In Poland, girls statistically begin to menstruate around the age of 12, although menarche (i.e. the first menstruation) may occur a little earlier or later, depending on, among others, from genetic, environmental, hormonal conditions and the occurrence of various chronic diseases.

The menstrual cycle lasts between 25-35 days with an average cycle length of 28 days with 3-7 days per menstrual period.

How much blood does a woman lose during her period and is it normal for the amount to fluctuate?

At the beginning of your period, you may find a little more blood on the pad, which is perfectly normal. Bleeding is heaviest in the first 2-4 days and then decreases, turns to spotting, and finally stops.

How much blood does a woman lose during whole district?

Although there seems to be a lot of menstrual discharge, during the entire period a woman loses about 40-80 ml of blood, which is about half of a small coffee cup. The amount of menstrual bleeding depends on many factors, including:

• od length of the menstrual cycle and whether ovulation occurred during it;
• whether the woman is taking any leki and suffers from recurrent infections or chronic diseases e.g. cardiovascular diseases, hormonal disorders, PCOS;
• whether the woman intensively does sports and eats right – eating disorders and too strenuous training can cause scanty periods, and even cause the loss of a period;
• whether a woman experienced more in a given month stressShe was on a tiring journey.

How often to change pads, tampons and when should the menstrual cup be emptied?

How often you need to change hygiene products during your period depends, among other things, on on the amount of bleeding and the time standards recommended by gynecologists. Menstrual blood after leaving the uterus ceases to be sterile, and by accumulating on a pad or tampon, it becomes an excellent breeding ground for bacteria.

How often to change pads at the beginning of menstruation?

Due to more profuse bleeding, it is worth getting thicker sanitary napkins, which should be replaced every approx 2-4 hours, depending on the needs. In the following days of menstruation, when the bleeding gradually stops, thicker sanitary towels can be replaced with thinner ones, and on spotting days, you can replace sanitary napkins with panty liners. How often should you change sanitary napkins?

Try to change your sanitary napkins at least every 6 hours during the day. In turn, tampons are best changed every 3-5 hours, and one should never be left in the vagina for more than 8 hours.

We already know how often to change sanitary pads and tampons, but what about the recently popular one menstrual cup? The cup in the first days of the period should be replaced every approx Four hours, however, it should never be kept in the vagina longer than 12 hours. It is important to wash your hands thoroughly before and after applying a tampon or menstrual cup. You must not forget about the thorough washing of the cup (preferably in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions) so that it does not become a habitat for dangerous microorganisms.

W how many sanitary napkins stock up during the period?

In the first few days, we use a bit more pads and tampons, on average approx 5-6 pieces a dayif we change hygiene products every 3-4 hours and only once before bedtime, which lasts about 1 hours.

Some women prefer to wear a tampon to a workout or party, which will also affect how many sanitary pads they end up using during their period. To feel safe and be sure that we will not run out of sanitary napkins, it is worth having at home one package more and always wear an extra pad in the bag.

Hygiene during your period: do you need to clean up every time you change a sanitary napkin?

Many girls wonder if they should take more care of their intimate hygiene during their period? As we have already mentioned, menstrual blood accumulating on hygiene products such as sanitary napkins or tampons becomes a wonderful food for bacteria which also like a warm and humid environment. We already know how often to change sanitary towels, but should you wash yourself every time you change them? Gynecologists warn against extremes.

How often to change pads at night and why should you give up tampons while sleeping?

Replacing sanitary napkins at night is problematic for several reasons. First of all, women are afraid of soaking the sanitary napkin and soiling the bedding, and secondly, they do not want the soiled sanitary napkin to be in their underwear for too long. How often should sanitary pads be changed during the night, according to gynecologists' recommendations? Fortunately, there is no need to set an alarm clock to change a sanitary napkin at night.

When a woman lies down, the flow of menstrual blood from the vagina is naturally slowed down. Most of the blood will flow out right after getting out of bed and it is worth being prepared for this, e.g. after waking up, immediately go to the bathroom and change the sanitary napkin.

Now that we know how much to change a sanitary napkin at night, what model to wear before bedtime to minimize the risk of so-called. leak? There are special ones available at drugstores sanitary napkins with an extended back and higher absorbency, which is recommended to be used at night.

Why is it not recommended to use tampons at night? 

Bacteria multiplying on a tampon after more than 8 hours can cause a dangerous condition called toxic shock syndrome, that is toxic shock syndrome. Therefore, about how much to change sanitary pads at night there is no absolute necessity, it is worth replacing the tampon with a new one after a maximum of 5-6 hours, which at night may involve the need to set an alarm clock.