Various Types of New Menstrual Products

The global market for feminine hygiene products is huge. It is valued at roughly $25 billion worldwide. Research from Frost & Sullivan has shown that working women are willing to spend nearly 30 percent more on health care as compared to men and are also 75 percent more likely to use new and innovative tools for healthcare as compared to men. Menstruation, therefore, has become a big business globally. Due to this, companies are eager to develop products focused on a woman’s monthly cycle. These innovative products are all about a woman’s convenience and comfort, and also to allow a woman to feel more in control while they are on their monthly periods. Gone are the days when the sanitary napkin or sanitary pad were the only go-to option when you had your periods. Now the market is full of many creative products that not only track, but also help you deal with your periods in new ways.

Here’s all you need to know about these nextgen menstrual products:

Priced at $7 for panty liners, the Nannopad is a product for those who want a pad with certain benefits. This sanitary pad has been designed to multitask. The Nannopad can easily handle the heavy menstrual flow and can actually help with period cramps. How you ask? Well, Nannopad contains nanoparticles that are microsized and help with blood circulation. This lessens your discomfort as it prevents stomach cramps.

This technology, known as Nannogenic, is also said to purify the sanitary pad to help lower the number of bacteria and odor. Nannogenic technology is known to take certain lab tested and safe compounds and then break them down into nanoparticles. These are then embedded into the Nannopad with the use of natural fibers, allowing for higher breathability. These compounds work naturally to release the required amount of energy for helping the microcirculation of blood. This is how the product decreases menstrual discomfort.

Made completely from cotton, the Nannopad is known for its breathability and you even get your first box free of cost when you sign up on their website. This is an ideal product for those who suffer from bad menstrual cramps without having to resort to taking medications. However, keep in mind that the product is still awaiting approval from the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration).

The Looncup actually began as a Kickstarter project and slowly became a reality. The Looncup is perfect for women who want to know every little detail about their menstrual cycle. Fans of the Looncup are calling this product the ‘first smart menstrual cup’.

Created by a company called Loon Labs, the Looncup is basically your regular menstrual cup that has been given a techno makeover. The Looncup is to be used just like a regular menstrual cup. The difference between Looncup and a regular menstrual cup is that this innovative product comes fitted with a sensor inside it that communicates with your smartphone through an antenna. The Looncup makes use of the Bluetooth technology to communicate with your smartphone via an app.

It is available in two sizes – small cup size for women who have a light to normal flow or who have not given birth, and a large size for women who experience a heavy flow each month or have given birth.

The Looncup app installed on your smartphone actually lets you know when the cup is almost full and it’s time to refresh it. With this product, you don’t have to worry about overflow. The cup also keeps a track of the fluid color and keeps analyzing your monthly cycle, month after month through the app.

These tracking features of the Looncup are particularly helpful because changes in the color of menstrual blood and in the amount of blood shed during each menstrual cycle can be early indicators of health issues such as the onset of early menopause or uterine fibroids.

This innovative product is designed to ‘turn-off’ period cramps. The product, priced at a hefty $149, is ideal for those who have to turn to take pain relievers for dealing with severe stomach cramps. Livia works as a Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) unit. The concept behind the product is that vibrations at a certain frequency will travel to the brain faster than the pain signals. Once these signals reach the brain first, it shuts the ‘door’ to the pain signals. Therefore, Livia triggers the brain to not sense the discomfort or pain during your periods.

The device is actually a pulser which you have to connect to your pants. You also have to stick or attach two stickers to your skin at the area where you know you feel period cramps the most. These stickers are connected to the pulser. You can accordingly adjust the rhythm of the pulse and increase or decrease the frequency and intensity depending on how bad your pain is.

my.Flow is the new ‘smart’ tampons to flood the market of menstrual devices. It is a Bluetooth-compatible smart tampon that allows you great peace of mind. Anyone who uses tampons knows that there are certain drawbacks to using tampons, particularly the high risk of getting toxic shock syndrome if the tampon is left in for too long. There is also a potential for leakage.

my.Flow is a product that is said to help with both the leakage problem and also ends your worries of forgetting to remove the tampon.

The device has a super-long string which is attached to a clip-on sensor. The sensor sends updates to your smartphone through an app. Updates will include information on how full the tampon is and when it is time to change it.

Similar to the Looncup, my.Flow also tracks the data of your monthly menstrual cycle including differences in blood flow, color, etc.

Ideal for women who want to keep a track of their ovulation cycle and are equally fashion conscious, the Bellabeat helps women know all the details about their reproductive cycle and even their stress levels. It is possible to wear this product as a necklace, a bracelet, or simply use it as a clip. It actually looks like a natural stone jewelry.

The product is often also referred to simply as The Leaf as it is designed in the shape of a leaf. The Leaf can be best described as an activity tracker, which also tracks your ovulation and menstruation cycles. Apart from this, the device is able to track your sleep quality and steps taken. It also sends you reminders for taking your birth control pill.
One drawback to this product is that since wood has been used to make certain parts of the hardware, it is not water resistant and you cannot wear it while swimming or while taking a shower.

GladRags can be best described as a cloth pad subscription service which delivers a new sanitary pad or napkin to your doorstep every month. The subscription cost ranges from $15 to $25. The product advertises itself as reusable menstrual cloth pads and is one of the best-promoted brands of reusable pads in the market. Made from 100% pure and breathable cotton, this sanitary napkin has done away with all plastic backing, which is great news for women who were suffering in silence from chafing and irritation due to the plastic used in sanitary napkins.

GladRags are designed in cute fabrics, giving it a more upmarket look as compared to your everyday sanitary napkins. You will be able to reuse the pads after washing and you will definitely be saving a lot of money as you can stop buying the disposable pads. It is an ideal product for all Earth lovers out there.

Better known as the world’s first organic tampon, Cora is ideal for women who want to have a better-managed hygiene during their menstrual cycle. Once you sign up for Cora, you will receive a box every three months that will contain everything you need from tampons to body cloths to pads that you can use for refreshing yourself during your periods.

Supporting the philanthropic cause, for every purchase you make, Cora donates a month’s worth of menstrual products to girls in need.

It is possible to undertake a free one month trial of the product.

The Dame Tampon Applicator is said to be the world’s first reusable tampon applicator. Priced at $22, this product is ideal for women who hate wasting tampons each month, adding to their carbon footprint.

Dame uses a self-cleaning technology and is made from medical-grade materials which makes it perfectly safe to use. It is also designed in an ergonomic manner, making it comfortable to use. Each applicator is sold with a travel pouch, its own storage box, and you get six Dame organic tampons as well.

As can be seen, there is a wide range of innovative products available today for using during your monthly periods. From reusable pads to smart tampons, the market has it all. If you are unsure about which product would be best suited for your use, then you can always try out a couple to check which one fits your requirements the best.

Also Read:

• Causes of Menstrual Cramps or Period Pains & its Treatment
• Heavy Menstrual Bleed or Menorrhagia: Causes, Treatment, Home Remedies
• How to Get Rid of PAD RASH & Menstrual Hygiene to Maintain During Periods
• Can Cinnamon Help Reduce Menstrual Cramps & Heavy Bleeding?
• Why Chart Your Menstrual Cycle?
• Menstrual Hygiene & Taboos
• Can Smoggy Air Affect The Menstrual Health of Teenage Girls & Women