If you trace back the history of women you will find out that over the ages women have used a variety of different kinds of menstrual protection. Some of the most common forms of protection used in the early years were: grass, rabbit skins, sponges, rags, menstrual aprons and homemade knitted pads of other absorbents. Disposable sanitary napkins started to be available in the markets around the year 1895.

Disposable pads originate from nurses in hospitals, who first came up with the idea of containing the flow of menstrual blood with the help of wood pulp bandages. Manufactures of bandages borrowed this idea and started to manufacture pads from handy products that were in expensive enough to be disposed of. Others manufactures slowly joined in making disposable menstrual pads. But the prices of these pads were very high, so only the rich women could afford to buy pads.

Tampons were first invented by the ancient Egyptians, they made disposable tampons from soften papyrus. The ancient Greeks invented tampons by wrapping lint around a small piece of wood, this was recorded in the writings of Hippocrates. Some other materials used for the first tampons include: wool, paper, sponges and vegetable fibers. Later people starting using cotton for making tampons.

In 1929 the modern tampon with applicator was first invented and patented by Doctor Earle Haas. Earle Haas wanted to produced a tampon that could be mass produced very effectively. He later trademarked Tampax as the brandname for his tampon product. Earle Haas’s invention of the modern tampon didn’t come from the knowledge of the homemade tampons being used since a long time ago. The invention came from watching his wife’s and his female patients discomfort of the bulky external pads.

So when you are on your period just think about how easy you have it these days with modern pads and tampons compared to how hard women had it in the 1700’s and 1800’s.

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Categories : Pantiliners or Panty Liners