What Women Used Before Menstrual Pads Existed

In the old days, people believed that menstrual blood could drive dogs crazy. Therefore, all talk about menstruation and methods of controlling it was taboo. And before the creation of modern pads, women used different materials during the period – from papyrus to underwear that looked like diapers.

The team of incredible.club decided to observe how women controlled their menstrual flow in each era, before the development of modern intimate hygiene products.

Although almost no information is available on how women dealt with their periods in ancient history, historians believe that from 3000 BC to the 5th century, they used different natural materials for menstruation. For example, Egyptian women experimented with papyrus—a paper used for writing at that time. They wet it to make it soft and use it as a pad.

The Greeks, according to Hippocrates, used to wrap pieces of wood like tampons. And it is believed that some women used sea sponges to soak up blood during their period.

In the 19th century, women in European and North American societies created their own intimate hygiene utensils with cloth rags. This led to the term “on the rag”, a slang term for menstruation. Women used flannel or other fabric to make menstrual pads, but these were not suitable solutions as they were not sterilized.

In 1897, Johnson & Johnson developed the first version of maxi sanitary pads — disposable pads called Lister towels. They were the first commercial product for menstruation. However, at that time, it was still considered a taboo and women were ashamed to openly go to stores to buy them, so the product was not successful in the market.

The hygienic apron was made of rubber with a strap that ran between the legs to prevent blood from leaking onto the skirts and seats. Basically, it was created to avoid stains on furniture, but it was an uncomfortable solution that did not eliminate the bad odor.

Menstrual bands became the early version of sanitary napkins in the 1900s and were a popular method of controlling flow. It consisted of an elastic and silk belt, to which the women fastened the cotton pads. The belts looked like diapers and remained popular until the creation of the first tampon with adhesive tape.

In the 1920s, sanitary long johns were the underwear of the day for menstruation, or rubber-lined underwear. Underwear was made from the same material used to make diapers for babies.

Although the menstrual cup is gaining popularity these days, the first model was invented way back in the 1930s and was made of either aluminum or hard rubber. In 1956, Leona Chalmers updated the product using softer materials. The purpose of the cup was to collect blood, but at the time it was not commercially successful.

Do you think we will have new hygiene products in the future? Would you try any of these devices used for menstruation in the past? Tell us in the comments!