Significant Contributors in the Field of Menstrual Hygiene

Menstruation isn't a bed of roses, and literally everyone dreads that 'time of the month'. Right from your constant mood swings to your constant worries about leaving stains, it is a hell of a ride!

But, there are some amazing humans who have tried, tested, failed, discovered and invented countless menstrual sanitary products and pain relievers to make this ride a bit easier.

Credits: youthdeck.com

Arunachalam Muruganantham, a son of poor handloom weaver realised that his wife was using old rags to deal with menstruation because she couldn’t afford sanitary pads. Thus began the journey of the Padman of India.

Several failed attempts later, he found the perfect material and an easy way to manufacture sanitary napkins. While the imported machines cost over US$500,000; Muruga’s machine, by contrast, is priced at US$950. Today he is one of India’s most well-known social entrepreneurs and TIME magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world!

Credits: theguardian.com

Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner was bright and her do-it-yourself approach resulted in her creations often gearing towards sensible solutions. Kenner could tell from an early age that she had a skill that not many possessed. But due to financial pressures, she had to drop out of prestigious university and work on odd jobs.

By 1957 she saved up enough money for her first ever patent. It was a belt for sanitary napkins. It was long before the advent of disposable pads, and women were still using cloth pads and rags during their period. This cloth pads and rags had hard time staying in a place. So Kenner proposed an adjustable belt with an inbuilt, moisture-proof napkin pocket, making it less likely that menstrual blood could leak and stain clothes. Her genius innovation caught attention of a reputed company rep. But unfortunately, when they came to know about her African-American status, she was told that the company was no longer interested.

Credits: seekapor.com

Leona Chalmers was an American actress who decided that the film industry wasn't her cup of tea. She then dedicated her entire life in patenting the menstrual cups we use today.

One of the inventions before the menstrual cups were ‘catamenial sacks’ which were reusable. The menstruators would don a belt that utilized either metal cups or flexible sacs. But these sacks were not easy to use and very uncomfortable. Thus, Leona Chalmers patented the rubber menstrual cups, which were easy to use and quite comfortable. During World War II, a shortage of latex rubber occurred and her company was forced to stop production. After the war, in the early 1950's, she made some improvements and patented new design.

Credits: menstrualcup.co

Frederick K. Humphrey was the founder of Humphreys Homeopathic Medicine Company in New York City in 1853. He was a physician who created the popular patented medicine to relieve menstrual pain in the Victorian Era.

Before the production of approved patented medicine, Victorian women were experimenting with several things like opium and Styptic Balsam which was known to include sulphuric acid and turpentine(!). These measures were drastic and had array of side effects.

Humphrey's drug known as Humphrey's Homeopathic No. 31 was advertised and proved to be an effective pain killer and was a huge step towards reliable relief during menstrual difficulties.

Credits: rareamericana.com

Pads, tampons and cups are extremely useful but can also be annoying. So how about we eliminate them entirely? Twin sisters - Radha and Miki Agrawal and friend of theirs - Antonia Dunbar, designed the self-absorbing THINX underwear which eliminated the need for tampons or pads.

This technology has four layers in total - a moisture-removing layer, then a stain-resistant anti-microbial layer, then the equivalent of a pad (which can hold up to 2 to 6 teaspoons of blood), followed lastly by a leak-resistant layer. These also had a huge hand in reducing the financial and environmental toll.

Credits: fastcompany.com

Isn't this all worth celebrating? We owe a lot to these people!