Plastic Free Axminster on the true cost of period products

One for the ladies, whatever your age! And also for the gents, so you can be informed and know what it's costing the girls and women in your lives...

It was recently Environmenstrual Week, organised by the Women's Environmental Network (WEN), to raise of awareness of just what is in the period products we use.

Plastic and its health-affecting chemicals are used in the manufacture of these products before they are neatly packaged and prettily presented to us. The 'ingredients' in the pads are never declared in full because there is currently little or no regulation to do so.

The plastic waste generated is phenomenal. Did you know that ordinary menstrual pads contain up to 90% plastic? Or that 2 billion period products are flushed down UK toilets each year – despite warnings you should only flush natural waste and paper? Or that one conventional sanitary pad takes 500 years to breakdown into never-disappearing microplastics?

Then there are the chemicals used that are being absorbed by the body over a long length of time. Phthalates, parabens, dioxins, gylcophosphates are among those analysed by scientists.

There are chemicals that are known to disrupt the body's messenger system (the endocrine system) and cause problems with the reproductive system.

You may want to ditch the intimate wipes and sprays for the same reasons – chemical preservatives, synthetic fragrances, etc. Not sure? Check it out online.

We live in an era where it seems everything and every bit of our anatomy needs to be perfectly sanitised and smell divine!

The manufacturers have scared us into thinking that no-one will want to be near us or that we can't possibly cope with it, just so they can peddle their products.

Did you know that 48% of girls are embarrassed by their periods? It is so sad and unfair that something completely natural has such a stigma.

So what can we use instead? You could try:

• Natracare pads and tampons (organic and plastic free and available in our town) Making your own pads (wash and re-use; there are pattern online)
• Period pants (wash and re-use)
• Moon or Lily cups (make sure they are medical-grade material; wash and re-use)

Do a bit of research first to find what suits you! Type 'plastic-free periods' into Google or your preferred search engine.

A small initial cost to our wallets is an enormous saving to the health of the environment – and human health.