6 Surprising Facts About Sanitary Napkins Your Mom Didn't Tell You

Sanitary Pads! They are a matter of fascination for men as they keep wondering how these things work. And that question - “how do women put them on?” is one of the most elusive questions for at least unmarried men. For women however, sanitary pads come with a different set of questions. Questions like, ‘are they safe”, “do they cause cancer”, “do they cause infections”, “how long should a girl use a single pad”, etc. have created concerns for millions and millions of women around the world.


While all of us already know that Sanitary Pads are designed to maintain menstrual hygiene, what most of us definitely don’t know is that these pads are really not as hygienic as they claim to be.

# Fast forward to modern times, disposable sanitary pads has a somewhat funny story. Steps in Benjamin Franklin - yes, that guy who was one of the Founding Fathers of United States of America. He actually came up with the invention of disposable pads, which were designed for caring for the wounds of soldiers who were hit by buckshot. Yes, those pads later became disposable sanitary pads or sanitary napkins that women widely used today. With the new found purpose, the pads were named as menstrual pads.

# Then stepped in Johnson & Johnson – yes the company from USA. In 1896, they made the first commercial sanitary pad. Essentially they were into bandage production but since they had the knowledge of how bandages worked, they had a pretty good idea of how to stop menstrual blood. So, they succeeded in providing the first commercial sanitary pads.

# Then stepped in Johnson & Johnson – yes the company from USA. In 1896, they made the first commercial sanitary pad. Essentially they were into bandage production but since they had the knowledge of how bandages worked, they had a pretty good idea of how to stop menstrual blood. So, they succeeded in providing the first commercial sanitary pads.

# Adhesive strips however increased the thickness of the pads and then came the wings. These wings also have adhesive covering but since they are a part of the pad and not a separate strip, they tend to reduce the thickness of the pads. These wings that protrude out from the sides are folded back and stick on the underneath of panty saddle, holding the pad in place.

# One of the most jaw dropping sanitary pads facts is that they contain dioxin, which can lead to ovarian cancer and can effect embryonic development of baby.

# Did you ever hear the name “Hypatia”? Hypatia was the first female Greek Mathematician. The story goes that there used to be a man who was bewitched by her and so great was his admiration for Hypatia that it eventually frustrated Hypatia. So, in order to discourage the man, that lady mathematician took her menstrual rag (of course the bloody one) and threw it on him. What happened next? We don’t really know.