Menstruation is part and parcel of each and every woman’s life, whether one likes it or not, and it happens to be an extremely important part of the body’s natural process. During this time, the need to maintain hygiene and caution becomes very important.

Taking care of your health during your periods not only includes the right kind of food or rest. Hygiene plays a huge role in ensuring that you stay clean and happier during your menses.

Here are our top 5 tips on how you can and you should maintain hygiene during your periods.

1. Change your sanitary pad/napkin on a regular basis:
   • In order to ensure vaginal hygiene and overall health, changing your sanitary pad every 4-6 hours is advised
   • When our body releases blood during periods onto the pad, it can attract a number of organisms like bacteria to it.
   • This, combined with the warmth of the body can cause various hygiene related issues.
   • From rashes and irritation to Urinary Tract Infections, a pad that has not been changed at the right time can lead to a number of problems
   • When you change your sanitary napkin on a regular basis, you are preventing the growth of such organisms
2. Wash Yourself well:
   • When you are on your period, it is of the utmost importance that you wash your vagina regularly and thoroughly
   • Despite the removal of the sanitary pad, the bacteria present in it tend to cling to your skin and body.
   • Do not use soap or vaginal hygiene products to clean yourself unless the product specifically mentions that it can be used during your periods as well
   • During your periods, the vagina has its own cleaning mechanism, and using such products might lead to the hampering of this process and cause more infections.
3. Use Clean and Comfortable underwear:
   • As important as it is to change your pads or sanitary napkins regularly, comfort too plays an equally important role during your periods
   • Unless and until you are wearing comfortable underwear during this time, you will stay uneasy and not feel confident.
   • This does not mean that you resort to wearing tight underwear in which your skin can barely breathe.
   • This will not only make you feel uncomfortable but will also lead to infections
   • Your best bet is to invest in comfortable cotton underwear that does not stick to your skin and lets it breathe.
4. Disposal of Pad/Tampons:
   • How you dispose off your pads/tampons is as important as what kind of pad you use during your periods.
   • It is usually mentioned on every pad/tampon’s package about how you should dispose off the product.
   • Pads are meant to be wrapped properly so that the bacteria in the pad do not spread.
   • Never flush a pad or tampon unless specifically mentioned in the packaging
   • Always remember to wash your hands post wrapping your pad/tampon when you are disposing it off.
5. Do not use multiple methods together:
   • Some women tend to use two methods of sanitation together
   • Whether it be a tampon + pad combination or the use of two pads, this is one thing that you should not think of trying
   • You see, when you use multiple methods, you end up forgetting when to change a pad or tampon as together these methods end up absorbing more
   • Without changing frequently, the chances of the growth of bacteria and infections increase