How much blood sanitary pads, tampons, and other menstrual products actually absorb is a question that many researchers still struggle answering because the way tampon manufacturers have historically tested their products' absorbency led to inaccurate results.
Instead of using actual blood to test the capacity of these menstrual products, manufacturers used blue saline solution just as many period ads, like the one below, have depicted throughout the years. However, when studies were conducted to test how much tampons actually absorbed, results have shown that they absorbed more blood than indicated.
This inaccuracy in testing procedures can cause a lot of misdiagnoses or the inability to even figure out whether a woman has any underlying health conditions. Excessive bleeding may be a sign of something serious like endometriosis, fibroids, polycystic ovary syndrome, or infertility. But it's nearly impossible to determine how much women actually discharge based on how many tampons or sanitary pads they use.
Efforts are being made, however, to rectify the situation with a study that used real blood to test how much tampons, pads, cups, discs, and even period underwear can absorb. This study was conducted by a team of researchers from Oregon Health & Science University, and they used expired blood from the university blood bank to perform their tests.
Although it is touted as the first ever study to use real blood, a previous study had already been conducted by Nancy Reame, a nursing professor, which did the same thing. However, it was largely ignored since the FDA had approved the absorbency tests which used saline.
Now, more researchers are following in the footsteps of Reame, and are even going further by trying to figure out how the bleeding stops.
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