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When aunt Flo visits we all have our own routines to try and deal with the cramps, the mood swings and the discomfort. Whether it’s lying on the couch eating chocolate while watching, The Notebook, or taking anti-inflammatories, women empathetically know each other’s pain.

With these routines come your own preference of feminine hygiene products, in other words – the age old debate of the pad vs the tampon vs the menstrual cup amongst others – although, the history of each is actually quite interesting, at this time of the month – who cares about the history? What we want is comfort, and pain relief. The Femagene® heat patch is a “life-saver” when riding the crimson tide, offering warmth and comfort to the area of your body that needs it the most. Designed with women and period pains in mind, this patch can be worn under your clothes whilst at work, out for dinner, or simply just lying in bed.

So, now that the pain is being soothed, here’s a quick history lesson on how our feminine hygiene necessities actually came to be:

The good ol’ pad:

The first mention of a sanitary pad was in ancient Greece, when Hypatia, a philosopher and mathematician hurled her menstrual rag at a pursuer trying to get rid of him – which unsurprisingly did the job (she was most definitely on her rag!) Nurses on the battlefield created the first sanitary pad to stop excessive bleeding, and from here the idea evolved over the years into what we have today. Did you know that before an adhesive strip was added, women would attach their pad to a belt to keep it in place?!

The Tampon – helping women swim any day of the month:

The first patent of the tampon was in 1931 by Dr Earl Haas, but it was only when the patent was bought by Gertrude Tendrich (a woman) that they were produced and sold. The first evidence of the tampon was in Ancient Egypt when it was made out of papyrus.  The “tampon” back then also had many different uses, such as to aid with gynaecological problems and administer medicine. Some 4^th century Sanskrit texts report “tampons” to be an interesting combination of rocks and oil that were even used as a contraceptive.

To menstrual cup, or not to menstrual cup?

The menstrual cup is either appealing to women or not. Although relatively new, the first modern menstrual cup was created and patented in 1937 by an American actress, Leona Chalmers. Her design was made out of latex, (which proved problematic in WWII when there was a shortage, and not to mention for women who were allergic to latex). Now, menstrual cups are made with medical grade silicone and the new improved design makes them easier to use and clean.

Period panties:

There are two types of period panties, those that hold your pad in place and those that can be used on your lighter days. The idea with the latter is that special fabrics pull liquid away from the body and trap it inside the underwear. Similar technology was used in 1967 when a patent for a protective petticoat was issued to Gladys Ruppel Williams to help her not to stain her outer clothing.