FuzziBunz® Comfort Pads
Comfort and protection for mom

FuzziBunz® Comfort Pads are reusable menstrual pads that keep mom dry during her period (even EXCELLENT for incontience issues). They are made with a soft fleece top layer, an absorbent, microterry cloth inner layer, and a waterproof outer layer. Perfect for the green mom who wants to avoid over exposure to chemicals and wants a trusted way to manage her period.

ONE PIECE DESIGN! Eliminate the need of throw-away pads forever! Finally, a comfortable Sanitary Pad system that works.

Made of soft fleece and an absorbent inner of microterry.

Why should only babies have the comfort, dryness and leak protection of the best selling FuzziBunz diaper?  Now moms can have the same stay dry, super absorbent and flawless comfort that they have for their babies in a reusable menstrual pad!  put some "Comfort" into an uncomfortable time with the easy to wash, stain resistant and leak proof Comfort Pads only from FuzziBunz Diapers.    Material100% micro fleece (top layer)100% polyester laminated (waterproof bottom layer),85% polyester, 15% polamide (inner layers)

Care instructions: Rinse in cold water and then wash in hot with a very small amount of detergent. For an extra dirty load, an extra cold rinse may be necessary. They can either be hung to dry or put in the dryer on low for 15-20 minutes WITHOUT dryer sheets.

(I wash mine with my cloth diapers to simplify things!)

When I came to know about the dangerous facts about the product almost every women in the reproductive age group uses - pads & tampons, I got the shock of my life. I NEVER thought I would be using cloth for MYSELF but I do & wouldn't go back!

Info
Alternatively, women can use a washable or reusable cloth menstrual pad. These are made from a number of types of fabric — most often cotton flannel, or hemp (which is highly absorbent and not as bulky as cotton). Most styles have wings that secure around the underpants, but some are just held in place (without wings) between the body and the underpants.  Washable menstrual pads do not need to be disposed of after use and therefore offer a more economical alternative for women.  Many women report that washable products are as comfortable or more comfortable than disposable ones and are just as effective a form of protection. They are considered especially comfortable during the post-partum period, when the woman may have a very sensitive vulva. Also called "mama cloth".  They have become a popular alternative among some groups of women, (e.g. environmentalists and mothers who use cloth nappies/diapers) and are also gaining in popularity among more mainstream women, because they are allergen-, chemical- and perfume-free, and can be more comfortable for women who suffer from irritations from using disposable pads. They receive praise for being environmentally friendly as well as cost-cutting.

Facts

• The average woman will have about 400 periods in their lifetime & use 15,000 pads or tampons! Just take a moment to imagine a pile of pads / tampons that big.  Huge isn't it?

•  Disposable pads and tampons are used once and simply added to a landfill. They take a very long time to break down (if at all) and release toxic chemicals into the earth.

• The Endometrioses Association in their report indicates, "Until research addresses the risks, health experts recommend unbleached, organic cotton sanitary pads and tampons (without plastic applicators)."

• The testing for the safety of these products is usually conducted by their manufacturer and not by an independent body. The vast majority of women will opt to use either sanitary pads or tampons, or a combination of both methods.

Tips

• When changing cloth menstrual pads away from home, some women place the soiled pads into a wetbag, similar to what you would do with cloth diapers.

• If you're worried about staining, soak ASAP in water - a container stuck behind your toilet will do the trick.

• If you use cloth diapers, wash your cloth pads with the diapers!

• Wear very well fitting panties for the best results.

• Change them more frequently then store bought disposables, .
  

Advantages

• Cloth menstrual pads are environmentally friendly and do not contribute to landfills as they are reusable and do not contain plastic.

•  When cloth menstrual pads wear out (after years of use), those made from natural materials can be composted whereas disposable sanitary napkins made from synthetic materials cannot be or composted.
  

• Fewer chemicals (if any) are used in the cloth compared to disposable menstrual products.
  

• In the long term, it is less expensive to buy and produce cloth menstrual pads compared to disposable menstrual products.
  

• While less convenient than disposables, they are still convenient as they can simply be cleaned in the washing machine. No more trips to the store to buy pads or tampons!
  

• Cloth menstrual pads are less likely to cause rashes, contact dermatitis, as well as helping women afflicted with certain types of vaginitis.
  

• Women with sensitive skin and allergies may find cloth pads to be more comfortable against their skin, particularly cloth pads made of undyed organic cotton.
  

• They do not use adhesives.

• Cloth menstrual pads reduce the scent of menstrual blood on the cloth pad. As they are more breathable than the average disposable sanitary pads, they carry less odor.

• Cloth menstrual pads, like all menstrual pads, remove the risk of toxic shock syndrome TSS associated with tampons.

Toxic Dioxin

Did you know that most sanitary pads (and tampons) are made or bleached with chlorine compounds that contain trace of the organochlorine – dioxin.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named dioxin the most potent carcinogen known to science!

A 1996 EPA study linked dioxin exposure with increased risks for endometriosis (an infection of the uterine lining).

The EPA has also concluded that people with high exposure to dioxins may be risk for other effects that could suppress the immune system, increase the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease, reduce fertility, and possibly interfere with normal fetal and childhood development.

In overseas test, sanitary pads have been found to contain 400 parts per trillion (ppt) dioxin.

Dioxin House Resolution (HR) 890, named the Tampon Safety and Research Act of 1999, reported that "Dioxin is a byproduct of chlorine-beaching processes used in the manufacture of paper products, including tampons, sanitary pads, panty liners and diapers." They further point out the effects of dioxin are cumulative and may stay in the body for 20 years after exposure. The World Health Organization lists dioxin as one of the "dirty dozen - a group of dangerous chemicals known as persistent organic pollutants." Dioxin is a known human carcinogen - CANCER!

Although the paper industry has maintained that such levels are too low to cause any health problems, studies have shown that dioxin appears to migrate easily out of paper products.

Fish and other wildlife have died after exposure to the incredibly small dose of 38 parts per quadrillion dioxin.  

The average women use approximately 15,000 pads over the course of her lifetime. The effect of continual exposure to dioxin, which is forever stored in fat cells, may become cumulative and deadly.

Dioxin is linked with the following effects in the body:

Endometriosis

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Breast cancer

Ovarian cancer

Estrogen dominant conditions

Birth defects in offspring

Immune system damage

Sarcoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Hormone dysfunction

Miscarriage

Impaired fertility

Lowered concentration ability

Diabetes

Impaired thyroid function


Manufactured with even more Chemicals

The chemicals used in sanitary pads, tampons and diapers have raised concerns throughout the world. This is due to the questions about the safety of using many of the commercially available products that have been manufactured in a process that uses chemicals as well as the environmental issues of disposing of them. Because of potential risk factors, some women have opted for organic sanitary pads as an alternative and others have decided to use reusable sanitary pads.

Other Chemicals A close relative of dioxin, furan is also found in bleached paper products, including sanitary pads, diapers and tampons. A study from Korea extracted the chemicals found in sanitary pads and tampons throughout the world. While results varied with the different products, octachlorinated dioxin (OCDD), hexachlorodibenzofuran (HxCDF) and octa-chlorodibenzofuran (OCDF) were detected. These are all banned toxic substances!

These are the chemicals that are used to spray on the cotton crops. Specifically, a chemical named FURAN, stays on the cotton long after it has been harvested,which is a potential danger which might cause harm. These have been linked with the following effects in the body:

Birth defects of offspring

Low birth weight

Infertility

Hormonal disruption

Thyroid malfunction

Diabetes

Endometriosis

Depression

According to HR 890, "An independent study in 1991 found that tampons commonly included one or more of the following additives: Chlorine compounds, absorbency enhancers (such as surfactants like polysorbate-20), natural and synthetic fibers (such as cotton, rayon, polyester, and polyacrylate), deodorant, and fragrance."


Making of Disposable Pads
To make a sanitary pad, wood pulp fibers are first dispersed in water in large tub. Most of the chemicals and dyes required are added at this stage (The pulp is then scraped and brushed and inserted with air to make fleecy.

Some pads contain added rayon, which also originates from wood, for extra absorbency. The cellulose in the wood is dissolved in a caustic solution, and squirted into fine jets in an acid bath (The mixture then solidifies and dries into longer fibers).

Chemical processes included de-linking recycled material, washing with detergents and bleaching.
(As a result, some traces of chemical used remain in the pad).

Additives are also used to enhance the properties of the pad. These include absorbency agents and wet-strength agent – often, polysorbate and area formaldehyde.

Further bleaching, involving chlorine, may take place to achieve that glowing white look.

More Reading about Disposable Pads/Tampons

The back of a pad has 1 or 2 strips of pressure-sensitive adhesive covered with a strip of siliconised compound paper. The pads are then packaged in plastic bags or shrink wrapped. And the packet itself may be printed with patterns – again, a chemical process.

Full of Bacteria - Sanitary pads can also harbor bacterial as they are not sterilized products.

Sanitary products, like pads, can also be placed on the market without prior evidence of safety or efficacy, even in developed countries.

In Canada for example, tongue depressors, bandages and dental floss are all considered medical devices, but not pads or tampons! Women are an all too easy target because they are bound by biology to menstruate for at least 35 years. Women are thus a captive market – and potentially easy victims of numerous types of sanitary pad (and tampon) trauma.

We like the stuff which is sparkling white. We think that if the product is pure white it is clean. But the assumption is proved wrong in the case of tampons.The cotton that is received after harvesting is half white in color.The manufacturers use a chemical called DIOXIN to bleach the cotton. Unless the tampon is specifically labeled as non-bleached you must assume it has undergone this process. Although the levels of dioxin in tampons are quite small (and the tampon companies will readily point this out) they are still dangerous as dioxin accumulates in the fat stores of the body and can add up to very dangerous residual levels over time. When you consider the average number of tampons used by a woman in her lifetime, you can start to imagine that the buildup of dioxin in the body tissue will actually be quite significant..

Apart from cotton, Rayon is yet another synthetic polymer that is added to the tampons to enhance the absorbing capacity. Rayon also has dioxin in it.


Perfumes & Deodorants

These substances are added to the tampon product during processing. Although they can also enter the bloodstream in a similar way to the pesticides and dioxin, they can also have an effect locally in the vagina and cause allergies and skin reactions.

Toxic Shock Syndrome

Toxic shock syndrome is not caused by the chemicals discussed above, but rather from an overgrowth of staphylococcus aureus bacteria in the vagina which causes a release of toxins and poisonous substances into the bloodstream. These toxins can cause a sudden fall in blood pressure and death. The presence of the tampon in the vagina for prolonged periods of time can encourage the growth of the staphylococcus bacteria, as can the use of synthetic fibers in tampons. The occurrence of these symptoms in conjunction with tampon use may be a sign of toxic shock syndrome:

Diarrhea

Vomiting

Sunburn-like rash

Dizziness

Confusion

Cold and clammy skin

Fever

Sanitary pads are subject to the same considerations above in terms of the chemicals in the cotton used, the bleaching process, and the use of fragrances. Although they are in less contact with the internal vaginal wall they are still in contact with the external mucous membrane and chemicals on them can enter the bloodstream this way. Pads are also often made with a dry-weave plastic cover which can cause irritation and localized allergic reactions.

It is thus important that women know the facts so that they can seek safer alternatives – liking using cloth, which is not only safer, but can also be reused many times - for many years.  In fact, women have safely relied on cloth menstrual products for most of history.