MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A study conducted at Virginia Tech Contributing to advances in women's health with new biodegradable feminine hygiene products that improve the performance of feminine hygiene products.
Brian Su, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Virginia Tech, and his team, including postdoctoral researchers Rogerio Battaglioli and Harsimran Kaur, led the project to develop environmentally friendly, blood-absorbing biomaterials that could improve the performance of menstrual products.
The study found that menstrual products haven't evolved much over the past century, with sanitary napkins invented in 1888, tampons in 1933 and menstrual cups in 1937.
Carrie Champin, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist who worked with the team, said developing the new product had several goals, including addressing women's different needs and preferences, promoting sustainability and addressing leakage and cost issues with current products.
In their study, Su and her team used a powdered formulation of glycerol alginate added to traditional sanitary napkins, which they say turns pooled blood into a gel-like substance that can absorb more blood and leak less than traditional napkins.
Research has shown that if you put powdered milk on a cotton coil and insert it into a menstrual cup or disc, any blood that collects there will also gel, eliminating any mess when removing or replacing the cup or disc.
The preventative measure included in the powder formulation in the study is an antibacterial polymer that inhibits the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium associated with toxic shock syndrome.
Research has shown that toxic shock syndrome is a rare but fatal illness caused by a bacterial infection linked to the use of menstrual products.
The results of the study showed that the incorporation of polymers was effective in inhibiting bacteria while not reducing the powder formulation's ability to absorb blood.
According to Su, most menstrual products take more than 500 years to biodegrade, and each woman can use up to 15,000 menstrual products in her lifetime.
Research shows that the powder formulation is made from natural sources, seaweed and sugar alcohols, offering it as a biodegradable option.
According to Sue, 46% of Virginia women are of menstruating age, which represents 26% of all Virginians and roughly a quarter of the state's population as of 2020. While menstruation is not an illness, it does impact absenteeism from work and school.
“Women have periods for about five days out of every 30 days of their lives, which equates to roughly 2,200 days, or 6.2 years of their life,” Su says. “By comparison, the average American spends 8.3 years watching television and 4.5 years eating.”
The study, funded by the Virginia Commonwealth Health Research Board, was just the beginning for Su in her efforts to advance women's health issues, and Battaglioli is excited about new opportunities in feminine hygiene design.
