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Menstrual Pads and Cups That Solidify Blood
Menstrual Pads and Cups That Solidify Blood
Menstrual Pads and Cups That Solidify Blood
0: Scientists Create
Menstrual Pads and Cups
That Solidify Blood
A research team has found a way to reduce leaking during periods by
making the blood itself harder to spill out.
By Ed Cara
Published July 10, 2024 | Comments (4)
The future of menstruation may look a bit different than today, if a team of
scientists in Virginia have anything to say about it. They’ve created pads and
cups that can solidify menstrual blood rather than simply absorb or contain it
as is. Their innovation should reduce leaking and spillage, while also being
environmentally friendly, the team says.
“Menstrual care products have been based on the same principles for a really
long time: either retention or absorption,” Hsu told Gizmodo in an email.
:
“With so much biotechnological advancement in other areas of health, I was
surprised to learn that there was comparatively little advancement in
menstrual care.”
While these existing methods might be fine most of the time, a woman’s heavy
flow can overwhelm a pad or cup, leading to leaking. Hsu figured that it would
be possible to counteract this by making the blood itself harder to spill.
“When formulating the idea in my naïve male mind, I imagined myself getting
a full cup of water in the middle of the night. I know that I would 100% spill
the water on the way back to bed. But I’m also pretty sure I wouldn’t spill a
full cup of sand (solid), honey (highly viscous), or jello (a gel).” he explained.
“So we tried to design a product that would gel blood so that it would be easier
to manage without spilling.”
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© Bataglioli et al/Matter
This isn’t the first time that people have tried to reinvent the menstruation
wheel—an endeavor that hasn’t always gone smoothly. The arrival of
superabsorbent tampons in the early 1980s inadvertently sparked outbreaks
of toxic shock syndrome, a life-threatening condition caused by the
overgrowth of certain toxin-producing strains of bacteria, particularly
Staphylococcus aureus. Thankfully, the quick recall of these products and
better advice on tampon use eventually quelled the terror of toxic shock.