Summer means it’s watermelon time! This juicy, fruity, vitamin-packed superfruit not only quenches thirst but also tastes great. It’s an easy snack to bring along in packed lunches to the beach or on a picnic. And if you find yourself with extra watermelon and don’t want to waste any, you can even make jam from the rind.

Watermelon Rind Jam – Recipe

Readers of Green Prophet have made note that watermelon rinds, particularly the white parts, may function as a natural Viagra. We turned to published literature to investigate. While it’s not marketed as a natural Viagra, some research indicates that watermelon may act as a mild aphrodisiac, potentially helping men with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction.

Watermelon’s libido-boosting properties are attributed to an amino acid called citrulline, which is concentrated in the rind.

According to this 2023 study, watermelon may plays a role in treating male infertility and improving sexual function. This popular fruit, enjoyed worldwide for its nutritional and health-promoting qualities, has been linked to biological mechanisms that enhance aphrodisiac and fertility effects.

The overview study suggests that watermelon can improve semen quality, reverse erectile dysfunction, enhance testicular redox status, and improve gonadotropin secretion.

“These effects are linked to its constituents, including vitamins and phytochemicals such as phenols and flavonoids, which contribute to its antioxidant properties,” the researchers reported in their summary.

“Watermelon has also been noted for its antimicrobial, anti-helminthic, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antihypertensive properties, which may support its therapeutic use.”

If you’re not already enjoying watermelon regularly, consider trying these recipes to increase your intake naturally.

Some recipes:

• 4 New Ways To Have Fun With Watermelon
• Watermelon Basil Granita
• Make watermelon ice
• Make watermelon rind jam

The post Is watermelon rind a natural Viagra? appeared first on Green Prophet.

Ever grabbed a cookie or indulged in a sugary drink and then wondered if it’s doing you any favors? We all know that what we eat matters for our health, but have you thought about how those sweet treats and processed foods might be impacting your fertility? Let’s explore the good, the bad, and the surprising ways these diet choices can affect your chances of having a baby.

The Sweet Culprit: Sugar

Sugar is everywhere. From the obvious sources like candy and desserts to the hidden sugars in processed foods, it’s easy to consume more than we realize. But what does sugar have to do with fertility?

Insulin Resistance and PCOS

One of the significant ways sugar impacts fertility is through its effect on insulin levels. Consuming high amounts of sugar can lead to insulin resistance, a condition where the body’s cells become less responsive to insulin, causing the pancreas to produce more. This condition is particularly problematic for women as it is closely linked to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a common cause of infertility. Women with PCOS often have higher insulin levels, which can disrupt their hormonal balance, leading to irregular menstrual cycles and ovulation issues.

Hormonal Imbalance

Insulin resistance doesn’t just affect women with PCOS; it can also impact those without the condition. High insulin levels can lead to an imbalance in other hormones, including those crucial for reproduction. For example, insulin can increase androgen production, which can interfere with ovulation and menstrual regularity.

Inflammation

Another way sugar affects fertility is through inflammation. High sugar intake can lead to chronic inflammation in the body, which can negatively impact the reproductive organs and overall fertility. Inflammation can interfere with the implantation of an embryo and may contribute to other reproductive issues.

The Processed Foods Problem

Processed foods are often laden with unhealthy fats, sugars, and artificial ingredients. They are convenient and tasty, but their impact on fertility can be significant.

Nutrient Deficiency

One of the primary issues with processed foods is that they are often low in essential nutrients. Fertility relies on a range of vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids. A diet high in processed foods can lead to deficiencies in these crucial nutrients, impacting reproductive health.

Doctors performing tubal ligation reversal surgery always advise patients to eat a balanced diet rich in whole foods and key nutrients. This helps support overall reproductive health and improves the body’s readiness for pregnancy.

Hormone Disruptors

Processed foods often contain artificial additives, preservatives, and chemicals that can act as endocrine disruptors. These substances can interfere with the body’s natural hormonal balance, affecting ovulation and menstrual cycles. Some processed foods also contain trans fats, which have been linked to decreased fertility in women.

Weight Gain

A diet high in processed foods is often high in calories and low in nutritional value, leading to weight gain. Obesity is a well-known risk factor for infertility. Excess weight can cause hormonal imbalances and ovulation problems, making it more challenging to conceive.

Fertility Monitor: Keeping Track of Your Journey

As you navigate your fertility journey, using a fertility monitor can be incredibly beneficial. These devices help track your menstrual cycle, ovulation, and other fertility indicators, providing valuable insights into your reproductive health. By combining the use of a fertility monitor with a healthy diet, you can better understand your body and make informed decisions to support your fertility.

Tips for a Fertility-Friendly Diet

Now that we’ve explored how sugar and processed foods can impact fertility, let’s look at some practical tips to create a diet that supports your reproductive health.

1. Go for Whole Foods

Load up your plate with fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats. These natural goodies are packed with the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and boost your fertility.

2. Cut Down on Sugar

Keep an eye on those sneaky sugars hiding in processed foods. Choose natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup in moderation, and let fruits satisfy your sweet tooth.

3. Pick Healthy Fats

Make friends with avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil. These healthy fats are great for hormone production and can give your fertility a helping hand.

4. Stay Hydrated

Keep sipping on water throughout the day. Staying well-hydrated helps your overall health and can improve the quality of cervical mucus, which is super important for conception.

5. Consider Supplements

If you’re concerned about nutrient deficiencies, consider taking a prenatal vitamin or fertility supplement. These can provide essential vitamins and minerals that support reproductive health.

6. Monitor Your Fertility

Use a fertility monitor to track your cycle and understand your body’s rhythms. This information can help you identify your most fertile days and make informed decisions about your reproductive health.

Wrapping It Up

Think of your diet as the fuel that powers your body. Just like putting premium gas in a car keeps it running smoothly, eating nutritious foods can keep your body in top shape, especially when it comes to fertility. While sugary snacks and processed foods can throw your system off balance, switching to wholesome, nutrient-packed meals can give you a boost on your fertility journey.

By paying attention to what you eat and using helpful tools like a fertility monitor, you’re setting yourself up for success. It’s all about making those small, positive changes that add up over time. So, the next time you’re tempted by a sugary treat or a quick, processed snack, remember your long-term goals. Opt for foods that nourish your body and support your dream of having a family.

You’re not alone in this! Many women are making these changes and seeing great results. With a bit of patience, determination, and a focus on healthy living, you can improve your fertility and increase your chances of conceiving. Cheers to a healthier, happier you and a bright future filled with new beginnings!

The post The Sweet Truth: How Sugar and Processed Foods Affect Fertility appeared first on Green Prophet.

Select for a gene linked to a higher IQ and you might also be selecting for negative traits too, like anorexia.

Ever since in vitro fertilization became a reality and scientists began pre-screening embryos for genetic disorders, the fantasy of creating “designer babies” in which parents could select for a group of traits (blonde hair, blue eyes, male/female) took hold of the public’s imagination.  The BBC reports how China is doing it already, and others are saying ethically, it’s okay.

These days, selecting embryos for eye color or sex are easy feats for a scientist to perform; they involve only one or very few genes and gene editing tools like CRISPR make it easy.  However, how far has reproductive science developed when it comes to selecting for traits that involve numerous genes, such as height and IQ? 

A group of researchers, led by Dr. Shai Carmi at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, found that current embryo selections based on height or IQ have only modest benefits: for height, an increase of 2-3 centimeters, and for IQ, an additional 2-3 points above average.  Their findings were published in the latest edition of the journal Cell. 

“In the past five years, selecting embryos for particular traits has become easier and cheaper,” shared Carmi. “While this technique is a tremendous help to parents with serious genetic diseases, it is still a highly controversial procedure when it’s used for non-life threatening reasons where ethical questions of eugenics and unequal opportunities arise.”

Carmi’s team ran virtual experiments based on real-life genomic data to answer the question: What would happen if we took 10 embryos from one pair of parents, rated each embryo for height or IQ, and implanted embryos with the highest score?  They ran computer simulations using gene sequences from real people to create profiles of hypothetical embryos that would result from pairings of those people.  They predicted the adult height or IQ for each of the embryos based on the gene variants present in their genomes. 

What they found in their study is that the expected advantages for “top scoring embryos” were relatively small.  For height, the gain was 3 centimeters above the average embryo in the batch and for IQ, the gain was 3 points.  With five embryos to choose from, the gain was 2.5 centimeters and 2.5 IQ points.  When the team widened the scope to see what would happen if they could choose from a batch of 50 embryos (a near impossible biological feat for most couples) the highest gain was + 4.5 cm for height and + 4.5 IQ points. 

To corroborate their findings, the researchers also used real-world data to demonstrate that trait predictions based on currently known gene variants are not guaranteed. They looked at the genetics of 28 families with 10 or more adult-age children.  Based on the genomic makeup of each child, they selected those with the top score for height.  However, in 75% of the families, the child that the scientists had “selected” was not the tallest sibling, even though their genomic data had predicted that they would be.  

Carmi explained these findings, saying “our current knowledge of the genetic makeup of certain traits may not be enough to generate a substantial increase in the desired traits in an embryo selection scenario.  The crucial roles of nurture and unknown genetic factors are also at play.”

For those who argue that even nominal height and IQ improvements may warrant embryo selection, Carmi cautions that not only are their desired outcomes not guaranteed.  Further, there are pitfalls involved in such a procedure at this time. 

The nature of gene variants is that one may select for one outcome but increase the risk for another, less-desirable outcome.  For example, the group of genes that is linked to a high IQ is also somewhat linked to anorexia.  Additionally, attempts to select for several traits at once, for instance, an embryo that is tall AND smart AND thin, would make embryo selection far more complicated—an embryo that ranked highest for IQ may rank lowest for the desired BMI.

The post Risks of designer babies real, new computer sims reveal appeared first on Green Prophet.

 Do you use homemade pads or moon cups? There are so many alternatives to wasteful products that choke our bodies and our natural environment.

The environment is big news right now. Our oceans are full of plastic waste and there are bulging landfill sites all over the world. The biggest problem with the never-ending stream of human waste is that most of it is likely to stick around for a very long time.

One of the biggest issues is plastic. Each year, we produce millions of tons of the stuff, and every day, around eight million bits of plastic waste end up in the ocean. Conservative estimates say there are around 51 trillion microscopic pieces of plastic in the ocean right now. None of this plastic waste ever goes away. Larger plastic objects break down slowly, over many decades, until they become microscopic plastic fragments, which are swallowed by marine animals and eventually consumed by us and them.

The damage caused to our environment is shocking. You might think that photos of marine animals lying dead on a beach, their stomachs full of plastic waste, does not affect you directly, but it does. Plastic pollution causes knock-on effects, such as chemical contamination of waterways, which ends up in our drinking water. It’s also unpleasant to walk along an idyllic beach and spot used tampons and sanitary towels washed up by the tide.

Bad for the Environment

Tampons and sanitary towels are bad for the environment. They are not sustainable and cause long-term, lasting damage to the world around us. Most of the materials used to manufacture tampons and sanitary towels are non-recyclable, which means they end up in landfill sites and floating in oceans.

On average, women use around 11,000 disposable sanitary products in one lifetime. That’s a lot of waste. Even organic tampons, which are made from organic cotton, are not good for the environment. They do break down, but it’s incredibly slow. In addition, most of the packaging, and in the case of many brands of tampons, the applicators, are made from plastic, so they never break down.

One way to do your bit for the environment is to switch to reusable sanitary products.

Menstrual Cups and Period Panties

Menstrual cups and period panties are more eco-friendly than tampons and sanitary towels. Instead of being discarded after each use, menstrual cups and period panties are reusable and will last for several years.

Menstrual cups are designed to be worn internally, where they collect menstrual blood. Period panties look like regular underwear, except they have a thick, super absorbent layer to soak up period blood and prevent leaks. In both cases, you rinse or wash them rather than throw them away.

There are many different brands of both out there, including Diva Cup, Lunette, Thinx, and Lunapads. You can read menstrual cup and period panty reviews online if you need some help and advice. Alternatively, ask your friends what they use or connect with other users on social media; there is a whole sub-culture of women who actively promote plastic-free periods on Instagram and YouTube. By making the switch to reusable sanitary products, you can join the community and the conversation.

Aa well as being much better for the environment, reusable sanitary products are also much better for your pocket.

Period Poverty Around the World

Women spend around $100 on sanitary products every year. This is a big expenditure for girls and women in low-income households, and in many rural areas, women and girls are forced to make do with rags to soak up their period blood.

Reusable sanitary products are rinsed/washed and reused. With the right care, they can last several years, which saves the user a lot of money.

Menstrual cups and period panties are also a lot easier to use. Once you get used to the technique of inserting and removing a menstrual cup, you will wonder why you haven’t made the switch before. It is far easier removing and emptying a menstrual cup when there is no bathroom available. As long as you have some clean water to rinse your hands and the cup, you are good to go.

Blood as a fertilizer on farms?

In addition, menstrual blood is good for the environment and can be used as an iron-rich fertilizer for plants and vegetables.

There are many reasons to make the switch to reusable menstrual products such as menstrual cups and period panties. If you’re not convinced yet, try it for one month and see how you get on?

The post Why Reusable Menstrual Products are Good for the Environment appeared first on Green Prophet.

Worldwide close to 50 million couples are unable to conceive after five years of trying, states a recent report.

A recent World Health Organization report of 277 national surveys estimates that infertility rates have remained consistent over the past 20 years, with North Africa and the Middle East showing the strongest negative trends in reproductive fertility.

Gretchen Stevens of WHO led the study, which looked at fertility trends in 190 countries.  Researchers found that 1.9% of women over the age of 20 who wanted a child were unable to conceive, while 10.5% of those who had already given birth were unable to have another child.

Rates varied across regions, with the Middle East and North Africa showing a higher level of increased infertility (2.6%), compared to other regions (1.6%).

According to ScienceDaily.com, the study stated that, “Independent from population growth and worldwide declines in the preferred number of children, we found little evidence of changes in infertility over two decades, apart from in the regions of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.”

According to the Mayo clinic, the cause or causes of infertility can involve one or both partners, with one third being due to the male partner, one third the female and one third involving both the man and woman.

Growing concerns about the role of environmental toxins on fertility have led many to advocate for better research and reduced exposure to agents thought to harm reproductive health.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States now reports that, “research suggests that environmental contaminants can affect a woman’s menstruation and ovulation. Low-level exposures to compounds such as phthalates, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxin, and pesticides are suspected risk factors.”

Not only do these toxins affect females. We’ve previously reported on the impact of BPA on reproductive health and motility and Wifi use on sperm motility.

image of pregancy, Shutterstock

More sexual health news:

BPA is One of Hundreds of Endocrine Disrupters

Laughter and Medical Clowns Improve Fertility?

The post WHO: Global Fertility Rates Mostly Holding Steady (Middle East exception) appeared first on Green Prophet.

In a recent study of 219 women undergoing In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), Israeli researchers found the odds of success were greater among women who were entertained by a professional “medical clown” right after they had the embryos implanted in the womb. Overall, 36 percent became pregnant, versus 20 percent of women who’d had a comedy-free recovery after embryo implantation.

The findings appear in the journal Fertility and Sterility, and expand on research previously presented by the Israeli group, led by Dr. Shevach Friedler, who got the idea for the study after reading about the potential physiological effects of laughter as a “natural anti-stress mechanism.” This is not the first time we’ve reported on novel research about sexual health, reproduction and fertility out of Israel, but it is likely one of the most pleasant and potentially ecosexy.

“Patients suffering from infertility undergoing IVF are exceptionally stressed,” said Friedler, who is based at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Zrifin.

“So I thought that this intervention could be beneficial for them at the crucial moments after embryo transfer,” Friedler told Reuters Health in an email.

To test the idea, Friedler’s team had a medical clown visit their fertility clinic periodically over one year. Of the 219 women in the study, half underwent embryo implantation on a day the clown was at the clinic.

During recovery from the procedure, each woman had a 15-minute visit from the clown, who performed a specific routine created by Friedler — who has studied movement and mime — and a colleague. The researchers found that compared with women who came to the clinic on a “non-clown” day, those who’d had a laugh were more than twice as likely to become pregnant, when other factors — like age, type of infertility and the number of embryos implanted — were taken into account.

Whether other fertility clinics are going to start sending in the clowns is anyone’s guess. But Friedler added that if studies at other centers back up his findings, fertility clinics elsewhere might take up the tactic. “After all,” he noted, “this is one of the least hazardous interventions in our field.”

Asked whether other stress-reducing techniques might be useful, Friedler said further studies are needed to answer that question. It’s not clear, he noted, that the clown intervention actually worked by curbing stress. And in general, researchers are not sure what role emotional stress might play in IVF success.

So-called “clown care” has long been used at medical centers in Israel, the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia, usually in children’s hospitals. It’s also gaining some academic backing. The University of Haifa in Israel, for example, recently launched a degree program in “medical clowning.”

::Reuters

Read more on sexual health issues:
How do Tree Humpers Prevent Pregnancy?

Radiation Exposure and Sperm: Basics Every Man Should Know

Are Antioxidants Keeping You Young and Infertile?

Image via Wade Chambers

You can follow Tinamarie on @ModernLoveMuse and facebook. She blogs at www.tinamariebernard.com.

The post Medical Clowns, Laughter Improve Fertility? appeared first on Green Prophet.

Male fertility depends on healthy sperm. Just as there are ways a man can enable optimum sexual fitness via diet (what’s good for the heart is often good for a man’s libido) and erectile supplements for example, we are now more keenly aware of how certain toxins can permanently alter sperm production and function. The recent disasters around the globe, particularly the nuclear reactor crisis in Japan, highlights how these forces often out of our individual control.  With concerns of radiation exposure on the top of people’s minds, we at Greenprophet.com want to offer basics every man in the Middle East should know with regards to radiation exposure and his sexual health.

To impregnate his partner, a man’s body must produce appropriate levels of testosterone and other hormones involved in the production of sperm in the testicles. There has to be enough sperm, carried via semen, to be ejaculated out of the penis. And the motility and morphology of sperm must be such that they can reach and penetrate a woman’s ova. It should be noted that globally, sperm counts have been declining. Greenprophet.com reported on the forty percent decline in sperm count among Israelis, attributing these changes to cell phone use and hormone exposure. A low sperm count is considered fewer than 20 million sperm per milliliter of semen.

What about environmental elements that can harm sperm?

The Mayo Health Clinic sites heat, toxins and chemicals as common sources of concern.

Pesticides. Some men exposed to pesticides such as ethylene dibromide and organophosphates have lowered sperm counts. Pesticide exposure has also been linked to testicular cancer. Most studies have been done on men who work in agriculture or live in agricultural areas.

Heavy metal exposure. Exposure to lead or other heavy metals also may cause infertility.

Exposure to radiation or X-rays. Exposure to radiation can reduce sperm production. It can take several years for sperm production to return to normal. With high doses of radiation, sperm production can be permanently reduced.

Overheating the testicles. Frequent use of saunas or hot tubs may temporarily lower your sperm count. Sitting for long periods or wearing tight clothing also may increase the temperature in your scrotum and reduce sperm production.

Prolonged bicycling. Prolonged bicycling is another possible cause of reduced fertility due to overheating the testicles. In some cases, bicycle seat pressure on the area behind the testicles (perineum) can cause numbness in the penis and erectile dysfunction.

It’s the third item on that list raising questions these days. According to the Health Physics Society, a USA-based scientific organization comprised of 6000 professionals members who specialize in radiation safety, the common concern about testicular radiation exposure is birth defects.

Referencing to large population studies, one of which looked at thousands of patients who were exposed to radiation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, “after 50 years of studying this population, there has been no demonstrable increase in genetic disease. What was learned is that the risk is extremely small and that you need very large populations to demonstrate this risk. In other words, the risk from the radiation is too small to be detected amid the spontaneous incidence of mutations and the hereditary component of mutations that may affect the offspring.”

The National Cancer Institute in the United States has studied thousands of male patients exposed to radiation therapy as part of cancer treatment. “ Families of these individuals also have not demonstrated an increase in birth defects or miscarriage.” Still, the author cautions that infertility or sterility may occur after exposure, though birth defects are unlikely.

“Studies of the atomic bomb survivors indicate even in the high-exposure group that there is not an increased incidence of chromosome abnormalities or genetic disease in the next generation. That is also the case for studies from the National Cancer Institute, which indicate that patients who had cancer and received chemotherapy and radiation did not have an increased incidence in genetic disease or birth defects in the next generation, although they did have problems with infertility.”

They advise men who’ve had even diagnostic exposures to radiation “to wait for at least two spermatogenesis cycles, which is about four months” before attempting to impregnate their partner. It takes approximately 48 days for new sperm cells to form, and 14 days for them to reach maturation. In general, the more frequently a man ejaculates, including via masturbation, the more efficient his sperm-production will be.

In previous articles, we discussed the risks of exposure to toxins on a man’s sperm and offspring that suggest even small changes in diet can have long-term deleterious consequences.

For specifics from the Health Physics Society on the Japanese fukushima reactor, visit their site.

:: Mayo Clinic and Robert Brent, MD, PhD, Health Physics Society

More eco-sexuality news:

Israeli Sperm Count Drops a Whopping Forty Percent

Can a Male Birth Control Pill Save the Environment?

Do These Fats Make My Love Handle Look Big? Eco-Sexy Nutrition for a Man’s Erection

Tinamarie is a regular contributor to Greenprophet.com. Follow her @ModernLoveMuse. She blogs at www.tinamariebernard.com.

Image via bhav.bhav.

The post Radiation Exposure and Sperm: Basics Every Man Should Know appeared first on Green Prophet.

It’s a tale with two endings, a conundrum for consumers of antioxidant-rich foods, drinks and facial products. What has been touted as a natural way to slow the aging process by minimizing cell damage via oxidation may be one culprit in female infertility. So suggests Professor Nava Dekel of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel.

From a health report in Israel 21c:

Common antioxidants, including vitamins C and E, neutralize the “reactive oxygen species” molecules our bodies sometimes overproduce in reaction to stress. It seems only logical to keep these reactive oxygen molecules at bay, because an overabundance of them leads to inflammation and cell damage.

However, when Dekel and her research team in the Biological Regulation Department applied antioxidants to the ovaries of female mice, they discovered that significantly fewer eggs were released from the ovarian follicles in comparison to the amount released by untreated ovaries.

Was it possible, they wondered, that the process of ovulation might actually rely on “harmful” reactive oxygen species molecules?

Dekel and her associates decided to test this hypothesis in female mice. They treated one group of female mice with luteinizing hormone (LH), a hormone released by the pituitary gland that is necessary for ovulation to occur, and another group with hydrogen peroxide, H2O2, a reactive oxygen species.

“…H2O2 fully mimicked the effect of LH, bringing about an extensive mucification/expansion of the follicle-enclosed cumulus–oocyte complexes,” wrote the researchers in the abstract published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. In other words, hydrogen peroxide induced ovulation in the mice as effectively as the naturally occurring hormone, suggesting that the oxidative process is necessary for healthy fertility.

One process – inflammation – and two outcomes: aging and ovulation. According to Israel 21c, Dekel and her team plan to “investigate the exact mechanics of antioxidants in relation to ovulation and to examine their effect on mice when administered in either food or drink. In addition, they plan to collect human data on the possible link between antioxidant supplements and difficulty conceiving.”

Eco-Sexy alternatives to birth control?
Future research may also include the application of antioxidants as contraception. “On the one hand, these findings could prove useful to women who are having trouble getting pregnant,” said Dekel. “On the other, further studies might show that certain antioxidants might be effective means of birth control that could be safer than today’s hormone-based [pregnancy] prevention.”

Eco-sexual author, Stefanie Iris Weiss, has noted many of those safety concerns in her 2010 publication, Eco-Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make your Love Life Sustainable. Challenges from the overuse of hormones in humans and agriculture include the proliferation of these substances in our waterways, the feminization of males in certain animal species, and the precocious puberty in children.

More eco-sexuality news:

GM Foods Shrinking Sexual Health in a Womb Near You

Tinamarie is a regular contributor to Greenprophet.com. You can follow her on @ModernLoveMuse and facebook. She blogs at www.tinamariebernard.com. :: image credit, Untitled Blue via Flickr

The post Are Anti-oxidants Keeping You Young and Infertile? appeared first on Green Prophet.

Just the way disposable diapers are a nightmare for our environment and children’s health, so are all those disposable sanitary products being aggressively marketed.

Yes I know that for many, just as cloth diapers, the idea of cloth menstrual pads and moon cups are hard to swallow but really these days there are many converts, and more and more women are realising the multiple benefits of ditching those disposables.

So what are we actually talking about, what is available and just why and am I singing their praises so loudly?

Cloth pads for menstruation

Cloth pads are nothing new, and there are centuries of history dedicated to their us: although introduced to the market at the end of the 19th century disposable sanitary products only really became popular about 80 years ago with the market expanding to what it is today in the last 40 years. And women were doing just fine before that. Don’t let those big corporate money makers let you believe anything else.

Problems with disposable sanitary products

• pollutants in the growing of cotton
• paper production and plastics
• health issues such as toxic shock syndrome
• the actual disposal of the product

Hard statistics for women’s health

To get you started here are some of those entertaining facts and figures compiled from a study in the UK.

1. On average a woman will use around 12,000 disposable towels and tampons in her lifetime
2. 98% of which are flushed down the toilet,
3. Of which an estimated 52% go directly to the sea untreated, not a pleasant thought,
4. They also cause 75% of blocked drains
5. Tampons take at least 6 months to biodegrade and towels are not biodegradable, the plastic may breakdown into smaller pieces (ideal fish food!) and they are filled with a cocktail of chemicals which keep them white and absorbent.
6. Disposable sanitary products put even more pressure on landfills than disposable nappies.

The other main environmental issue surrounding these products is the manufacturing process and the materials used. Tampons are made mainly from cotton and rayon, for issues surrounding the cotton industry read Greening Your Baby’s Wardrobe, but in a nutshell conventional cotton is one of the top 3 polluters in agriculture and the processing of cotton is just as chemically laden, not as innocent or as natural as we thought.

Rayon is made from woodpulp, again a chemical process, plus you have to chop those trees down first! And sanitary towels are made mainly from rayon and plastics.

Tampons and sanitary towels are toxic

One other issue regarding the environment and our health was the bleaching agent used, namely chlorine gas which causes dioxins, a known carcinogen, though thankfully due to pressure from health and environmental groups many manufacturers stopped using it and levels of dioxins found have dropped though occasionally trace levels can still be found.

It is not just the environment that these products pose a threat to, many health issues have been connected as well: Toxic Shock Syndrome, though rare is something every women should know about if using tampons, and if tampons are your preferred choice then avoid ones made from cotton and rayon (100% cotton tampons have shown no links TSS), or with lubricants as these may also contain parabens, choose organic cotton tampons (Natracare and Organyc are available in Israel).

It is also known that many women suffer from allergic reactions from the materials and chemicals used in towels, sometimes just heightened sensitivity and soreness though often increased rates of Thrush are also associated with these products.

Homemade Pad and Tampon Alternatives

So what are our options; well I am very happy to say that there are plenty available to us wherever we live. I live in Israel.

My personal preference are organic cotton towels which you can buy or make yourself. Find ones with certified organic cotton that come in two parts making them extremely comfortable, very effective and very easy to care for.

Organic cotton is very soft, highly absorbent and breathable (something that disposables are not being made from plastic).

Many women who have changed over to cloth pads due to health reasons say that their symptoms disappear instantly. Pads are available in a range of sizes to fit every woman’s needs, and unique two part design (if you can find it) allows easy change of liners throughout the day.

I know women who sew their own.

Cloth pads are very easy to look after, just soak after use in cold water and place in your regular laundry cycle.

For those of us who prefer tampons, the Mooncup offers an excellent alternative, available at Bishvilenu, this menstrual cup is made from soft silicone and comes in two sizes; before and after birth.

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