The case in summary: Researchers from the USA have developed a powder that turns menstrual blood into jelly, which can reduce the risk of bleeding and spillage. The researchers are now working on the powder being added to tampons, pads and menstrual cups. In addition to preventing bleeding, the powder can help prevent toxic shock syndrome, also known as “tampon disease”, as it contains an antibacterial substance. It is currently unclear when products with this powder will be available in stores. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Then it was on again. Tampons, pads or menstrual cups must be taken out of the cupboard. Even if you do what you can to control your blood, you may have had accidents from time to time. – The fear of bleeding takes me back to when I was younger. As an 11-12-year-old, I really didn’t want to be exposed with pads and tampons – or even worse: By bleeding through, says Kjersti Lotta Knotten (21). She has suffered quite a lot with heavy bleeding, and then it is easy for accidents to happen. – Now I don’t care so much – other than that it is very unfavorable to bleed through. In addition to having period pains and being weak and tired, I really can’t bear to deal with it in addition, she continues. And American researchers believe it is time for her and everyone else to be let go. Kjersti Lotta Knotten remembers back to when she was younger and very worried about bleeding. Photo: Kirsti Kringstad / news Women and men have quite different views on menstruation: It has received too little attention Did you know that the first volume came out in 1888? Nor are the tampon and menstrual cup new – both were invented in the 1930s. Something has obviously happened to the products since the early beginnings. But far from enough, say the researchers from Virginia Tech University. The tampons and pads on the market work by absorbing the blood inside the material. Menstrual cups work by collecting the blood. Did you catch the news that toxic metals have been found in menstrual products? Researcher Bryan Hsu was actually doing something else in the lab, not related to menstruation at all. A small part of the work concerned coagulation of wounds. And then one thing led to another. – The idea of improving menstrual care came up. After talking to my wife, and reading a lot, I realized that this is an area that had not developed technologically, although improvements can actually improve the quality of life significantly, says Hsu. He came up with the idea of turning the blood into jelly. Because in jelly form it is less likely that there will be leaks and spills. And that is exactly what he and his colleagues have now managed to achieve, by extracting a fascinating powder from a high molecular weight alginate and glycerol. Just look here: First you see what happens to the blood when it is absorbed by an ordinary tampon. So what happens when it is additionally mixed with the powder. Video: Virginia Tech More Hygienic – My first thought is…ugh! says Kjersti Lotta Knotten. Well, she’s hardly alone in thinking that menstrual jelly seems disgusting. But the researchers are clear that this is the exact opposite. Rather, both safer and more hygienic. They emphasize that there will be fewer accidents and less spillage. Now they want manufacturers to add the powder to tampons, pads and menstrual cups. – It makes sense that it is easier to handle the blood when it is not flowing, says Knotten, who hopes that this can primarily make the monthly guest a little more pleasant for the youngest. After the period comes the super week! That’s what Line and Siri experience anyway: Prevents “tampon disease” In addition to putting an end to embarrassing bleeding, the powder is supposed to prevent toxic shock syndrome, also known as “tampon disease”. This is very, very rare. But if you are hit first, it can be dangerous. Potentially fatal. The powder prevents the condition because an antibacterial substance has been added. So on to the really big question: When will these new tampons, pads and menstrual cups hit the shops? Hsu does not have a clear answer. – We must make this widely available, affordable and safe. That means we have to do our homework properly, says Bryan Hsu. The research article was published in the scientific journal Cell last week. Published 18.07.2024, at 17.03
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Researchers at Virginia Tech in the USA believe they have found a powder that will turn menstruation into jelly – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
