What did people do when they had their period in ancient times?

What did people in ancient times do when they had their periods? Many people must be curious about how our ancestors dealt with their periods. There were no sanitary napkins, sanitary pads and other menstrual products in ancient times. How did people in ancient times deal with menstruation?

In primitive society, women did not know how to take any measures to deal with menstruation. When they saw blood, they would wipe it with hay or dead leaves.

When entering the slave society period, human civilization had made some progress. Women at this time could already use tree bark or animal skin to sew underwear to cover their body. When menstruation came, they also knew to put some dry things under their clothes to absorb the dirty blood, and they also learned to wash the vulva with clean water.

In feudal society, human civilization further prospered. With the emergence of silk, cloth and other products, people began to make clothes instead of primitive things such as animal skins and tree barks. At that time, before papermaking was invented, women put wood ash into small strips of cloth and tied the two ends around their waists with thin strings, which became the so-called sanitary belts. The level of wealth determines the number of strips to be replaced. After using the sanitary belt, pour out the dirt inside and wash it with clean water and soap. Let it air dry before using again. If it is used in a hurry, dry it with fire. Of course, this must be done in the most private of circumstances.

After the invention of papermaking, straw paper and other absorbent materials came in handy during women's menstrual period. They use straw paper directly or put it in sanitary belts. Of course, some wealthy families will use white paper similar to rice paper, which is more resilient and hygienic. But this kind of paper is expensive and many families cannot afford it.

In ancient times, only a few peddlers or some rouge and powder shops sold sanitary belts, so basically the sanitary belts used by women were made by themselves. The method of making sanitary belts has been passed down from generation to generation among women, and some dexterous women will even embroider patterns on the sanitary belts. The frequency of updating and number of sanitary belts used by women should be determined based on the family conditions. Some women in difficult circumstances have to wear a sanitary belt for their entire lives.

In ancient times, there was little knowledge about women's physical health. Coupled with heavy physical labor, many women suffered from serious gynecological diseases. In contrast, today, women are much happier, at least the menstrual products they use are clean and hygienic, and they can buy as many as they want and choose whichever one they like!