A biodegradable molecule that is obtained from seatang and forms a gel when it comes into contact with blood, according to a study published today 1 prevent the expiry of menstrual products.

The alginic acid product was much better in holding blood back in a menstrual bandage than the frequently used fillers that absorb blood but can leak when saturated. The gel also eliminated the expiry of menstrual cups.

Modern menstrual products - binding, tampons and cups - have changed little over time, says the co -author of the study, Bryan HSU, a biomedical scientist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg. HSUS team wanted to find a different approach to deal with menstrual blood. "We want to make it gel so that it can be handled better".

The study was created by HSUS doctoral research, in which self-made hydrogels were examined, which proved to be extremely effective in blood clotting 2 . "I started thinking," says HSU, "What can I do with it?"

lying binding

menstrual blood can be a unique challenge because it contains enzymes that prevent blood clotting. HSU and his colleagues tested a number of polysaccharides - long -chain carbohydrate molecules - and found that an alginic acid with a high molecular weight in combination with glycerin was best suited to form a long -lasting gel with pork flood that was treated, to reduce the coagulation.

The researchers tested a powder -shaped formulation both as a filler in a menstrual bandage and in a short piece of fabric that was rolled up in a menstrual cup using an artificial vagina. They also added an antimicrobial molecule, trimethylchitosan, to inhibit the growth of staphylococcus aureus bacteria that can cause a rare but potentially deadly toxic shock syndrome that is connected to the use of tampons or menstrual cups. The team develops the bandage and the menstrual cup that contains the molecule and researches how it could be used in a tampon.

Sharra Vostral, historian for science, technology and gender studies at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, says that the development is an interesting variant in menstrual technology, the aim of which is to hide a person. For people in “all the places where it is not acceptable to have a period or to pretend that there is no blood, the tapping and tampons and now also the cups are really important,” says Vostral, who wrote about the history of menstrual products.

But be careful when using antimicrobial products in the vagina, because there are "many friendly bacteria that you need there to have a healthy vaginal microbiome".