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1550 BCE
Egypt
Some believed that menstrual blood held abilities of healing, protection, or purification. Ebers Papyrus' writing suggests he may have used it in medicine. Women may have used rags or cloths when they bled, but historians are uncertain. -
700 BCE
Rome
Pliny the Elder believed that menstruation was affiliated with sorcery and that menstruation females could thwart storms and possibly also keep insects away from farms.They may have used rags or cloths, but historians are uncertain -
Jan 28, 600
Europe
Religious stigmatisation caused women to hide this natural and normal process, often wearing flowers to hide any smell. They attempted to alleviate heavy flow with medicines including powdered toad. The church did not approve of pain relief for it because it was believed that God wanted them to suffer for Eve's sin. Rags were used, but many women would bleed onto their clothes. -
Jan 1, 800
Mayan Civilisation
The Mayans thought that menstruation was punishment for the Moon Goddess, who was the goddess of women and sexuality, sleeping with the Sun God. Her blood was stored in jars and then turned into snakes, insects, poison, and disease. The products that they may have used cannot be determined but it is assumed that they used rags. -
Britain
At this time people began to recognise how unhygienic it was to bleed onto your clothes then continue wearing them for days, as many poorer people would. The Hoosier sanitary belt allowed women to attach a washable towel and wear it under their clothes, so they would bleed onto the towel and keep their clothes clean. This also allowed them to hide the fact that they were menstruating, still plagued by the shame of this natural occurrence. -
Britain
New disposable products were being used which helped with the inconvenience of menstruating as women no longer needed to make and wash their towels if they bought disposable ones. This did not apply to working class women who still needed to make and clean their own, so the disposable towels did not help women on the whole, it merely allowed the makers to profit from their problems.