Gynaecologists warn against tissue and cotton wool for menstrual use
Gynaecologists have warned women and girls not to use tissue paper, cotton wool or scraps of cloth as substitutes for sanitary pads, saying the materials can irritate the skin, retain moisture and leave fragments behind. They advised those experiencing repeated reactions to try fragrance-free products or purpose-designed alternatives after seeking appropriate clinical assessment.
Gynaecologists have warned women and girls against using tissue paper, cotton wool or scraps of cloth as substitutes for sanitary pads, saying the materials may cause irritation, inflammation and infection-related complications. Speaking to PUNCH Healthwise, Professor Abubakar Panti, a consultant obstetric gynaecologist at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, said neither cotton wool nor tissue paper was an established clinical menstrual product. He particularly cautioned against placing either material inside the vagina.
Panti said tissue paper could disintegrate when wet, become saturated quickly and adhere to moist skin. Fragments left behind, he added, could act as a retained foreign body and contribute to local irritation, inflammation, vaginal discharge and secondary bacterial infection. Cotton fibres may also stick to inflamed skin and friction can produce small abrasions.
He said the resulting damage to the skin barrier could make the area more susceptible to secondary infection. However, Panti stressed that cotton wool or tissue paper did not automatically cause a bacterial or fungal infection. He said conditions such as candida vaginitis were more complicated and required clinical assessment.
The gynaecologist also warned that symptoms including itching, burning or a rash during menstruation were not automatically signs of infection. They could reflect irritant or allergic contact dermatitis caused by a particular product, but similar symptoms could also indicate an actual vaginal infection. Panti advised women who repeatedly react to a sanitary product to stop using it and try a fragrance-free alternative from another manufacturer.
He also pointed to reusable cloth pads, menstrual underwear and menstrual cups as purpose-designed alternatives. He warned that untreated infections could ascend the reproductive tract, block the fallopian tubes and affect fertility, making access to suitable menstrual products a reproductive-health concern.
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