You often see an infant crying relentlessly and her mom or dad doesn’t know why the little bundle is crying. It’s only when the baby’s diaper starts to leak that maybe one of the parents suspect that the baby may be itching because of the diaper. It could be diaper rash caused by allergic reaction to the diaper.

Some women may have experienced the same discomfort during menstruation, not with a diaper but with sanitary napkin. During this so-called “monthly period”, some women complain of itching, redness, swelling and skin irritation in the vaginal area.

While some beliefs point to the menstrual blood as the cause of allergy, there’s no truth to it. In fact, in many of these cases, the sanitary napkins are found to be the culprit, causing itchiness, irritation, and slight swelling around the vaginal area. This is a clear case of napkin allergy. And there are rare cases of severe reactions like severe swelling and difficulty in breathing.

Most sanitary napkins contain a chemical called methyldibromo glutaronitrile which is the top 9th allergen that affects human beings. Although the chemical causes allergic reaction, it has not been banned because it is not considered life-threatening or cancer-causing reaction. Other possible causes of napkin allergy may be attributed to the different scents, chemicals, and plastics used in the napkins, mainly to add value to the commercial appeal of the product. If you are sensitive to any of the chemical compositions in your sanitary napkin, you might develop irritation or rashes due to the continued skin-to-skin exposure.

The first sign of napkin allergy is itchiness of the vagina followed by reddening or irritation around the vaginal area. The moment you feel the allergic reaction, quickly switch to another napkin brand. You may have to check the chemicals or material composition of the napkin which caused your allergy and look for a brand that doesn’t contain the same material composition. Changing the type of napkin you use may help prevent the rashes or irritation caused by napkin allergy. If all the napkins you have tried has not eliminated the allergic reaction, it would be best to consult and seek the help of a professional.

In order to treat your napkin allergy, you should use an over-the-counter prescription topical cream, following your doctor’s advice to prevent further irritation. There are different types of treatment depending on the type of rashes. For example, for allergic reaction, doctors recommend hydrocortisone cream while bacterial skin infections are treated with antiseptic or antibacterial topical cream. For yeast infection anti-fungal cream is the recommended treatment.

Internal products like menstrual cups, cloth pads or tampons, or cotton pads made from unbleached organic cloth with no chemical additives may be used in lieu of commercially-available sanitary napkins.

You should know that wearing tight-fitting clothes during heavy flow can aggravate the allergic symptoms. By wearing loose harem pants or skirts, air flow around the sensitive areas will prevent sweating which can cause irritation and discomfort.

If you have allergic reaction to napkin and can’t find the appropriate replacement, you may want to use talcum powder as this is an effective solution for preventing sweat from being absorbed onto the napkin. The powder will also decrease the friction between your skin and the napkin that usually triggers the onset of allergy / rashes.

It’s important to keep your sensitive area extra clean during menstrual period. This means washing the affected area with soap and water every time you change napkin every 3 to 4 hours. To prevent spread of bacteria, make sure you wipe the genitals from front to back.