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Periods are having their 15 minutes of fame, thanks to a women-led cultural revolution. From widespread backlash against Instagram’s period censorship, to women live-tweeting their periods at Donald Trump to rising outrage over the tampon tax, it’s no surprise that NPR named 2015 the “Year of the Period.”

Amen. Periods dominate a hefty chunk of women’s lives — on average, we menstruate for roughly 40 years, use over 10,000 tampons and have our period for 7 cumulative years — and it’s time we talk about them openly.

While menstruation is now a legitimate topic of national discussion, there’s one aspect that is rarely discussed, save for one model’s story of losing her leg to Toxic Shock Syndrome: the potential harm that awaits us in nearly every tampon. 90% of the tampons we buy and put in our bodies contain materials and chemicals that pose a threat to our health — and hardly anyone is paying attention.

The typical (non-organic) tampon contains hefty amounts of toxic ingredients, including synthetics, bleach and pesticides. What’s more, the FDA does not require tampon manufacturers to conduct studies or disclose the ingredients in their products because tampons are a Class 2 Medical Device, and the information is considered proprietary.

Our vaginas deserve better.

This is something the founders of Cora — Molly Hayward and Morgen Newman — understand, and why they’re working to revolutionize the way we manage our periods.

Today, they launched a “period management solution” that’s both healthy and globally conscious. Unlike the products that crowd our store shelves, Cora’s tampons are made of 100% organic cotton with BPA-free applicators, are 100% hypoallergenic and 100% biodegradable. Even better, with every month’s supply of Cora you receive, the company gives a month’s supply of sustainable pads to a girl in a developing country. This is a really big deal; over 100 million girls lack access to menstrual products around the globe, causing them to miss schooldays during their period and often drop out altogether by age 14.

It’s a win-win-win-win: not only is your vagina safe, but you help girls stay in school, support a woman-led business and never have to make a tampon run again because Cora is delivered to your door. (Plus, they have amazing packaging. Who knew tampons could be sleek and sophisticated?!)

Do yourself a favor and check out Cora. Your vagina will thank you (and so will young girls in India).

Categories: Health