Hmm.

How do you alleviate period pain? Do you take pain killers? Go for a run? Wallow in your discomfort in bed? Same, to be honest. All of the above are pretty good shouts, but there's also another thing that people are doing to try and make their periods that little bit less awful. Using period pads that are lined with dirt. Yeah, that was our reaction too. The pads in question are called NannoPads and according to their website, they can "decrease menstrual cramps without the use of drugs or medication." This is where the supposed 'dirt' comes in. NannoPads use:

"... organically occurring earth elements and brakes them into nanoparticles, which are then embedded into the NannoPad via natural fibers. "Nannogenic technology also purifies the pad, thereby minimising odour and bacteria."

The pads and pantyliners are also apparently all-natural, hypoallergenic, and don't have any side effects. However, according to gynaecologist Dr Jen Gunter, wearing pads like these might not be the best idea... mainly because we don't know exactly what the 'earth elements' inside of them are. On her website, she wrote:

"Carbon? Copper? Arsenic? Lead? A potpourri from the continental crust (i.e. backyard dirt) ground up into a nice powder? "It is entirely possible there is simply a strip of material impregnated with activated charcoal in the pad, after all, you can buy pads of activated charcoal for both your period and for flatulence. "Be a nifty marketing trick and not at all incorrect to call it one of earth’s organic elements."

She went on to say that, essentially, there wouldn't be any reason why the earth's elements would make your period any better or worse. Gunter said:

“Medically speaking there is no ‘energy’ from the earth that impacts the flow of blood in the uterine blood vessels or that can treat painful periods. “I mean, if the Earth’s crust had this magical element then we would probably have never given up the whole Red Tent practice."

NannoPads suggest that in order to get the best use out of them, you should really be wearing them up to six days before you even start your period. Apparently, this helps with microcirculation which can reduce menstrual cramping when you do actually start bleeding. So, you know, just wear pads for the whole month, like - no bother. Gunter concludes her thoughts by saying that the notion that a pad can treat period pain is "ridiculous." Well, that's all of us told then.