The Shocking Ingredients in Menstrual Products: Toxic Truths, Safe Alternatives, and the Future of Period Care with Arielle Loupos

Self-Helpless

Cloud10

Alternative Health, Health & Fitness, Science

4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 5 November 2025

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Delanie Fischer chats with Arielle Loupos, founder of Flower Girl, for a revealing look at the hidden toxins in mainstream menstrual products and their impact, the history of “feminine hygiene” marketing, and the safe alternatives everyone should know about. They explore cycle stigma, period traditions, and why rethinking our everyday products is essential for our health. Please share this with the females in your life. ✨ This episode is part of the Self-Helpless “Subscriber Stories” series! Got a story, resource, or experience that could help others? Email selfhelplesspodcast@gmail.com to be considered as a guest. Discussed in this episode: - 2024 Menstrual Products Study Results - How The Industrial Revolution Changed Periods - Ancient Traditions for Celebrating Cycles - Is The Free Bleed Movement The Future? - Toxic Shock Syndrome Causes and Risks - Tampons, Pads, Cups, Period Underwear - Cramps and Infertility Questions - Postpartum, Perimenopause, and Leaks - Cycle Syncing Tips in the Workplace - Ending Period Stigma (and Starting Young) ⁠CozyEarth.com ⁠- Right now, you can stack my code HELPLESS on top of their sitewide sale - giving you up to 40% off in savings. ---- If Self-Helpless has supported you, a quick 5-star rating or review (if you haven’t already) means so much! ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-helpless/id1251196416⁠ Free goodies including The Quote Buffet and The Watch & Read List: ⁠https://www.selfhelplesspodcast.com/⁠ Ad-free episodes now available on ⁠Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/selfhelpless⁠ Your Host, Delanie Fischer:⁠ https://www.delaniefischer.com⁠ ---- Episodes related to this topic: 20 Documentaries To Watch This Year: https://www.delaniefischer.com/selfhelplesspodcast/episode/2542cab6/self-helpless-snack-whats-your-favorite-documentary-20-documentaries-to-watch-this-year Hormone Imbalances and Your Menstrual Cycle with Dr. Jolene Brighten: https://www.delaniefischer.com/selfhelplesspodcast/episode/c4a75fbe/hormone-imbalances-and-your-menstrual-cycle-with-dr-jolene-brighten UTIs, Interstitial Cystitis, and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction with Dr. Rena Malik: https://www.delaniefischer.com/selfhelplesspodcast/episode/1c573a89/utis-interstitial-cystitis-and-pelvic-floor-dysfunction-with-dr-rena-malik Flip the Script on Aging: Strength, Vitality, and Purpose with 74 Year-Old Icon Babette Davis: ⁠https://www.delaniefischer.com/selfhelplesspodcast/episode/23c49ad2/flip-the-script-on-aging-strength-vitality-and-purpose-with-74-year-old-icon-babette-davis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Lately, I've been so stuck in my head that I forget just about everything my therapist said.
0:08.8	Maybe I'm self-helpless.
0:11.2	Hey, everyone.
0:11.9	Welcome to Self-Hupless, where science, spirituality, and sustainability are brunch buddies.
0:16.5	I'm Delaney Fisher, and details about today's topic can be found in the episode description.
0:20.8	Returning listeners, if an episode of Self-Hupless has supported you in some way, Delaney Fisher and details about today's topic can be found in the episode description.
0:25.5	Returning listeners, if an episode of Self-Houpless has supported you in some way, a quick five-star rating or review, if you haven't left one already, honestly keeps this indie podcast alive
0:31.4	amidst the big old budget behemoths out there. So thank you for feeding the algorithm a little
0:37.4	treat for me. Ad free episodes
0:39.2	are now on Patreon at patreon.com slash self-helpless. And info about some free goodies will be shared in the
0:45.5	outro. Okay, it's podcast time. Just a quick heads up before we get into the conversation. My guest today,
0:52.1	Ariel, is not a sponsor of the podcast. She is not
0:55.3	paying to be on the show. This is a topic I'm really passionate about. And we want to get
1:00.2	this information out there to as many people as we can. So I just wanted to mention that since we do
1:04.9	touch on her brand in this episode. What were some of the most surprising findings for you when it comes to the origin
1:14.1	or history behind products like what we've considered for so long to be the standard
1:19.8	tampon pad menstrual product? I was fascinated first to learn how little research is actually done on women's bodies. So just last year in
1:30.3	2024, the first ever studied was done by a woman at a top Ivy League university who was like,
1:36.2	hmm, like let's look and see what's in tampons. First ever in history was just lab. And tampons were
1:42.6	invented in 1931.
1:49.4	Oh, you're man. During the Industrial Revolution, which that was around the time we started mass producing things, microplastics, a lot of chemicals and toxins were put into our products
1:54.7	to mass produce, right? So all of that to say, our products have not changed much since 1931.
	...

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