Feminine hygiene is a general euphemism used to describe personal care products used by women during menstruation, vaginal discharge, and other bodily functions related to the vulva. Sanitary napkins (American English) / Sanitary towels (British English), pantiliners, tampons, menstrual cups, and feminine wipes are the major categories of feminine hygiene products.
In the 1930s, the term was used in the United States to refer instead to birth control.
Famous quotes containing the word feminine:
“My weary limbs are scarcely stretched for repose, before red dawn peeps into my chamber window, and the birds in the whispering leaves over the roof, apprise me by their sweetest notes that another day of toil awaits me. I arise, the harness is hastily adjusted and once more I step upon the tread-mill.”
—E. B., U.S. farmer. As quoted in Feminine Ingenuity, by Anne L. MacDonald (1992)