Evaluation of the Quality of Sanitary Napkins Sold on the Market ofthe City of Yaounde

Abstract

Objective: To assess the quality of sanitary napkins marketed in the city of Yaounde. 

Methodology: This was an experimental study associated with a survey of women who used sanitary pads from March to September 2021 in the city of Yaoundé. The physico-technical parameters and the microbiological quality of the selected towel brands were respectively determined and checked at the multidisciplinary laboratory of Galenic Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Legislation of the FMSB-UY1. The data was collected and saved in an electronic database and its analysis was carried out by the Microsoft Excel software version 2019.

Results: Among the116 women who consented to participate in the study, 51.73% were between the ages of 21 and 30, the majority were pupils and singles. We had identified a total of 32 brands of sanitary napkins sold in the city of Yaoundé including “Hygiénix” (53%), “Always” (35%), “Amie”
(35%) and “Nana” (29%). The organoleptic characters have been rendered, 100% of the labels were non-compliant and 100% of the towels had a pH between [6 – 6.95] after 4 hours of exposure. The test for the presence of Escherichia coli in the samples was negative for all samples.

Conclusion: several brands of sanitary napkins are sold in the city of Yaoundé. Their labels were non-compliant, the pH was slightly acidic and microbiological control revealed an absence of E. coli.