What did women use instead of a kotex in the medieval era?
In medieval times, women probably didn’t menstruate regularly. So they quite possibly didn’t need anything! Due to poor nutrition, menstruation didn’t begin until roughly age 17, at which age most young women married. Once married, a woman would most likely get pregnant, and then she’d breastfeed the baby after it was born. Between the pregnancy and the breastfeeding, her menstrual flow would be suppressed for roughly 18 month altogether. At that point she might have one period or so, if that, before becoming pregnant again. And so it would go on until she died or reached menopause, which tended to come early. For that very-seldom occasional menstrual period? Probably rags, as stated. At least we think so, but we don’t know for certain. Rags were indeed used in the 19th century and early 20th century, but we have no real evidence to confirm that for earlier periods in history.
