Most women made their own sanitary towels out of strips of linen or cotton, sometimes they would reenfroce this with cotton batting to make something resembling a pad. By the late 1800's women were able to buy pre-made sanitary belts from local stores or from catalogues like Montgomery Ward and Sears Roebuck. By the turn of the 20th century pre cut material for pads were able to be purchased, but most women still made their own pads, and many still made their own sanitary belts.

https://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/01/sarahk/hers/school/tampon.html

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