Tampons are Tools of Patriarchy

[Minerva]

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only woman who just doesn't care about periods at all. They're not traumatic events for me and are really no different than any other day of my life, except that I usually try to avoid sex on the heaviest day. But I guess all the other women who have drama-free periods don't go out of their way to talk to about them.

I do get the feeling that everyone who's ever called me weird for wanting to talk about periods has easy periods. Same goes for body hair. It's only ever fair, blonde, hairless women who judge you for putting thought into what you do with your body hair. Like "you guys are weird, I just put my damn bathing suit on and go swimming like a normal person. Why are we even talking about this?"

[meep]

I think it has less to do with the pad and more to do with how heavy the flow is. TMI alert: I have always had very heavy periods. They last about a week and I can go through a super tampon in 2 hours on the heaviest days. If I wear a pad, almost every time I stand up, I can actually feel the blood gushing out. The fuller the pad gets, the worse the wedgies are. Not pleasant.

I love my tampons - and, if they are the tools of the Patriarchy, so be it. I have bigger battles to fight, and I'd prefer to fight them in relative comfort :lol:

Yeah, I used to wear pretty big pads (with wings!) that I *still* leaked out of! So I guess if you have a light period, you can wear those really nice slim, light pads. I do wear slimmer, lighter ones now (no wings!) in combo with tampons but I can still feel them.

[meep]

I do get the feeling that everyone who's ever called me weird for wanting to talk about periods has easy periods. Same goes for body hair. It's only ever fair, blonde, hairless women who judge you for putting thought into what you do with your body hair. Like "you guys are weird, I just put my damn bathing suit on and go swimming like a normal person. Why are we even talking about this?"

Yeah, I feel the same and am jealous of those women! I wish I didn't have to worry about that stuff. :lol:

Periods are big dramatic events for me, especially due to the excruciating pain. :(

[meep]

I am dumfounded that people believe that tampons and virginity don't mix in 2013. They were used by multiple of my friends in 7th and 8th grade in the early 70s, and given to us by our moms, most of whom were quite religious. The world has gone backward over time, I guess.

The reason I persisted using pads instead of tampons was because this girl in school told our group of friends that *her mom* said tampons would mean we weren't virgins anymore and if we used them we would get toxic shock syndrome. So we all used pads. I did eventually switch and I assume many of my friends did also. But as I last heard, that one girl is still using pads because she has an irrational fear of TSS and doesn't want people thinking she's not a virgin. :shock:

[lilith]

I got my period when I was 11, and my mother, who is not at all religious and bought me condoms when I told her I was ready to lose my virginity, told me I shouldn't use tampons til I was sexually active. Not cause they would make me "not a virgin", she just thought that they would be painful/wouldn't work for non sexually active girls. It's a pretty prevalent myth.

I held out for a couple of years til I got sick of not swimming once a month and started using them anyway.

[SamuraiKatz]

Those of you who are talking about doubling up tampons, do you use them side by side, or stack them up like (forgive this analogy) batteries in a flashlight?

Side by side. Glad I am post menopausal.:smile:

[ari_belle]

That depends on whether you use the collected blood to create art, obviously.

I'd like to dump my diva blood on the patriarchs!

[JesusFightClub]

I do get the feeling that everyone who's ever called me weird for wanting to talk about periods has easy periods. Same goes for body hair. It's only ever fair, blonde, hairless women who judge you for putting thought into what you do with your body hair. Like "you guys are weird, I just put my damn bathing suit on and go swimming like a normal person. Why are we even talking about this?"

Totally agree.

I like my periods - sure, I get a sore belly and sometimes a lot worse than that, but I like knowing everything's working down there and all's functioning at least a wee bit as it should. What I DON'T like is people who are utterly shocked I should even mention menstruation (what, men never mention they need the toilet?) and who are scandalised by seeing unused tampons etc in public.

It should be NORMAL. Not an ultra secret hidden thing which we have to carefully protect menfolk from. Most women bleed every month, the bleeding is different for different women, this is part of what makes us fertile, deal with it now guys or sob in private. Seriously.

Questions I have been asked by men include "So you're constantly pissing blood?" (Um no, I think all tampons and pads would last approx 30 secs) "Do you smell weird?" (no, there's a thing called hygiene) "Don't you think you're going to die every month?" (Not after the first one) and "Don't you feel sad you aren't pregnant?" (Not if you ain't trying).

:doh:

[salex]

"Don't you feel sad you aren't pregnant?" (Not if you ain't trying).

Are you kidding? The vast numbers of women I've known were thrilled they were not pregnant most of the time. Yes, if they are trying-- but sometimes it is even a relief to get a perions then!

[JesusFightClub]

Are you kidding? The vast numbers of women I've known were thrilled they were not pregnant most of the time. Yes, if they are trying-- but sometimes it is even a relief to get a perions then!

Yeah, this is totally bewildering to me! But I have literally had blokes ask me if women feel sad every period. I do not understand this.

All I can think is that some men think women want squillions of babies all the time? :shock:

[Minerva]

Yeah, this is totally bewildering to me! But I have literally had blokes ask me if women feel sad every period. I do not understand this.

All I can think is that some men think women want squillions of babies all the time? :shock:

Dear God... You should ask them if they feel sad every time they have safe sex.

[julie paradox]

...But I have literally had blokes ask me if women feel sad every period. I do not understand this.

All I can think is that some men think women want squillions of babies all the time? :shock:

No, silly, it's because we're Biologically Programmed to have children so whenever we ovulate the hormones make us broody. That's why they say "feel sad": it's a physical thing. Because women are like that. Scientific Fact.

[Minerva]

Side by side. Glad I am post menopausal.:smile:

Do you have to put them both in at once for them to land side by side? I accidentally put two in when I was drunk, but they went in like batteries. I could tell because one string was longer.

[bananacat]

I do get the feeling that everyone who's ever called me weird for wanting to talk about periods has easy periods. Same goes for body hair. It's only ever fair, blonde, hairless women who judge you for putting thought into what you do with your body hair. Like "you guys are weird, I just put my damn bathing suit on and go swimming like a normal person. Why are we even talking about this?"

Sorry, I wasn't trying to call you weird. I just mean that I feel like the weird one because it seems like I'm the only one, but that I shouldn't feel that way because the women who talk about things are a skewed sample, if that makes sense.

[bananacat]

I was talking to a (male) work friend over our work instant messenger and he brought up the topic of periods, so I started talking about them generally, not even in a graphic way. Just like how it's weird that some common perceptions aren't supported by evidence (we're scientists) and how human psychology makes us prone to believing weird things in general. Then he got all weird like "lol I can't believe I'm discussing this right now", and I just wanted to tell him that sometimes I bleed out my vagina and it's completely normal and he needs to just get over it.

[DarkAnts]

I like the Infinities, especially the overnight ones on my heavy days. And nights. I haven't had any major leakage or staining issues with them, though I do have specific period undies so I'm not so worried about that, and they seem to be tight enough to keep everything where it needs to be.

There is no getting around feeling like I'm on my period, between the heavy (which is not so heavy that my NP is worried about it, though I have mentioned it) and the cramps (thank God for ibuprofen!). I wish I could forget about it. :(

I guess what I don't quite trust about tampons is not knowing when one is ready to be changed. With a pad, it's pretty obvious. I've thought about trying cloth but haven't come up with the $$ to make the plunge yet. I really should, I have a washer and dryer in this apartment.

Start to slowly build up your stash. Buy one or two every month. It takes a while but you can do it.

You can also make your own if you have sewing skills. My favorite pattern is from Luna Wolf. She gives great instructions and includes templates for different sized pads.

http://www.lunawolf.co.uk/shop/index.ph ... ductId=492

[FreeJosie]

It's nice to read others use pads. Growing up, I was often made to feel silly for preferring pads -- like a prude who cared about an intact hymen. Tampon peer pressure is a tool of the mean girls... :P Said mean girls obviously didn't have seven days of monster heavy flow.

And as a pad user of almost 20 years, I can attest that pads have come a loooooong way. I prefer Stayfree -- very cottony without all the plasticy feeling that keeps things "humid" down there.

The *only* thing I can envy Michelle Duggar about is how many monthly periods she avoided with so many pregnancies.

I use both tampons and pads during the first few days of my cycle because it's so heavy.

[Minerva]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to call you weird. I just mean that I feel like the weird one because it seems like I'm the only one, but that I shouldn't feel that way because the women who talk about things are a skewed sample, if that makes sense.

No worries, I never thought you were.

[No Cure for Stupid]

I can't wear tampons. I don't know if my body shape is wrong or something, but no matter how I try to put them in, they hurt. I can use the thinnest ones and push them in as far as you're supposed to, squat, and everything, but I can still constantly feel them.

Pads are the only things I can use. I've never seen a Diva Cup, and I don't really know anything about them. I've never had any rashes or problems with pads, though.

[Mudball]

I can't wear tampons. I don't know if my body shape is wrong or something, but no matter how I try to put them in, they hurt. I can use the thinnest ones and push them in as far as you're supposed to, squat, and everything, but I can still constantly feel them.

Pads are the only things I can use. I've never seen a Diva Cup, and I don't really know anything about them. I've never had any rashes or problems with pads, though.

ME too! And I feel like I can't pee right, like they are cutting off the pee flow. I've never used the diva cup or keeper, I tried the Instead once and that was a major fail. It was much worse than a tampon in terms of discomfort and it shifted and... yeah, it was bad.

I also feel like tampons give me a headache, which makes no sense but there it is. lol

I am now perimenopausal, I'd like to see Flo tackle a monthly box for that. :lol: I've gone from 4 days every 28 days like clockwork, could write it on my calendar months ahead of time, to my uterus saying, "Whenever and however long I damn well please" like a jerk.