Tampons are Tools of Patriarchy

[DarkAnts]

I'm tempted to try cloth pads, but I don't know how I'd wash them. I go through a lot of pads when I'm on my period. I can't imagine washing them in my kitchen sink, and I can't imagine carrying them down to the laundry room I share with everyone else in my building, either.

I've never really had issues with heat/sweat/odour while wearing pads, so I guess I'm lucky.

I wash mine in the washing machine with towels. I have enough of a stash to only wash once per cycle. My favorite pads are Mimi's dream pads. They are constructed well and not as costly as others on the market.

Here is the link to her etsy store http://www.etsy.com/shop/MimisDream You can also do custom orders.

[Minerva]

Well, for any other pad users out there, I absolutely Always with Infinicil. It's a new type that only came out a few years ago, and it's like a foam. It's really thin and really absorbent. I have a pretty light flow and even the regulars are way overpowered for me; I just leave a little spot in the middle. I've never tested them out with water or anything, but I think they would work really well even for very heavy flows.

I got a free sample of Always Infinity, but my mom used it. I was dying to know whether it really absorbs as much as a maxi pad. I never liked the material that Always pads were coated with, though. Not soft enough.

[meep]

I used pads as a teenager and switched to tampons in college. Using pads, I always felt really self-conscious, like I was wearing a diaper, and that everyone could hear the pad crinkling when I moved (even though this was likely not the case). I've also always had a heavy flow and so had near constant leaks with pads, since they always seemed to get squished off to one side. With tampons, I couldn't even tell I was wearing them, and have basically never had a leak.

Yeah, I used pads for the first few years of my periods but they were really uncomfortable and I was always worried about leaks. Also, because of my heavy blood flow, it was super messy and the blood got all over the place. When I was about 14, I switched to tampons which I ended up loving and working well since my periods for some reason got lighter. But in the past few years, my flow has become really heavy again and now I have to use both but I use the really thin pads now that catches the leakage.

You really only get TSS if you leave your super absorbent tampon in for an extraordinarily long time.

I've never gotten any type of infection or anything from tampon use.

[SpeakNow]

I got a free sample of Always Infinity, but my mom used it. I was dying to know whether it really absorbs as much as a maxi pad. I never liked the material that Always pads were coated with, though. Not soft enough.

I actually find that the infinity pads give me way more wedgies and bunch up more than the regular always ultra thin pads.

[OkToBeTakei]

TMI incoming.

Per the Tampon v Towel.

I just cannot stand the feeling of what feels like inadvertently weeing myself every time I stand up. I absolutely detest the slimey feeling in my pants with pad and no matter how absorbent a pad is some of it is still on your bits and I can totally feel that. I also hate when going to the loo and wiping, having to do it to the extent it hurts JUST to feel clean. So even if the pad is relatively unused. I still feel the urge to change it. Pads at night, sleep on your tummy well hike that thing forward. Turn on to your back. Hike it back. Lie on your side? May as well be wearing absorbent catch it all shorts. The only time I feel secure in a pad is when I am wearing tight fitting knickers and a pad that probably should go from my lower vertebrae to my tummy button. Which is not tempting. So I have issues with pads :lol:

I got my period at 12. My Mother gave me both options and a good selection. I lasted two months with pads. So it really probably is personal and what you are used to. I don't feel a tampon at all. Unless the string gets caught in the side elastic of your knickers..HOW annoying is that in public when all you want to do is reposition but putting your hands down your jacksy is not at that moment socially acceptable.

TSS was a warning I always took seriously but as others have said is very rare. Never heard of the UTI link and never suffered any. Sure taking one out can be a bit ouchy if dry. But it is momentary and not something I ever really thought about. If I ever got overly sore I would use a touch of vaseline on my outer bits and nature takes care of the inner bit very quickly. I also buy varying sizes which helps. Not expensive in bulk.

Just to add, It never occurred to me about sensory issues and Sola's solution and preparation totally impressed me. Hope it goes well for Girl Sola.

[Jinger Jar]

I wash mine in the washing machine with towels. I have enough of a stash to only wash once per cycle. My favorite pads are Mimi's dream pads. They are constructed well and not as costly as others on the market.

Here is the link to her etsy store http://www.etsy.com/shop/MimisDream You can also do custom orders.

I'll second Mimi's Dreams pads. They're w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l.

I've been using cloth pads exclusively now since 2005, Mimi's dreams since 2007 or 2008, and I've never had a problem with heat or odors, either. I do wash them on their own, however, but I go through enough in one cycle to make a dedicated load out of 'em.

[bananacat]

I really wonder what kind of pads and underwear some of you are wearing. I have never felt wet or slimy from a pad. I have never felt it being too rough. I've never had it move around or give me a wedgie. I never heard or felt any crinkling. Even when I used to shave all my pubic hair, I simply never felt the pads there, except in the rare cases when I had to use the cheap ones from a public bathroom.

[treehugger]

I really wonder what kind of pads and underwear some of you are wearing. I have never felt wet or slimy from a pad. I have never felt it being too rough. I've never had it move around or give me a wedgie. I never heard or felt any crinkling. Even when I used to shave all my pubic hair, I simply never felt the pads there, except in the rare cases when I had to use the cheap ones from a public bathroom.

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:

[OkToBeTakei]

I really wonder what kind of pads and underwear some of you are wearing. I have never felt wet or slimy from a pad. I have never felt it being too rough. I've never had it move around or give me a wedgie. I never heard or felt any crinkling. Even when I used to shave all my pubic hair, I simply never felt the pads there, except in the rare cases when I had to use the cheap ones from a public bathroom.

Trust me. I have tried every single pad on the market, more especially in the last year due to health issues and need. Even the new super dooper feels like your skin one marketed a few weeks ago.

I think though you and I suffer the same problem or not. What you are used to. For you it is not an issue and you feel nothing. For me tampons feel like that. I suppose the best way to describe it is I want to feel like I do not have my period and tampons make me feel that way. Well except all the other shitty bits like pain :lol: For you pads do that.

[Minerva]

Trust me. I have tried every single pad on the market, more especially in the last year due to health issues and need. Even the new super dooper feels like your skin one marketed a few weeks ago.

I think though you and I suffer the same problem or not. What you are used to. For you it is not an issue and you feel nothing. For me tampons feel like that. I suppose the best way to describe it is I want to feel like I do not have my period and tampons make me feel that way. Well except all the other shitty bits like pain :lol: For you pads do that.

The bolded pretty much describes how I feel about periods. Every break from cramps I get, I want to just feel normal and don't want something sitting between my legs reminding me that the next cramp is coming soon. Some people can feel their tampon and/or string, but I never do. I think the issue with wetness is because I bleed so fast that the pad doesn't have time to absorb each drop of blood before the next one comes out, so there's a pool of blood sitting on top at any given time, waiting to be absorbed. Also blood clots. Those things are way too big to be sucked into the pores of the pad. They just sit there all clotty and gross until you change it. Speaking of public washroom pads, the ones I've had to use have always been thick as shit with little adhesive, but they've also been the softest and most absorbent things ever. Like straddling a big puffy cloud...

[bananacat]

I use pads almost exclusively and I usually forget that I even have my period. I frequently go to the bathroom and only remember when I look down and see the pad, then have to go back to the bathroom a second time to change it. I really don't feel it at all, ever.

[OkToBeTakei]

I use pads almost exclusively and I usually forget that I even have my period. I frequently go to the bathroom and only remember when I look down and see the pad, then have to go back to the bathroom a second time to change it. I really don't feel it at all, ever.

Lucky. I NEVER forget my periods lately. Nothing to do with what the hell I use to contain it :lol: Long may your forget happen. I remember those days fondly.

[salex]

Damn, I use tampons. I had no idea I was such a bad feminist. I find them more comfortable. I don't see why a woman can't just use whichever method she prefers without some sort of judgement.

I have had many experiences with men seeing my tampons. I am not ashamed, I am 25, I am supposed to bleed each month. Once, in high school, my bag fell and scattered my contents. A male friend in front of me started to help me gather everything, until he saw that tampon. He turned white and just stopped, frozen. Eventually, he sat up and turned to the front, while my friend and I cracked up. Another time, also in high school, I was at a Wawa (convenience store) and pulled a tampon (among other items) out to get to my wallet. I placed it on the counter and the cashier was mortified!

I was judged by a current female co-worker. She is open about her virginity and religious beliefs (I don't feel a need to share my sex life or lack of belief at work) but when she stopped by my cubicle to ask for a pad, I told her I had tampons she could have. She looked at me like I was crazy, said NO with a disgusted look on her face, and walked away. I actually felt dirty. It was so bizarre, lol.

My cousin (17) also saw a tampon of mine. She asked why I used them, since I am not married, and thus, she assumed I am a virgin. I knew my family was against pre-marital sex and think tampons take your virginity, but I assumed she had friends in school who used them and wouldn't be so shocked by it. It was odd to see her react with such concern over something so trivial.

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.

[RainbowSky]

My feeling the blood and trying to wear tight underwear is why I very rarely wear pads.

The feeling of blood gushing is just gross, to my sensory systems. Nothing to do with other people, either. It just totally grosses me out for the reasons pp said in her lovely long explanatory post.

[Sola]

TMI incoming.

Per the Tampon v Towel.

I just cannot stand the feeling of what feels like inadvertently weeing myself every time I stand up. I absolutely detest the slimey feeling in my pants with pad and no matter how absorbent a pad is some of it is still on your bits and I can totally feel that. I also hate when going to the loo and wiping, having to do it to the extent it hurts JUST to feel clean. So even if the pad is relatively unused. I still feel the urge to change it. Pads at night, sleep on your tummy well hike that thing forward. Turn on to your back. Hike it back. Lie on your side? May as well be wearing absorbent catch it all shorts. The only time I feel secure in a pad is when I am wearing tight fitting knickers and a pad that probably should go from my lower vertebrae to my tummy button. Which is not tempting. So I have issues with pads :lol:

I got my period at 12. My Mother gave me both options and a good selection. I lasted two months with pads. So it really probably is personal and what you are used to. I don't feel a tampon at all. Unless the string gets caught in the side elastic of your knickers..HOW annoying is that in public when all you want to do is reposition but putting your hands down your jacksy is not at that moment socially acceptable.

TSS was a warning I always took seriously but as others have said is very rare. Never heard of the UTI link and never suffered any. Sure taking one out can be a bit ouchy if dry. But it is momentary and not something I ever really thought about. If I ever got overly sore I would use a touch of vaseline on my outer bits and nature takes care of the inner bit very quickly. I also buy varying sizes which helps. Not expensive in bulk.

Just to add, It never occurred to me about sensory issues and Sola's solution and preparation totally impressed me. Hope it goes well for Girl Sola.

Its not going to be easy because she doesn't do change. She's also got a pretty strong tremor too which affects her fine motor skills so she needs the practice. Tampax or a mooncup aren't an option because she wouldn't be able to insert it herself and it isn't appropriate for me to insert it for her either. Not only that what would she do at school? Her LSA couldn't do it for her and there would be child protection issues. She also has bladder issues with reflux and frequently gets uti's. The best thing I can do is make soft pads which shouldn't chaffe her, won't irritate her sensory issues, don't have chemicals and plastics to promote uti's and then try and teach her how to change them herself. I tell you, menstruation in special needs girls is a minefield.

[lilith]

Its not going to be easy because she doesn't do change. She's also got a pretty strong tremor too which affects her fine motor skills so she needs the practice. Tampax or a mooncup aren't an option because she wouldn't be able to insert it herself and it isn't appropriate for me to insert it for her either. Not only that what would she do at school? Her LSA couldn't do it for her and there would be child protection issues. She also has bladder issues with reflux and frequently gets uti's. The best thing I can do is make soft pads which shouldn't chaffe her, won't irritate her sensory issues, don't have chemicals and plastics to promote uti's and then try and teach her how to change them herself. I tell you, menstruation in special needs girls is a minefield.

It sounds like you're being really proactive and caring, which is great. I'm sure most girls with those issues aren't so lucky.

If it does end up being a trauma that doesn't lessen with familiarity, there may be birth control options suitable for adolescents that suppress menstruation.

[julie paradox]

I use Always Ultra with wings (it's got WINGS!), and just recently they have added a New! Improved! Fragrance!

It smells horrible.

I am seriously considering changing loyalties (I've been with them since last century), it's that bad.

(Galaxy used to be my favourite chocolate, till they improved it.)

[Katiebug]

I got a free sample of Always Infinity, but my mom used it. I was dying to know whether it really absorbs as much as a maxi pad. I never liked the material that Always pads were coated with, though. Not soft enough.

As I'm now a month postpartum with my second child, I'm currently well-informed on the pros and cons of various pad brands. Always Infinity was my preferred option before I could safely switch to a liner. I tried them postpartum with our first when the baby was a couple of weeks old and liked them so much I didn't know why I'd been wrestling with Kotex pads before then, and they're the only pads I used this time.

They are thin, comfortable, and soft - way more soft than the older Always with Dri Weave (which I always found less-breathable and kind of plasticky). And they're VERY absorbent. The material is a little weird compared to normal pads, but I got used to it quickly.

[2xx1xy1JD]

I only used pads after miscarriages and childbirth.

Tampons don't bother me, and I'm evil enough to flush them. I used to work as a swim instructor and lifeguard, so they were a necessity. I don't like the way that pads feel. When my flow was particularly heavy when I was younger, I would sometimes use both, because that was the only way to avoid leaks during a long bus ride.

[singsingsing]

You can still get Always without fragrance. I hate the scented ones.

I guess I'm weird because I don't mind feeling like I'm on my period. I can see now how pads would seem gross/inconvenient to people who have been using tampons for a long time, though. Sometimes it really is all about what you're used to. I notice pads but at the same time I'm so used to them that I don't really notice them... know what I mean?

And I can't get over this feeling that the vagina is not meant to have something absorbent stuffed up it for hours upon hours at a time. It makes me nervous. I think it's like the folks who have sensory issues with pads. It just makes me uncomfortable, not physically but mentally.

[DistantStar]

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.

[Sola]

It sounds like you're being really proactive and caring, which is great. I'm sure most girls with those issues aren't so lucky.

If it does end up being a trauma that doesn't lessen with familiarity, there may be birth control options suitable for adolescents that suppress menstruation.

That's my thinking too. Plus birth control will protect her if she is taken advantage off. She's a great kid, but very naive and vulnerable. To her everybody is a friend and she sees no difference between someone well known to her and a stranger. Its pretty terrifying to be honest. She loves to please people but doesn't have the understanding that a person might hurt her.So at some point, we will be looking at birth control for her. I'd rather her be on it than not and someone take advantage of her and she end up pregnant.

[karismanic]

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.

[Hane]

I guess all this boils down to the fact that women's vadgical areas vary greatly in scope and design, no two menstrual flows are exactly alike, and we all have different levels of sensitivity.

I'm glad we have so many options nowadays!

[bananacat]

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.