Female dopers: Pros & cons of pads vs. tampons?

[js_africanus]

Last night before going to bed I saw an ad for some brand of winged maxi-pad. The advertisement was selling its ability to stay in place. Which got me wondering, why not just use a tampon? Obviously there must be good reasons for choosing pads over tampons, but having no experience with this sort of thing, I have no idea what sort of factors and preferences go into making the choice. So, if you don't mind, what reasons are there for choosing one vs. the other?

[Kalhoun]

I have no clue why a woman would use pads. In thirty-three years, I may have used one twice. They suck.

[AngelicGemma]

Pads are just gross! I have NO idea why ANY woman would use them. TAMPONS 4 EVA! LMAO

[tanookie]

Every tampon I have ever tried has been uncomfortable or has leaked. I'll stick with pads myself.

[Indygrrl]

No pads. I can't imagine sitting around in my own filth all day.

Although, if you have a baby or surgery on your female parts you must use pads because tampons could cause an infection.

[Hello Again]

There was a recent thread on "feminine hygeine" product choice and quite a few posters use pads mainly or all the time. Some of the reasons I can think of personally and recall from that thread:
-When you put them in right, tampons are easier to forget about... leads to leaving them in too long and "accidents."
-On the flip side, it's hard for some people to get them to "sit right" so you constantly feel them.
-Some started using pads during Toxic Shock Syndrome scare... never stopped.
-Some found tampons were not absorbent enough for overnights or heavy flow days... ended up using pads in addition, got sick of buying 2 products.

Kalhoun a lot has changed in 33 years. I [heart] Always Ultra-thin w/ Wings.

[Lamia]

I cannot use tampons.

I don't mean I prefer not to use them, mean I physically cannot.

My pelvic exams ain't real fun either.

[Contrary]

I hated, hated, hated using pads after my sons were born.

Why on earth anyone would choose to wear a blood diaper is beyond me.

Then again, I've never had problems with tampons, unless my flow is crazy. But that would be even worse with pads, IMO.

[Eats_Crayons]

Also, some women are much more prone to "toxic shock syndrome." A girl in my univeristy residence was one.

Tanookie that's odd. Most women can't feel a tampon that is properly in place and leakage can be controlled by trial and error -- you need to find the most appropriate absorbancy for your flow. Then again, we all come in different shapes and sizes, so perhaps there just isn't a design that accomodatesyour body.

I had bad luck at first with uncomfortable tampons and leaky ones, but then sorted things out after I read a bit about 'em.

Now I'll never go back. I can not stand pads. Yuck! It's like sitting with a dirty diaper all day. Never again!

[GingerOfTheNorth]

I have never liked the idea of walking around with a wad of cotton stuffed up between my legs. Add to that the blood and whatnots that come out of my uterus, and it makes me shudder. I have mostly used pads for the past 19 years, using tampons only when I was going swimming.

Then, about five years ago, I developed a nice little allergy - not one you want too ever experience. I can now only use one product (that I have found), and I have to import it from Canada. Stayfree Prima.

[Fretful Porpentine]

You know, I had assumed up to this very minute that pads (which I haven't bought since 1994) were cheaper, but browsing through the products at drugstore.com, this doesn't seem to be the case.

Tampons are great, but it takes a certain amount of courage to try them for the first time, especially since most teenaged girls in our culture receive minimal information and lots of scare stories about such matters. Also, there's a certain adjustment period involved; the first time is going to be uncomfortable. I'd guess that most women who use pads are either afraid to try tampons, or tried them once or twice and didn't like them.

[Eva Luna]

I generally use tampons, but have had to use pads on certain occasions while treating gynecological problems (due to topical medication and/or postsurgical infection risk).

[Geobabe]

I find tampons to frequently be uncomfortable, plus my periods tend to be very light these days, which leads to the problem of insufficient flow to get the thing properly wet, so taking it out is REALLY uncomfortable. *shudder* I don't get grossed out by my own flow, so using pads really doesn't bother me.

[tanookie]

I just found them awkward and uncomfortable - no matter what brand I tried. I also have horribly irregular cycles and my flow reflects this. If I get a perion two weeks after my last one it is pretty light and then the tampons are painful to take out. If I go six months between periods they don't make one absorbant enough and I'm changing them quite often and when they come out I tend to get clumps that fall out with them and not necessarily neatly and well aimed. Pads just work better for me.

[chickengrrl]

For those who find tampons uncomfortable--you may have a short 'canal'. If I use Tampax they are longer and they either feel odd or they try to sneak out when I use the potty. I use OB and although inserting them without an applicator takes a bit of practice, they are shorter and more comfortable. I think they also can be bought with an applicator, as well, for those who prefer.

I started using tampons at 17 and never went back--I can't stand having all that yuck on me.

[js_africanus]

Originally posted by tanookie
...is pretty light and then the tampons are painful to take out.
Um...they're painful to take out because they're not lubricated, but going in ain't as bad because they have a nice smooth applicator thingie? Is that an accurate guess?

[tanookie]

That's part of it... also when they come out they are larger than when they went in.

[Kalhoun]

The opposite of men, eh Tanookie? Heh.

[js_africanus]

Originally posted by Kalhoun
The opposite of men, eh Tanookie? Heh.

And a tampon probably lasts longer than 20 seconds....

[tanookie]

:)

[rockle]

I only use pads. Always have. Shortly before I got my 1st period I was volunteering at a hospital and I saw a woman with toxic shock syndrome. Not pretty. Never even CONSIDERED tampons after that.

[ErinPuff]

Pads are gross, IMHO. I only use them as backup for tampons and at night.

[Dolores Reborn]

I don't need anything anymore, since I got a Depo-Provera shot. As a teenager I used Tampax almost exclusively, until I was about 30, I guess. Then they started getting uncomfortable. They would always slip out a little bit. I could never get them up high enough. I also had the uncomfortable feeling of pulling out a dry one too often. Insertion isn't fun when you've just pulled out a dry one, but you know you're not done yet. (TMI warning: I have been known to lubricate the tip with spit!)

Pads are gross, too, but a little easier on the body. No period is the way to go!

[Particlezen]

Tampons, definately. Using pads is like....wetting yourself all day long.

But to be honest, these days I don't even bother having periods, which is easy if you are on the pill or contraceptive injection.

Why would any woman choose to have a period when it is possible not to ? ( your preference for not ingesting artificial hormones excepted )

[ruadh]

I've used several different types of pills and always still had a period. Not a particularly heavy one, but I still have one.

And yeah, it's tampons all the way.

[tanookie]

Right now I don't have my period because I am pregnant.

Under normal circumstances the medications I take for my kidney problems react badly with hormone therapies. I also have high blood pressure and cholesterol so the stroke risk from hormonal birth control is more than I am comfortable with.

So I will continue to have periods until I hit menopause and I will continue to use pads. They are easier for me.

[Particlezen]

Originally posted by ruadh
I've used several different types of pills and always still had a period. Not a particularly heavy one, but I still have one.

And yeah, it's tampons all the way.

I just don't bother with the 7 day break. It's called "tri-cycling", in theory you only do it for three months because you tend to get spotting, but if you are on a combined pill, you can manage about 6 without that happening, as long as you don't forget to take any. I was told by my Dr that this is fine, since the only reason for 7 day breaks was that when the pill was designed, it was assumed that women would preffer to be "natural" and actually have periods. Men, eh?
You only bleed because of a fall in hormone levels.

[Indygrrl]

Originally posted by rockle
I only use pads. Always have. Shortly before I got my 1st period I was volunteering at a hospital and I saw a woman with toxic shock syndrome. Not pretty. Never even CONSIDERED tampons after that.

Don't you get toxic shock when the tampon has been in for a long time? Most women aren't leaving them in for 12 hours, I'd hope.

If you're wearing them for 2-4 hours, I'd imagine the risk would be very low. I've never actually known anyone to get TSS.

[Hello Again]

Well, the considered wisdom when I was but a wee menstruating lass (in the 80s) was that anything over 8 hours was dangerous, which could preclude leaving them in overnight, depending on how much sleep you got.

[Fretful Porpentine]

Why would any woman choose to have a period when it is possible not to ? ( your preference for not ingesting artificial hormones excepted )

Well, besides the fact that I prefer not to ingest artificial hormones, I'd be terrified of getting pregnant and not knowing about it for months. (Yeah, I know, but no birth control is perfect.) Besides, unless you are cursed with severe cramps or PMS, it's basically a non-issue one way or the other.

[dangermom]

I can always feel tampons, and they aren't very comfortable. I'll use them if I want to go swimming or something, but otherwise I stick with pads. (I developed an allergy to Always brand >sob< and now have to use Stayfree).

'Course, it's been a year since my last period. Probably won't have another one for 6 months or so. Babies are useful that way. :)

[Guinastasia]

I hate pads, but even with the convenience of tampons, I have several problems:

-Taking out a dry one and then trying to put another one in. HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, does that ever HURT!!! :eek:

-They're a pain to change in public restrooms, because um, sometimes, you have to um, fish them out. And then it's very messy and I don't want to leave the stall...

-For my first few days, a tampon isn't enough, I have to use a tampon AND a pad, and what's the point then?

So, I'd rather deal with pads than have to deal with tampons. Sometimes I do, but only on my light days and even then, when it gets dry.....OWIE!!!

[Geobabe]

Originally posted by js_africanus
Um...they're painful to take out because they're not lubricated, but going in ain't as bad because they have a nice smooth applicator thingie? Is that an accurate guess? Sometimes if one's flow is too light to have saturated the tampon, it can get stuck to the inside of the vagina. Yes, it's as unpleasant as you imagine.

[elfkin477]

If I'm going to be out all day or at work, I use pads the first day of my period, which is inevitably the heaviest. I can go two or three hours or so between potty breaks if I have a pad (which is important when you work on the other side of the building as the bathroom, and get frowned at for leaving to use it between breaks. No one gets written up, but it's just no fun to be stared at, you know?)but by between the time of one break and the next, a tampon just isn't as absorbent as I'd like, even with a mini pad to back it up. I really hate them, though.

Particlezen one reason is that some of us have extensive family histories of cancer(breast and reproductive types in my family), and feel that the convience of not having to deal with a period is outweighed by the threat of following several female relatives to an early grave. My maternal aunt is the only female older than me on mom's side for the past 3-4 generations to have not gotten any type of cancer yet- mom and my great-aunt are the only ones to live through cancer, too. As nice as it might be to free of periods, artifical hormones are on the list of things I think I'd do well to avoid.

[insomnia4AM]

I have not found a tampon that I can wear comfortably. I also haven't tried some of the newer ones, like the Tampax Pearl, or the OB with applicator. As much as a pad can feel horrid, I find for myself that it's easier. There are leaks, but I can live with that. As for walking around having all that nastiness stuck up against you, I guess I never really thought about it. It always seemed like the natural thing for me to do, no matter how nasty the flow might get. That was how I was "taught", and when the tampon subject came up, mom kind of just gave me a box, and said if I found them to be effective, then go for it, but she was a pad lady, and I kinda followed her lead. Maybe now that I am older, tampons might not be so scary, or uncomfy, but I have yet to take that step.

[Blonde]

First of all, I can't believe I've avoided this thread all day (hey, I was at work!)

Pads, never tampons. The whole Toxic Shock Syndrome from way back just freaks me out -- and there are mutiple pad options out there (too many, in fact). I could only use tampons on the first/last days anyway, and only with pads...

Menopause comes at what age? I can't wait.

[ruadh]

Originally posted by Indygrrl
Don't you get toxic shock when the tampon has been in for a long time?

TSS is caused by a staph bacteria and all that tampons do is provide a growth surface for it. If you are not exposed to the bacteria, it doesn't matter how long you leave the tampon in, you won't get TSS. And if you are exposed you can get TSS even if the tampon's only been in for a short time. And it isn't just tampons you can get it from. When I was in high school a (male) friend of mine got it from an infection around his ear ring.

Laurie Garrett's book The Coming Plague has a very interesting chapter on TSS. As I recall, the exposure initially causes mild flu-like symptoms. These pass harmlessly but the bacteria lie dormant until your next period when the combination of the vaginal environment and your already weakened immune system puts you at risk of TSS. Tampons simply increase that risk by giving the bacteria a place to grow. So, if you feel like you're getting the flu the next time you get your period, you might want to forego the tampons for a couple months.

The book was written about a decade ago and I hope if there's any new information someone will correct me ...

[Shirley Ujest]

I haven't used pads or tampons in three years.

I am hardly menopausal.

I use a menstrual cup. (www.thekeeper.com)

It ain't for the faint of heart for those who think that your uterus sloughing off it's layers every month is disgusting. It's benefits, to me, faaaaaaaaaar outweigh the ickyness involved.

And I get to screw the tampon mafia, which is always fun.

[Shirley Ujest]

Ahem (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=14198&highlight=Menstrual+%2Acup%2A)

One of my most successful threads to date.

[Essured]

I'm a tampon girl (when I'm bleeding, I'm currently taking the pill through and only breaking for a period every six months).

I hate pads with a vengeance. They make me feel like I have to "notice" I'm menstruating all the time, because I'm always feeling them, getting annoyed by them, etc. I just find pads amazingly uncomfortable.

I have always liked tampons. I have a very light flow, and only need to pop one in in the morning and take it out before bedtime, and I'm fine. Never leaked, never had any pain when removing (even when removing an hours after inserting and only the tip is bloody). They just appear to suit my body really well.

I am planning on looking into the Keeper one day soon, though, as I like the recyclable aspect of them.

[Queen Tonya]

I switch back and forth. Sleeping/awake, working/at home, light/heavy, crampy/non-crampy....it's not an aversion to either plugs or pillows, just whichever works more appropriately at the moment.

Depo-provera does rock, I miss not bleeding at all. After almost 5 years of glorious depo usage, my ob/gyn left my area, I'm now unable to get my new office to accomodate my work schedule at all. One of the bad things about being an factory worker is that no, we can't simply just negotiate a long lunch or short afternoon or whatever, and the ob's office hours are within my work hours so I'm hit. Sheesh, it was like going thru puberty all over again, I'd forgotten how very much all this sucked!

[Lissla Lissar]

I use both, but mostly pads, because for the first two days I bleed enormously, and for the last five (yes, five. Sigh) my flow's really light and it's uncomfortable to take the tampons out. So I only use tampons for the first day or so to cut down on how often I have to go to the bathroom. The medium-flow ones only last about an hour, and I have problems with heavier ones.

I never thought of menstruation as particularly disgusting, or of blood as "filth".

[Sivalensis]

I used pads all through high school. Tried to use tampons, but frankly, I couldn't figure out how to get one in until after I lost my virginity in college. Since then, it's all tampons. Every once in a while I use a pad, if I'm feeling weird or something (I never really knew what the symptoms of TSS were, but I've left the thing in for up to 10 or 12 hours before without a problem), and I hate them.

First of all, my flow isn't all that heavy, so I go for a while without changing them. Sometimes they rip. They feel like a football in my pants. It's very uncomfortable to sleep with them...whenever I wake up I'm paranoid that I've bloodied the sheets, and I frequently got stains on my underpants. None of that since I've used tampons.

I sometimes have a problem with dryness, which is why I don't use the cardboard applicators (as much as I hate to use the unrecyclable stuff). I use kotex regular and it works perfectly for me most of the time, though occasionally it'll sit funny.

[Celyn]

Well, tampons are a LOT easier to carry around, for one thing. The no-applicator type allow for easy carrying of a small supply in a small handbag, unlike pads.

[TeaRoses]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who sticks with pads. I used a tampon once for swimming (as a teen) and found it very uncomfortable.

Now that I've pelvic exams, sex, a baby, etc. it would probably be fine but I just don't have that many complaints about pads.

[stringy]

I can't use tampons, for physical reasons.

Never really had a problem using pads, except for the two occasions (in over 10 years) when I wanted to go swimming and couldn't.

[Sappho]

I've tried cycling packs of pills together to avoid periods, but I always end up with sore breasts, bloating, cramps during the time when I should be having my period, and the next time I cycle the packs together I get my period regardless or rather such heavy spotting that I might as well have. Is this something that would get better with time?

Another possible reason for preferring pads would be that if I get large clots with a tampon, I get really nasty cramps until I take it out.

[brachyrhynchos]

I started using pads when you had to use a belt to secure them. These were truly torture devices as the pads slipped all over the place, sometimes ending halfway up your back, with the buckle rubbing you raw. Bleech!

Then they came out with the sticky strips to attach them directly to your underpants. A big improvement, but I would still occasionally try tampons. Never found one that felt comfortable enough, and when TSS came to light, I stopped trying. I'm now just biding my time for when I won't have to buy feminine insanitary products.

[AngelicGemma]

Originally posted by brachyrhynchos
I started using pads when you had to use a belt to secure them.

A BELT?! LMAO

[Morelin]

Originally posted by Indygrrl

If you're wearing them for 2-4 hours, I'd imagine the risk would be very low. I've never actually known anyone to get TSS.

If I was chinging a tampon every 2-4 hours half of them would be dry when I took them out. I simply don't bleed enough for a tampon to be a viable option.

[brachyrhynchos]

AngelicGemma yep, a sanitary garter belt. The pads had long extensions on either end that you threaded through a front and rear clasp on the belt. They were about as stable as they sound (not). I know I can't be the only doper who wore those darn things (but there weren't that many options back in the Pleistocene). :)

At least I didn't have to wash my pads like my mom did when she was young. Yuck. When she came to the states on the Queen Mary, her mom made a bunch of pads for her and told her to take care of them. Rather than wash them, mom just tossed them out the porthole. The first dispoable pads!

[js_africanus]

Originally posted by Lissla Lissar
I never thought of menstruation as particularly disgusting, or of blood as "filth".
I s'pose that if you were bleeding from any other place we wouldn't think anything of it, would we? Hmm. Gotta love those Old Testament values, eh?

[tanookie]

I just realized I've been playing this particular game for almost 20 years now! I don't think of it as particularly disgusting either... it's just something that is part of me. This is the same blood that nourishes the munchkins when I'm pregnant so it can't be all bad.

The only thing that really annoys me about the whole process is the unpredictability of my cycle. Could be 2 weeks ... could be 6 months.

[ouisey]

I had to use pads at first because my mother refused to let me use tampons..she said I would lose my virginity.:rolleyes:

So I sneakily bought tampons. The first tampon I put in, was very, horribly uncomfortable. Then I read the instructions and realized that the applicator was not meant to stay in my vagina.

[Celyn]

Oh, no! [b]ouuisey! Very sad! I bet that was very uncomfortable.

:(

[amarinth]

Originally posted by js_africanus
I s'pose that if you were bleeding from any other place we wouldn't think anything of it, would we? Hmm. Gotta love those Old Testament values, eh? Um, no.

Having blood and blood clots and tissue drip from any other part of my body for four days straight would also be icky. If when next I skinned my knee, it oozed for 96 hours, I'd think "yuck." Dripping, clotty blood is kind of gross no matter where it comes from.

And mostly tampons, occasionally pads.

[js_africanus]

Originally posted by amarinth
If when next I skinned my knee, it oozed for 96 hours, I'd think "yuck."
Oh, I agree with that! I was thinking of something more "unclean" than "yuck". People can talk about poo, puss, & blood without too much problem, but if a tampon commercial even comes on the air they hide their eyes and say things like, "Is nothing sacred?!"

[Angua]

Tampons are just far more convenient for me at the moment, and more comfortable. When I was younger my mum also gave me the "tampons are only meant for women who've had sex" line, and I waited till I was in university before trying them. Now, I keep a supply of pads for those really heavy days, but its tampons all the way.

[Miss Magic8ball]

I've had my priod since christmas of grade six... almost 5 years. I was 11, so the thought of tampons Never came into my head. Which sucked, because I have this thing where EVERYTHING I wear on my bum goes UP my bum. I knwo you don't wear pads on your bum, but thats where they go, on me. So, finally in Grade 8, I was at school and I didn't have a pad and I desperatly needed one. My freind handed me a tampon> Seeing no other choice, I used it. And I cannot remember one other time since then That I have used a pad.

Tampons, for me, are a blessing. Especially since When i was wearing pads, they would leak through REALLY bad and cover all of my bum with blood, wheraes when tampons leak, you can tell that they're leaking and avert disaster.

[sleepytimebaby]

Tampons during the day, pads at night. Toxic Shock is extremely rare.