# Do women wear pads and tampons all the time, or only during menstruation, or what? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2021, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996 "2021-07-21T19:23:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/61 "2021-07-26T22:58:57Z")
In the late 1970s, our school’s machine dispensed pads with short belts, and two safety pins. We joked about what would happen if we got a joint out of it, and sure enough, that happened on “DeGrassi Junior High.” ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/62 "2021-07-26T23:00:47Z")
Mine didn’t, although I did have a babysitter who told that you could get pregnant from them, and I’m pretty sure she didn’t think she was kidding. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/63 "2021-07-26T23:06:24Z")
I do think a “Possibly NSFW” or similar warning is fine for that post. That said, they do have special nasal tampons that are used for severe nosebleeds, or after some nasal procedures. The first time I saw a person walk up to the pharmacy counter with a string taped to their cheek and a stack of prescriptions from the nearby ER was pretty weird. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/64 "2021-07-27T04:17:27Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > “The Talk” about sex or telling your daughter about menstrual cycles? > > You (general “you”) can ignore telling her about menstrual cycles but she WILL find out so not sure why anyone wouldn’t clue her in about that. A female friend of mine, who grew up in Ireland in the 1970s, learned about _none_ of that from her parents. Her mother (who was, by all accounts, kind of nuts) refused to deal with the fact that she had a daughter who was growing up, because that meant, by extension, that she (the mom) was getting old, and she was in denial about that. So, one of her coping mechanisms was simply not ever bringing up any discussion about female anatomy or sex with her daughter. (And, her father apparently felt that these were topics best left to women.) Thus, my friend had to learn about sex, menstruation, etc. from her female friends and teachers, and was completely unprepared when she had her first period. ---
**Author:** ![Tammy1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tammy1/32/8534_2.png) [@Tammy1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tammy1)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/65 "2021-07-27T12:50:06Z")
Not all the time! But yes during and around those 4-5 days so just an average of 6-7 days. Hope it helps! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/66 "2021-07-27T12:55:48Z")
No one warned my MIL about menstruation. She said that she saw the blood and thought she was going to die. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/67 "2021-07-27T14:19:35Z")
Sounds like there were way too many Carrie moments out there in the world! My friend’s mom was like that. She loved my mom! My mom was almost embarrassing in her fount of information. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/68 "2021-07-27T17:54:00Z")
Continuing the hijack, yet another voice to the chorus: didn’t know why I was bleeding (yup, thought I was dying) and yes, was forbidden from tampons even though I was taking ballet lessons 3-5x week. (Leotards + maxi pads = yeeeeeeesh.) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/69 "2021-07-28T00:14:44Z")
Coincidentally, my MIL was a professional ballet dancer, and must have been taking regular lessons by then. Wow. I learned about menstruation both from my public school and from the girl scouts, and my parents left medically explicit reading material lying around where their kids could find it, even if they were too embarrassed to talk to me directly. So when I got my first period, I knew what was happening, and told my mom. She had purchased a box of junior tampons in preparation, and she handed them to me and then stood outside the bathroom while I read the instructions in case I had questions. I’m really glad I didn’t start with pads. They have their place, but they are really gross when the flow is heavy. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/70 "2021-07-28T00:32:43Z")
I learned about menstruation ca. 1958 from a booklet produced by the Kotex company that my mother gave me. It was so full of euphemisms that it was only marginally informative. I found out about sexual intercourse from the encyclopedia. **That** was a shock. 😱 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/71 "2021-07-28T00:37:50Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > and my parents left medically explicit reading material lying around where their kids could find it, even if they were too embarrassed to talk to me directly. My mom also relied on my known tendency to read anything and everything that I could get my hands on. I think the booklet was called “Now that you’re growing older: For boys”, and its mere presence in the house was a guarantee that I’d end up reading it. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/72 "2021-07-28T00:44:53Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I found out about sexual intercourse from the encyclopedia. **That** was a shock. !! I bet !! I found out about sexual intercourse from a large number of small animals, both in my elementary school classroom and our pets. I’d seen a LOT of animals copulating before I learned anything about people doing it, but… it was a pretty obvious extension of what I knew from observation. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/73 "2021-07-28T01:29:38Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I think the booklet was called “Now that you’re growing older: For boys” My booklet was called “You’re a Young Lady Now.” [Here it is for sale at Etsy - $12.99](https://www.etsy.com/listing/773196159/kotex-1952-book-tampon-and-pads-youre-a). There are some shots of the interior pages if you want to read verbiage that conveys biological information without any mention of sex. (I still have my copy of the booklet.) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/74 "2021-07-28T12:17:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > My mom also relied on my known tendency to read anything and everything that I could get my hands on. I had a similar experience. My mom returned from the library one day with a stack of books that she had checked out for me. They were graphic, complete with drawings and photographs. I remember assuming she hadn’t looked at them, merely asked the librarian for them. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/75 "2021-07-28T19:02:38Z")
My mom bought me a book, in the 90s, called “Period”. I read it, and was pretty disgusted by it. I was especially disgusted by the emphasis put on belts for pads. I was a very active kid - how was I going to go around with this damn belt on?! Turns out the book was written in the '70s and not updated for modern feminine hygiene. Whew. I stashed the book and the pamphlets my doctor gave me in the bottom drawer of my dresser. I still have that dresser and I’m pretty sure the book is still there, 30 years later. (I just checked. It is.) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/76 "2021-07-30T02:36:55Z")
I was a teen in the 70s. I used tampons. Pads had aggressive strips. I think your could still buy the ones with belts then, but i never saw anyone use one. Until i had a baby. I bled an inordinate amount after giving birth. And the hospital gave me a belt and giant pads. That didn’t come close to containing the mess, though. I was very happy someone else was responsible for cleaning those sheets. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/77 "2021-07-30T02:43:13Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > …Pads had aggressive strips… You probably meant “adhesive” – otherwise, that could get **real** scary. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/78 "2021-07-30T03:07:21Z")
I did. I was on my phone, and i swype, and that was just an unfortunate guess on its part. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/79 "2021-07-30T03:11:49Z")
Belts disappeared very quickly - when I began to menstruate, I had to use pads with a belt. My sister is just three years younger than me , and I had to explain how to use the belt when my nephew was born since she had never even seen one. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996/80 "2021-07-30T03:16:59Z")
Actually, that adhesive can get pretty aggressive at latching on to skin, hair, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-wear-pads-and-tampons-all-the-time-or-only-during-menstruation-or-what/946996.md?page=5)