You’ve just described my menstruation throughout my twenties and early thirties. In the last two or so years - I’m 36 - my cycle hasn’t been that reliably predictable. I’m kind of in this pre-perimenopausal state where I’m having slight disruptions in my cycle.
GladRags! I wanted to try the keeper, sent my check in and it came back to me “no such address.” I didn’t try again, and then found Gladrags at the store.
When I first started, there were no adhesive pads, it was belts or safety pins. Within a year or two, though, belts were a thing of the past. I’ve never been comfortable with tampons, though I’ve worn them. And in fact, I’ve never been comfortable with those super-thin pads–I find it impossible to believe they’re enough.
I don’t get this, either. My mom made the comment that cloth pads would be so much work and expense, because you’d always be using various laundry chemicals to take the stains out, and I said, “what??? They’re just stains, and it’s not like you use them for anything besides absorbing blood, and no one sees them but you, right?”
“Oh, it’s just gross,” she said.
???
I was going to make a sweeping generalization here about women “of a certain age” finding menstruation disgusting, but then I realized that I know more than a few women of my own age or younger who feel the same way. I’m not talking about the general ick factor of dealing with clots or similar, I’m talking about the women who were taught that menstruation is deeply unsanitary and repulsive. They feel it’s something shameful.
Which is not to say that your mother is like that, Bren_Cameron. She may just have a deep aversion to stained clothing. 
forgot to mention that there are instructions for making your own cotton menstrual pads in various places on the web. I found this site from a frugal living forum: linky link
My mom, who is almost 50, is grossed out by the idea of washable reusable pads. It sounds like a lot of work to me, but not really ooky.
I just wish back when I was about twelve that when they told us all about the wonders of puberty, they’d have mentioned how MESSY a period is. It surprised me the first time.
It’s not that much–some rinsing, and soaking. The hardest part is finding a place to soak that doesn’t ick out Mr. Cameron and that Paidhi Boy won’t find and pour out, or worse. But it’s just cold water for rinsing and soaking, and then they just go in the wash.
My mom doesn’t neccesarily find anything to do with menstruation gross and disgusting, she’s not that sort of person. She can talk about dissecting a human body while she’s eating steak and not turn a hair, I’ve known her to do it. But she’s got a sort of sanitary and sterile thing going. She worked in a microbiology lab for years, and she’s always been very concerned about germs. She treats her kitchen a lot like a lab, and everything gets hot water and bleach and/or that anti-germ stuff. She sees any sort of bodily fluid–saliva, urine, semen, milk, anything, as a potential transmitter of germs and disease. I think she sees stains as a sort of reminder that germs might have once been there, and their removal as a sign that she has defeated them.
Yes, I know, my family is weird. One thing I learned in life is that there’s no such thing as a normal family. Everyone’s family is weird, just in different ways.
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I just wish back when I was about twelve that when they told us all about the wonders of puberty, they’d have mentioned how MESSY a period is. It surprised me the first time. **
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My big shock was something that should have been obvious to me–that it would go on all night, too. I remember feeling somewhat distressed and sort of betrayed when I realized that I would have to go to bed with the pad on. And although I was expecting blood, I was surprised at just how much there was.
Has anyone tried the new Playtex Beyond tampon or the new OB Silk Ease?
I started off with pads but switched to tampons as soon as I discovered them. I’m now an OB lady, no doubt about it.
What is this “Instead” others have mentioned. I don’t recall running into it at the store. Is it similar to the Keeper?
ReverseCowgirl, I’ve tried the o.b. Silk Ease, and man, do I love them! The only thing I hated about using o.b. tampons was that if I removed one too soon, it was near impossible to insert a new one (applicators are tons easier in that regard for me, but no other tampon actually seems to ‘fit’ me, so I stick with o.b.). While it’s not completely effortless, the “silk” covering really helps the tampon slide right in. The only bad thing is that I’ve only seen them in regular absorbancy so far. 
I’ve never found an answer to this one, but I have noticed that if I change the tampon very frequently during the first few (heaviest) days of my period, I have substantially less cramping.
I use Playtex “gentle glide” and Playtex “slimfits,” both regular absobancy. I used to keep Kotex Security (regular absorbancy) on hand for heavy flow days–they never leaked. Now I have trouble finding them where I shop, so I have to deal with changing more frequently and wearing “period panties.” I’ve never worn a pad and a tampon at the same time, but my leakage problems seem to come from fluid running down the string rather than seeping around the tampon.
I’m a pads and tampons girl- I’ve got a very heavy flow for the first three days- out of seven. So I wear an Always dryweave thingy with wings, because I do actually leak more if I don’t have wings, and change the tampon once an hour. I get up at least once during the first and second nights, and I still sometimes leak.
It’s great being me. :rolleyes:
After the third day I can’t wear tampons comfortably, and change my pad about twice a day.
I’m going to try o.b. with applicator, since it’s been recommended so many times. I think I usually use tampax, and I do have cramping issues. I own a box of Instead, and have never worked up the courage to try them- and I’d have to empty the cup out every hour on the heavy days, which doesn’t sound like fun at work.
I’m a fan of the Stay-free ultra-thin. I hate tampons, just hate them, I just find the whole thing utterly uncomfortable. Alot of girls I’ve talked to give me the whole “Doesnt it feel like a diaper?” thing, and my simple answer is :No. I’ve benn wearing pads since I was 13 or so, and I’ve never had the problem of feeling bulky and diaperish. By the way, since this is an all girl little period chat, 8 days isnt normal is it?
I have never been able to wear tampons at night, but I usually wear them during the day (with a small pad for backup) for days two and three (the first 12-18 hours, as well as the last two days are light so I wear a pad instead). At night I wear Always Ultra-Thin long with wings (I’m very brand-loyal–all the other pads leak, and it’s annoying to have to check your bed every morning to make sure there are no splotches on the sheet(can’t led blood sit can we?)) Oh and for “demographics”: started at 12, didn’t wear a tampon until I was 17 (it was an emergency), didn’t start regularly using them til this year. More weirdness: does anyone have cramps on the first and second day, disappear on the third, and then come back on the fourth? Or have their post-period “surprise” occur on the seventh day?
Hmm, now I’ll have to try those applicatorless obs.
I used pad for my first period ever, and that’s it. That was enough. Tampons all the way. I used Instead (does everyone know what that is? It’s a flexible cup that fits around your cervix to catch the flow, very much like a diaphram) a few times many years ago, but I’ve recently had too many horrifying experiences with my diaphram to understand how I was capable of using them back then. I only recently went off the pill (possibly ttc soon, yay!) and this was my first encounter with the diaphram. I think I’ve used it a total of 4 times. Each time it took me no less than an hour to get the damn thing out. The horror, the horror. Yet, 5 years ago or so, I had no problems with Instead. And, when I was being fitted for the diaphram, my doctor left the room and had me remove it just to make sure I could, and I did it in about 5 seconds with no problem. WTF is wrong with me!?
Okay, I know this is a TMI thread, but whoa did I share some TMI!
Another non applicator OB person here. I hate pads. I started using tampons about a year after I started getting periods, and haven’t touched a pad since. I also ride horses, and riding and pads doesn’t work well.
When I started reading this thread, the first thing that jumped into my mind, was when I was eight, in school we watched a video and learned about getting our periods. And they tried to make it sound like this wonderful experience, and all the girls were excited. Except me. Apparently, I was already a little cynic, because I remember quite distinctly thinking, man, this sucks. Somewhere along the way, we got screwed.
Through this thread, I have learned that I luckily don’t have that heavy a flow (change every few hours, but leaking is very rare for me). Which is cool. But man, my cramps kill me. I never got them until I was 17, and now they are terrible. I know I’m starting when they hit. The first 3 days, I’ll be puking, doubled over in pain, and I’ve even blacked out a few times. Anyone else have them this bad?
Intent- I’ve had two friends who’ve had the Blacking Out cramps. One of them actually had to go to the ER every month due to the severe pain. Once, a friend of mine actually had to carry her in. Poor girl.
I’m a tampon all the way kind of girl. Hate pads. This Instead thing intrigues me - I remember reading about it in a magazine a few years ago and thinking “damn that’s cool,” but I hadn’t heard about it since until today.
Mine works as follows: Slight lower back pain a few hours before things start up. Heavyish flow for about a day and a half, then tapers down to nothing in about a day.
Here’s a maybe TMI question:
It hasn’t been brought up yet, but does anyone else get a lingering sort of brownish substance? I’ve always had this for about a day after the actual bleeding stops.
Actually, my last period was nothing BUT that brown sludge. VERY strange.
I have tried the keeper and then instead products. Maybe after using them for months you can get use to them but I thought they were uncomfortable and difficult to get in and out. I am a Playtex slimfit lady, until my period is closer to an end and then I just use pantyliners. I do have pads on hand and wear them occassionally if it is getting difficult to remove tampons and I don’t think it is safe to wear pantyliners yet.
Sometimes it is uncomfortable to insert tampons but I just keep a little KY liquid in my female goods drawer. If I am going to work out I have got to wear a tampon.
I have got to agree with some of the other opinions ~ pads, ick! feeling things get discharged and that damp feeling shudder
You, miss, are a saint. I tried the little plastic cup, but it was unuseable for me. Couldn’t insert it, it was messy, and the gag factor was off the charts.
I remember my grandmother telling me about the days of reuseable pads. That’s way more work than I want to put into the project.
I’m a Playtex girl, hate pads, and absolutely hate OB. Never broke a string.
Lilets applicator-free ones, Always pads at night (TSS scares me). I keep a selection of all the absorbancies around the place. I mean ALL the absorbancies, from the tiny, matchstick ones, to the huge super-plus ones. I have a “variable” period, one month it’s spotting, the next it’s gushing. I’m on the pill, when I’m not it’s much MUCH worse, 24 day cycles, 7 day incredibly heavy periods…not fun.
Whe I was in France I got some o.b tampons, they were amazing! Fit perfectly, nice coating, no leaks. Sadly, however, not available here. Lilets are narrower than their Tampax counterpart, seem to sit better and the strings on the Tampax are weird.
My cervix is in a weird place (retroverted uterus) and doesn’t seem to work well with applicator tampons.
I’ve organised it so my period comes over the weekend, which means I get to take as many painkillers as possible and lie on the sofa with a hot water bottle for 2 days every month. A lady deserves no less!
I always get the brown sludge and it’s the reason my periods last for a freakin’ week. A couple of days super heavy and crampy, stops completely for a day (I have no idea why), and then four days of what I call “run-off”. One of my most humiliating days ever was 7th grade when I wore a pair of light blue pants to class and had mistakenly assumed my period was over. Massive stains. I always wear panty shields for at least two or so days after the periods over just to be safe. (and wear only black)
I dunno how you non-applicator girls do it. Don’t you get blood on your hands? which would get under your nails and on your clothes? I don’t have any hang-ups about touching myself but my periods are so heavy there’s always blood everywhere. (literally, I was cleaning the bathroom the other day and noticed I’d somehow splashed some on the walls. UGH.)