# Ladies: periods and your skivvies \[tmi\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 12, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390 "2010-07-12T14:39:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/21 "2010-07-12T21:58:49Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I voted for “a couple times” - I’m on the pill continuously so I shouldn’t really be having periods, but sometimes they sneak up. Since I no longer have premenstrual cramping as a warning (hooray pill!), I may not realize anything is up until I get spotting. I don’t really have overflow; I’m on the DivaCup and my flow isn’t that huge typically. > > When I was a teenager, that was another matter. I swear a male cop might think someone was murdered on my bed after an occasional overnight overflow. :smack: I’m on the Pill continuously too, but about every 3 months I start spotting and getting some cramps and some days almost get period flow going but I pull an Adam Savage and defiantly yell ‘I reject your reality and substitute my own!’ while shaking my fist. Then at about the 5 or 6 month mark I give in. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/22 "2010-07-12T23:21:47Z")
I voted “almost every day.” The first thing I’m going to do when Flo is gone for good (I’m 51, fer cryin’ out loud! How much longer can this go on??!??) is toss all my "oops"ed undies (i.e., all of them) and buy new. Recently, I was caught by surprise sans Diva Cup while out of town and had to resort to tampons. After that ordeal, I love my Diva Cup more than ever. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/23 "2010-07-12T23:25:41Z")
As I’ve gotten, ahem, older, I’ve found that tampons just don’t position like they used to. Age, kids, I don’t know the reason. But I tried switching brands and have had reasonably good luck with Kotex tampons. For most of my life I used Tampax or Playtex. I cry when I read about you Diva Cup girls. I got one and was so excited. I tried and I tried and I couldn’t get it to stay in the right position. ☹ I so wanted to be a Diva. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/24 "2010-07-13T00:11:58Z")
I too, am part of the black panties brigade. I usually only have one or two spillovers per month, mostly while sleeping. I find hydrogen peroxide takes out blood stains really well, if it’s still damp. Less well if the blood is dry. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/25 "2010-07-13T02:43:07Z")
And here I thought I was the only one who had learned the black underwear trick. 🙂 > [@InterestedObserver](#): > > For me, I voted a few times but usually its only like once a period if that. > Once in a great while, I wake up with a big mess on my hands, which is SOOO annoying! Clothing, sheets, me, all laid to waste. :smack: Same here, word for word. I’m lucky I only have 3-4 periods a year, because I can’t sleep for the first 2 or 3 nights for fear I’m going to wake up like Jack Woltz in _The Godfather_. ---
**Author:** ![wwworldclique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bcef8e/32.png) [@wwworldclique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wwworldclique)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/26 "2010-07-13T04:14:01Z")
Accidents happen 3-4 times a month in spite of my best efforts. How they happen is always so retarded. I’ll wear both a pad and tampon at night, wake up in the morning, and discover a tiny leak that will have magically cleared the pad and hit the back of the panty. And we’re talking an overnight pad, too… not a rinky dinky tiny one. If the accident doesn’t happen that way, it occurs as I’m changing pads. That one really burns my butt because no matter how careful I am something stupid happens and _plop_– there goes a stain. ---
**Author:** ![Acantha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@Acantha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acantha)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/27 "2010-07-13T04:23:35Z")
The first 2 days I may as well just put towels down on the bed and wear a diaper. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/28 "2010-07-13T05:22:27Z")
> [@Acantha](#): > > The first 2 days I may as well just put towels down on the bed and wear a diaper. :rolleyes: I’m falling off my chair here, because I feel the same way. Some days I think I might just as well (or should that be mides well?) just take my book and my knitting and sit on the toilet. All day. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/29 "2010-07-13T15:55:15Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > I cry when I read about you Diva Cup girls. I got one and was so excited. I tried and I tried and I couldn’t get it to stay in the right position. ☹ I so wanted to be a Diva. Have you tried other brands? They come in different sizes. When I got a Diva Cup it was painful to wear because even the smallest size was way too big. So I got a Luna instead. I can’t say I’m 100% comfortable (I guess I must be freakishly small down there or something) but it works well enough. Right now I can’t feel it at all. So, go shopping. (So I’m not the only one whose pills tend to cop out on her? It’s like my body wants me to be bleeding and incapacitated with cramps at least every three months or so, and insist on getting its own way). ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/30 "2010-07-13T16:15:17Z")
I have black and/or red panties for that week. Really. I even call them my period panties. I have a fairly light flow and it’s very regulated but sometimes the stupid tampon leaks anyway, even inserted correctly. Seriously - sometimes you withdraw it and see that it has stopped absorbing or is only absorbing down one side and is thus useless. Grr. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/31 "2010-07-13T17:37:04Z")
I forgot to wear good period pants, ie. with good pockets. I work in a small office with 5 guys. Taking my purse in to the bathroom will be like announcing I’M BLEEDING FROM MY UTERUS ROAR FEAR ME FOR I AM FEMALE At least I dodged a bullet. The cleaners only come every 2 weeks. I thought I was on the week where they don’t come so I’d have to take out the bathroom trash on Friday and find a way to answer the question ‘Why are you taking out the nearly empty trash?’. BECAUSE YOU DON’T WANT IT IN THERE ROAR but they are coming this Friday. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/32 "2010-07-13T17:58:26Z")
So, now that all this is over and done for me, I finally learn about black panties. 😛 ---
**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 13, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/33 "2010-07-13T19:26:15Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > I forgot to wear good period pants, ie. with good pockets. I work in a small office with 5 guys. Taking my purse in to the bathroom will be like announcing I’M BLEEDING FROM MY UTERUS ROAR FEAR ME FOR I AM FEMALE > > At least I dodged a bullet. The cleaners only come every 2 weeks. I thought I was on the week where they don’t come so I’d have to take out the bathroom trash on Friday and find a way to answer the question ‘Why are you taking out the nearly empty trash?’. BECAUSE YOU DON’T WANT IT IN THERE ROAR but they are coming this Friday. Heh. I have a work cardigan that lives on my office chair, and it has nice long sleeves. I’ve occasionally slid a tampon up the wrist of the sleeve like some hack magician and high-tailed it to the bathroom. Period Ninjas, unite! ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/34 "2010-07-13T19:39:48Z")
That’s why god invented the tampon koozie, i.e. the wristlet. Looks like you might be going to powder your nose, or some other such that womenfolk do in the restroom. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/35 "2010-07-13T21:20:53Z")
I chose never, but the real answer is maybe once every couple of periods. It used to be more often, but the last few years have been better. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/36 "2010-07-13T21:36:25Z")
Well, I guess I grew up iggerant because I never thought to wear black panties back in the day! My mommy bought my underwear along with everything else. I had a couple pairs of big cotton granny panties, really disgusting looking, for the big monthly ordeal. Never had any luck scrubbing out the blood, so I threw away a lot of undies… Really, the amount of information or discussion about periods was - shh! - microscopic and my life would have been much improved had I had access to the intertubes. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/37 "2010-07-13T21:51:04Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Well, I guess I grew up iggerant because I never thought to wear black panties back in the day! My mommy bought my underwear along with everything else. I had a couple pairs of big cotton granny panties, really disgusting looking, for the big monthly ordeal. Never had any luck scrubbing out the blood, so I threw away a lot of undies… Really, the amount of information or discussion about periods was - shh! - microscopic and my life would have been much improved had I had access to the intertubes. If there’s not too much blood, I’ve had good luck with pretreating it with regular ALL detergent. And I’ve been given this new Shout pretreatment for stains and it’s been pretty good about just about everything so far (though I’m not sure if I’ve used it on period stains yet). ---
**Author:** ![Fastidiots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fastidiots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fastidiots)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/38 "2010-07-13T22:07:46Z")
Answering for **Fastidiess**. Never. Her period seems to stretch the space between lunch and supper. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/39 "2010-07-13T22:59:54Z")
It used to be a regular occurrence before I switched to the Diva Cup, now it’s maybe once per period, when periods actually happen. Yay, reproductive disorders. (Or, you know, not.) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390/40 "2010-07-14T04:48:18Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > I forgot to wear good period pants, ie. with good pockets. I work in a small office with 5 guys. Taking my purse in to the bathroom will be like announcing I’M BLEEDING FROM MY UTERUS ROAR FEAR ME FOR I AM FEMALE > > At least I dodged a bullet. The cleaners only come every 2 weeks. I thought I was on the week where they don’t come so I’d have to take out the bathroom trash on Friday and find a way to answer the question ‘Why are you taking out the nearly empty trash?’. BECAUSE YOU DON’T WANT IT IN THERE ROAR but they are coming this Friday. Oh, I have tucked a tampon into my waistband, too, and made it to the bathroom that way. It’s only a short walk! Just keep a hand on it and if anyone asks, why your side hurts! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-periods-and-your-skivvies-tmi/546390.md?page=3)