Tampons Suck

[RedFury]

I knew I shouldn’t have clicked on this thread.

Dolt! :smack:

FWLIW I don’t like tampons either…nor any other impediment for that matter.

[Harmonious_Discord]

Tampons and suck should never be together, especially in a thread title. No, I did not read the rest of the thread, and I won’t be back now that I commented.

[Green_Cymbeline]

Another advocate for menstrual cups. I use the MoonCup. It is wonderful. You only have to empty/reinsert once a day, and I have never ever had a leak, even while sleeping. I save a ton on tampons/pads. I really don’t understand why more women don’t use menstrual cups*, other than the fact that they’re not sold in most stores (most people order theirs online). With my cup, I feel so clean and I forget I am even on my period.

*except for the rare few for whom they hurt, but for most women they are more comfortable than tampons or pads.

[myskepticsight]

@Projammer

Somehow I knew coming in here that the TMI/post ratio would be far too high.

And yet here I am. There has to be a name for that syndrome. You know the one. You know you’re really not going to want to see something but you still don’t look away.

It’s like a car accident. You want to look, but you really don’t in case you see some hysterical, bloody, injured, frightened person or maybe even someone dead. So you sort of look then turn away if you feel you might see something bad.

Oh, and Capcha, uhhh…that joke made my stomach turn a bit.

[susan_foster]

The smell of pads makes me gag. Something about the powder-y smell.

Susan

[Merneith]

I’d much prefer to try those birth control pills that promise you only one period a year or something, but they’re too expensive.

You might try the depo shot. I don’t know how it compares price-wise. Some women like depo - some don’t. But if it works out, the relief of being period-less is priceless. I’d never go back to the monthly grind. I would be willing to try the different pills but I’m happy on the shot at the moment.

I’ve always hated tampons too. I thought it was just me doing it wrong.

[Freudian_Slit]

@Merneith

You might try the depo shot. I don’t know how it compares price-wise. Some women like depo - some don’t. But if it works out, the relief of being period-less is priceless. I’d never go back to the monthly grind. I would be willing to try the different pills but I’m happy on the shot at the moment.

I’ve heard the side effects can be bad–and they last a while since you can’t stop taking them the way you can with pills.

[fisha]

You forgot tongues and popsicles.

[MsRobyn]

I have no issues with tampons, but I will never buy Kotex again. The wrappers fall apart in my purse and the tampons end up coming out of the applicators. I don’t have that problem with other brands.

Robin

[Queen_Tonya]

Depo worked great for me, but I had issues with scheduling an appointment for the shot every 12 weeks. Didn’t want to try going back on the less-period pill, it works well for me too, but not so good at remembering it at the same time every day and not a fan of the monthly co-pay.

I went all in with the Mirena IUD, one co-pay and no periods. I gained twenty pounds and sometimes get a weird twingy cramp, but threads like this remind me of why these are acceptable side effects for me.

[CateAyo]

@pbbth

If you do that you had better have perfect aim because otherwise the tampon could end up in your bum, and tampons are #3 on the list of things that shouldn’t go in your bum.

Behind #1 Sharks and #2 Alaska?

[Fear_Itself]

@Daithi Lacha

-cider
-very small rocks
-churches

-bees
-starfish
-pine cones
-scissors
-cactuses

[Antigen]

@Merneith

You might try the depo shot. I don’t know how it compares price-wise. Some women like depo - some don’t. But if it works out, the relief of being period-less is priceless. I’d never go back to the monthly grind. I would be willing to try the different pills but I’m happy on the shot at the moment.

I would love to try it, but I’m scared off it by what happened to my mother. She had very heavy bleeding for a long time, and the doc gave her a Depo shot in hopes of stopping her periods for a while and giving her some relief. IT did the opposite - she was bleeding nonstop for two months, and it got to be nearly hemorrhaging by the end of that period, That’s when they did the emergency hysterectomy.

So I’m a little scared of anything irreversible. I know it works for TONS of people, but just in case it’s something genetic… I’m staying away.

[kushiel]

@Antigen

I dunno about all of you ladies, but for me there ain’t no such place. I’m sensitive as hell pretty much all the way up, Tampons don’t quite hurt, but I feel them. But then again, I’m a woman who leaves the gyno’s office almost in tears after every Pap test because it hurts so bad.

Tampons are uncomfortable. Pads slightly less so. I’d much prefer to try those birth control pills that promise you only one period a year or something, but they’re too expensive.

Hey, hey, you don’t need the fancy pills. You can skip on the normal pills - just skip the placebo week and open up a new pack. Of course, it’s best to discuss this with your doctor - it’s probably not a good thing if you have PCOS and such - but I’ve been doing it for years with my doctor’s consent.

[BaneSidhe]

@Antigen

I dunno about all of you ladies, but for me there ain’t no such place. I’m sensitive as hell pretty much all the way up, Tampons don’t quite hurt, but I feel them. But then again, I’m a woman who leaves the gyno’s office almost in tears after every Pap test because it hurts so bad.

You are not alone here. My poor gyno and I are usually both near tears by the end of my yearly exam because she’s such a sweetie and tries really hard not to do anything that hurts. I think part of my problem is the way I’m put together plus being molested as a kid. Anatomy might be more of why I’m such a mess afterwards and can’t use tampons.

[Savannah]

I swear, I thought I was the only woman in the western hemisphere who didn’t use tampons. I’ve tried a time or three, but they always felt wrong, and one time I think I left the applicator in :eek: I have thought of it as one of those things that you either effortlessly achieve in high school, like good hair or flirting skills, or didn’t. I didn’t achieve tamponease, and I’m too old to try now.

[NinjaChick]

It’s not tampons that suck, it’s the female body. Yes, I know I’m still fertile, thanks, couldn’t you just send me a postcard or something instead of this crap? (I use tampons. They’re less uncomfortable to me than pads. Both suck.)

<mild hijack>Okay, since the topic of the pill has been raised, I’m going to ask a totally unrelated question: Say a young woman wants to get on the pill so she can stop having periods, because she gets nasty PMS and is tired of dealing with pads/tampons/etc. That’s her sole reason, as she’s not sexually active. So she calls up the local Planned Parenthood, makes an appointment, and…what happens at that appointment? Some sort of full physical? “Here’s your prescription, call us in a year if you want to renew it”? Something in between?
</hijack>

[Yeticus_Rex]

If you tease yourself with the Aleutians first, you just might be receptive enough for Alaska.

d&r far far away…probably to Kamchatka Pennisula…or the Boot of Italy.

[Ferret_Herder]

@NinjaChick

<mild hijack>Okay, since the topic of the pill has been raised, I’m going to ask a totally unrelated question: Say a young woman wants to get on the pill so she can stop having periods, because she gets nasty PMS and is tired of dealing with pads/tampons/etc. That’s her sole reason, as she’s not sexually active. So she calls up the local Planned Parenthood, makes an appointment, and…what happens at that appointment? Some sort of full physical? “Here’s your prescription, call us in a year if you want to renew it”? Something in between?
</hijack>

I haven’t been to Planned Parenthood but I assume it’s probably similar to the gyno appointments I’ve been to; your reason was the same as mine when I first started on the Pill. Medical history questions, asking if you smoke (being a smoker and being on the Pill is not recommended), probably a gynecological exam including a pap test. They may ask if you want STD testing as long as you’re there, or maybe a HPV vaccination these days.

I’ve had the doctor, before the “lie down on the table and put your feet in the stirrups” part, also take a stethoscope and check my heart rate and breathing, as well as blood pressure. You might also be asked if you’re doing breast exams, and the doctor may do a quick check to see if there’s anything of note or at least to get an idea of your “baseline” status - breasts can be kind of odd and bumpy even when normal, so even if you’re fine it’s good for you and the doc to figure out what your normal is.

Oh yeah, the time involved in the “feet in the stirrups, scooch your butt down to the end of the table” part of the exam isn’t that long. It may feel long but it’s only a few minutes typically. The speculum feels like a little muscle spasm or something when it’s clicked open. The pap smear is a long cotton swab test, and can feel anything like a little rubbing to a scratch - though some women feel more discomfort than that. The doctor may press down on your pelvic are while doing an internal exam, just to feel the positioning of your internals there and be sure there isn’t anything wrong.

Between the bit of lubrication used for the speculum and maybe a little bit of blood from the poking at your cervix, I’d recommend bringing a minipad or something, just to deal with any potential leftover mess.

[monstro]

My only beef with tampons are the plastic applicators. Who in the hell designed those? I love how easy they are to insert, but if you want to totally turn your bathroom floor into something that looks like a crime scene, those plastic applicators will do the trick. Anyone else know what I’m talking about?

Last week I spent five minutes cleaning the floor of a public bathroom stall because of that damn applicator and the carnage it left behind.