# What's the deal with Tampax Pearls? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 5, 2005, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163 "2005-09-05T04:11:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SleepyDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@SleepyDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SleepyDuck)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/41 "2005-09-07T02:56:51Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > Apparently, a **syngina** is “an instrument ‘designed to be an in-body simulation.’” :eek: Heh. Thanx GFactor. I now have tomorrow’s “word of the day”. And I still have the rest of the evening to figure out how to work it in to conversation… I’ll try _cramhole_ next week ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/42 "2005-09-07T14:23:00Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Maybe menstrual fluid is enough like meat (chemically) that it’s similarly bad for plants, at least small plants on a large volume? > > OTOH, I’ve known plenty of people who bury their placentas and plant a tree over it, and they grow just fine. So it’s very possible I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about… You can buy blood fertilizer at any garden center. It’s supposed to be great for plants. (It’s not liquid; it’s a powder or granule. Made out of blood somehow.) I forget if it’s low-pH or high-pH or what it’s supposed to do to enhance growing. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/43 "2005-09-07T14:40:57Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Are many women seriously _that_ squicked by their own bodies? Not by my body, but by blood. _Anyone’s_ blood. The idea by OB doesn’t disturb me, though I’m not sure I’d be very good at placing it without an applicator, but there’s no way in hell I’m trying menstrual cups. Clumsy girl + cup full of blood & other fluid = great upset when spilled all over hands. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/44 "2005-09-07T14:47:26Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Not by my body, but by blood. _Anyone’s_ blood. The idea by OB doesn’t disturb me, though I’m not sure I’d be very good at placing it without an applicator, but there’s no way in hell I’m trying menstrual cups. Clumsy girl + cup full of blood & other fluid = great upset when spilled all over hands. So try one of them sea-sponge things. It’s natural, you know. Which makes it better. If you use Tampax, you’re putting The Man in your cramhole. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/45 "2005-09-07T16:06:08Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > So try one of them sea-sponge things. It’s natural, you know. Which makes it better. If you use Tampax, you’re putting The Man in your cramhole. Not the first time and it most certainly wont be the last 😃 ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/46 "2005-09-07T18:40:29Z")
_Scented_ tampons!!! That’s just wrong on about 100 levels of wrongness and that teengirl website was just so sad. Those girls are NOT growing up to be empowered women. You can have my Mooncup when you pry it from my cold dead hand. Best. Invention. Ever. Bear in mind that my ultimate career goal is to be an OB/GYN, so not only am I not squicked out by my own vagina, I have little problem with other peoples’ either. And on a list of all body fluids and human effluvia I’m exposed to on a daily basis, menstrual blood is one of the more pleasant ones. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/47 "2005-09-07T18:44:04Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Not by my body, but by blood. _Anyone’s_ blood. The idea by OB doesn’t disturb me, though I’m not sure I’d be very good at placing it without an applicator, but there’s no way in hell I’m trying menstrual cups. Clumsy girl + cup full of blood & other fluid = great upset when spilled all over hands. The o.b. tampon is actually much easier to insert than you’d think at first. Besides, you get to play with the string before you put the thing in. ---
**Author:** ![liberty3701](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@liberty3701](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liberty3701)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/48 "2005-09-07T18:59:50Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > So try one of them sea-sponge things. It’s natural, you know. Which makes it better. If you use Tampax, you’re putting The Man in your cramhole. I’ve tried sea sponges and the cup, but I’ve come to the conclusion I don’t like shoving foreign objects up my cramhole.\*And it’s not 'cause I’m grossed out, it’s just not comfortable for me. but, uh, I like to use the [lunapad](http://www.lunapads.com/home.php). \*Well, some foreign objects are ok… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/49 "2005-09-07T19:09:50Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Hmm…I’m a lousy gardner (seriously - I’ve killed MINT!), but I do know that you’re not supposed to put meat in the composter 'cause it’s bad for the plants. I don’t know if it’s the protein or the nitrogen or what it is, but “no meat in compost” signs are everywhere here in Hippieland. > > Maybe menstrual fluid is enough like meat (chemically) that it’s similarly bad for plants, at least small plants on a large volume? > > OTOH, I’ve known plenty of people who bury their placentas and plant a tree over it, and they grow just fine. So it’s very possible I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about… You don’t put meat in the composter because it attracts animals and smells. It has nothing to do with it being bad for plants. Bone-meal and blood-meal, for instance, are made of just what they sound like and both are commonly used for fertilizer. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/50 "2005-09-07T19:18:07Z")
Yes. I’ve also heard of women using the water from rinsing their cloth pads to water plants, as it’s supposed to be good for them. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/51 "2005-09-07T19:32:53Z")
This is a surprisingly fascinating discussion. Next question: do any significant number of adult women use pads instead of tampons? Because this tampon discussion made me realize that every time I’ve inadvertently stumbled upon a feminine hygiene product, it’s _always_ a tampon. Are pads messier or just less comfortable? ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/52 "2005-09-07T19:45:20Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Are pads messier or just less comfortable? Both. I don’t think most women care to sit around in a diaper full of their own blood, and that’s what pads are like. They feel nasty, and you get it all over you. Tampons are just more convenient and they seem more sanitary. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/53 "2005-09-07T19:51:45Z")
> [@Indygrrl](#): > > Both. > > I don’t think most women care to sit around in a diaper full of their own blood, and that’s what pads are like. They feel nasty, and you get it all over you. Tampons are just more convenient and they seem more sanitary. True, but there are women who just can’t wear tampons (and I know you said ‘most women’, not ‘all women’ :)). Plus, pads have gotten tons better, IMO, in just the past decade or so. They’re not wonderfully wonderful, but not too bad. I still use pads occasionally, particularly for those nights where I’m pretty sure I can sleep in and don’t want to have a tampon in for too long or when my flow is a bit too light for a tampon (at the end of my period); then I use a really thin pad or a pantiliner instead. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/54 "2005-09-07T19:55:14Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > do any significant number of adult women use pads instead of tampons? Yes. [Yale School of Medicine \< Yale School of Medicine](http://info.med.yale.edu/obgyn/kliman/endometriosis/Orgasm%20Tampon.pdf) (see table on p. 167). > **[Sanitary product use by white, black, and Mexican American women - PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2120726/?dopt=Abstract)** > > In 1988-89, the use of menstrual sanitary products was surveyed among 699 white, 477 black, and 425 Mexican American women to detect age and racial or ethnic differences in product use that might explain the differences in the incidence of toxic... ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/55 "2005-09-07T20:32:38Z")
> [@](#): > > While about 70% of women in the U.S., Canada and much of Western Europe use tampons, usage falls to the single digits in a handful of countries such as Japan and Spain, and it’s not even measurable in much of the world. Just 2% of women in Mexico, as throughout most of Latin America, use tampons. [http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/public/wsj\_tampons.html](http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/public/wsj_tampons.html) > [@](#): > > P&G has wanted to expand Tampax since 1997 Tee hee. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/56 "2005-09-07T20:42:39Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > This is a surprisingly fascinating discussion. Next question: do any significant number of adult women use pads instead of tampons? Because this tampon discussion made me realize that every time I’ve inadvertently stumbled upon a feminine hygiene product, it’s _always_ a tampon. Are pads messier or just less comfortable? I’m always surprised when an adult woman friend shares they use pads - I used pads in high school and they were so gross. To be frank - blood matting in pubic hair is disgusting (not to mention the occasional pubic hair caught on adhesive). I was always paranoid pads would be 1) smelly 2) make a diaper sound effect when walking 3) slide around and blood escape over the side (happened often in my pre “wings” pad experience, this might not be an issue now). In my opinion/experience, they are both messier and less comfortable. A properly inserted tampon is unnoticeable (to me). ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/57 "2005-09-07T21:06:37Z")
> [@Harimad-sol](#): > > The o.b. tampon is actually much easier to insert than you’d think at first. Besides, you get to play with the string before you put the thing in. What are we, cats now? Whee! 😃 I keep pantiliners on-hand for emergency use, or, like **zweisamkeit** , if I know I’m going to be sleeping in late or something. I’ll use them when my period is on its last, dubious days, as well … you know, the days you think it’s over, nothing is happening, wearing a tampon would do nothing but chafe you when you go to pull it out, but if you _don’t_ wear protection, you’ll be in the middle of nowhere with no restrooms in sight and you’ll have an accident caused by all of three red drops and need new underwear? I hate those days. But I don’t wear pads normally. Messy, chunky, unreliable, yuck, yuck, yuck. I don’t have pubic hair to worry about anymore, but I remember my high school days and how awful it was. Even without the hair, it’s still … ew. Now it’s just smeared on my skin instead of in hair. Gross, gross, gross. _puke smilie_ Wearing a pad, it always felt like I was peeing my pants. I don’t have that problem with tampons. I don’t feel a thing except cramps. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/58 "2005-09-08T00:08:27Z")
I do wear pads most of the time. OB tampons are for the nights I’m going out or when I run out of pads. They have gotten much more better than a decade ago (when I first started using them). Always brand, ultra thin with wings. Nothing escapes on the sides, and holds more than a tampon. Why do I use them? Seriously, with this new thin ones, I hardly feel them, plus I find them more reliable. And, unlike tampons which I don’t want to leave there for long hours, I can leave the pad for longer. This is not such a big issue now when I’m at the same building most of the day, but before, when I was going from one side of campus to the other, I would go 8-10 hours without going to the bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![Flipstrip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f6c823/32.png) [@Flipstrip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flipstrip)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/59 "2005-09-08T00:17:55Z")
Yes, pads have gotten much much better, thank God. I’ve never found a tampon that was comfortable for me, and as I’m unbelievably clumsy, the cup would be out of the question too. So for me personally, the pad is the best option. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163/60 "2005-09-08T02:01:02Z")
This is one of the times I wish we had an anonymous option. :o I’ve been using pads since I started - simply because I’m afraid of putting in a tampon wrong. I tried them when I was about 14, and it hurt and I know I didn’t put it on right because I was still bleeding a lot on the pad I was (thankfully) wearing under it. And I do get squicked out by the blood, and don’t want to try inserting tampons when I’m not on my period (obviously). I don’t mind pads that much anymore since my flow is lighter now. I find them comfy, and Gods forbid you try to take my Always away from me… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-tampax-pearls/320163.md?page=4)