Cloth Pads and Menstrual Cups.
I didn’t write for a while because I had my period and didnt feel like doing anything except laying down, watching tv, and complaining. It’s weird tho, in some ways i like my period because it makes me feel like a woman and i like that part, I also like that it is a special time of the month were i have an excuse to be crabby and ask people to do things for me and get me chocolate!!!! LOL. I hate tampons though because either they leak all over the place or they dont fill up at all. It’s annoying too because i get scared about leaving them in too long and getting toxic shock, they even make me sick to my stomach sometimes if i leave them in more than a couple hours. I already get cramps really bad from my period because i only get it once every couple months so it just makes it worse but I never wanted to use pads because they they are so big bulky and unfomfortable and rub against my vagina and make it all irritated and painful because i am so sensitive down there. But tampons also hurt, they make my cramps worse by going so far in there and they make it all dry and itchy afterwards. I figured out thats why i get yeast infections sometimes after my period if i havent gotten it in a long time. Tampons remove all the good juices out of your vag so it gets out of whack and causes a yeast infection, its not because your dirty.
So anyways when I was on my period and tired of all the shit with tampons and pads I remembered back when I used to use the diva cup instead. I liked the diva cup because I could leave it in all day and not worry about toxic shock, leaking or feeling sick or irritated . But taking it in and out was a bit of a challenge and my dogs chewed up my last one so I didn’t have it anymore. I thought I should get it again though because I found a forum on the internet with techniques on how to take it in and out and that you can cut the stem off. Also it is better for the enviornment, I mean whenever I use pads and tampons I always feel bad because of the waste it produces, so many women use so many pads and tampons that end up polluting the earth, its so much!
But while I was looking up the information on the cup I found out that there is also another alternative which is cloth pads. Which are pads made out of cloth that you wash and re-use every period. A lot of people seem to be grossed out by that but really I have never been scared of my own blood, and treally its like washing and re-using your underwear. Ever since I looked into them its like now I’m obsessed. They come in the most prettiest designs and colors and looked really comfortable. Plus all the women who sell them are very into women empowerment. I sent for one free cloth panty-liner from this company called "party in my pants" and I recieved it 2 days later and it was so cute, it has all these colorful flowers on it! I can’t believe I have been using regular pads and tampons this whole time, I wore the panty liner all day and I couldnt even feel it, it was like wearing underwear but better because I dont like the lines on underwear because they rub against my clit. I never thought I would ever say a pad is more comfortable than underwear lol. So then after I figured out how awesome this whole cloth pad movement was I started researching it and looking at all sorts of places that sell them. As soon as I get the money I want to buy more and at first I felt really stupid because its like I’m excited to get my period so that I can use them because they are so cute. Its like i want more than I need just because I like the cute designs on them. I didnt feel so bad though because I saw this girl online who has a collection of 250 cloth pads!!!! I’m not getting that much lol but that gave me the idea that I wanted to collect them too. I don’t know why but I think it is because it feels like a special thing. Like it is a womanly thing that only women can do and I am a feminist and am proud of being a woman women and I have always thought that menstration shouldn’t seem like such a dirty, secretive thing. Somehow I find it empowering. Collecting these cloth pads is sort of like buying clothes except better because you cant really have a collection of clothes. So yeah I told Dan that I wanted to collect pads and I was so scared he was going to think I was gross but I knew I had to tell him how excited I was about it because if I didnt thats sort of contradicting to me being for women empowerment right? So I think at first he thought it was gross but then said it was only because of the money. Well I know I will have to start working again before I buy anything so yeah, just wanted to tell him my feelings.
Anyways I will probably still use the cup for if I wanna go swimming or something but the pads I am excited to use. 🙂
Now that I figured this way out that you can actually be excited to use a pad I wanted to share it with everyone and convince them to switch too because it is so much better for the enviornment, your health and your wellbeing in general. I was researching it and hear are the benefits:
1. It’s better for the enviornment to use cloth pads. First of all The average woman will throw away almost 300 pounds of disposable menstrual products in her lifetime, think of all the tampons, pads, and packaging, all of this waste ends up in land fills, sewers and beaches (flushable tampons). Pads and plastic tampon applicators take a very LONG time to biodegrate. Tampons and disposable pads are made from wood-pulp, which lead to the unnecessary destruction of trees, and processing them pollutes the enviornment by releasing DIOXIN which is classified as a very toxic substance. Scientists have proven that small amounts of dioxin are found in tampons, and even small amounts of dioxin are a risk for human beings. You are putting something with a dangerous chemical up into the most delicate skin in your body. This can cause cancer, infections and other health problems.
2. Cloth pads are better for your health. Like I said because tampons have dioxins in them. They also have BACTERIA in them. Yeah thats right, they call disposable pads and tampons "Sanitary products" but it reality they are anything but sanitary. You say ew gross with re-usable pads or the cup well let me tell you this: the tampon and disposable pad industry operates under NO regulations that ensure sanitation. They’re just white because that makes people THINK they are clean.This is why when you use tampons or pads you might get itchy down there, feel really dry or irritated. They are messing up the natural juices of your vagina. Did you know, your vagina is self-cleaning? That is why we have discharge, our vaginas clean themselves. When you put a tampon up there it sucks out all the self cleaning fluid and replaces it with the chemicals and bacteria on the tampons. Thats why it makes you more likely to get infections, and toxic shock. Menstrual cups like the diva cup are also good because they dont cause toxic shock or fuck with your vagina juices.
3. Cloth pads are much more comfortable than both disposable pads and tampons
. Disposable pads feel like sticky bulky sweaty diapers. To me cloth pads feel better than regular underwear. They are made of soft cotton or fleece, and hey dont have tape on the back that is going to get stuck to you, instead they have snaps that you snap around you underwear so they dont slip around and chafe against you, they are flexible and fit against you like underwear not stiff like disposables. They are also thinner than regular pads while at the same time very absorbant because they are made of fabric. You know how I said that tampons always leaking pisses me off really bad, well cloth pads are virtually LEAK PROOF. They have a water-proof liner in them so you will never leak unless your pad is so full it flows over the edges. A lot of people say that they don’t like wearing pads because they feel like they are sitting in their own blood. Well first of all the fact that your blood is underneath you shouldn’t bother you that much because period blood is the same as all the other blood in your body, it is flowing through your vains so dont be afraid of it being close to you. Second of all I know how wearing disposable pad makes you feel gross because you can feel the dampness of the blood under you, its like it gets all sweaty in there. That is because of the plastic tape on the back, there is no air so it is humid and hot in there. Cloth pads are different, they are made out of breathable cloth, so it feels dryer and cooler than a disposable pad. This also makes them smell better. You may think your period smells if you use a disposable pad but that is because of the humidity traps everything in there and makes baceria grow, in actuality your period does have an odor but it is not very strong like you would think it is. Find out by using cloth pads :).
4. Using cloth pads is less expensive in the long run. Tampons and pads cost on average 5 dollars a box, while cloth pads cost 5-15 dollars a pad. Menstrual cups like the Diva cup cost about 30-40 dollars. Cloth pads and the Diva Cup can last about 5 years or more. It is averaged that if you switch to cloth pads and/or the cup you can save $3000 in your lifetime. To find how much you would save if you bought cloth pads, they have a calculator here http://partypantspads.com/savings-calculator
5. Cloth pads empower you. They come in all sorts of cute designs and they bring a positive light to your period. I know that might seem crazy to even think about but you can look foward to this womanly time of the month, thats what many of the reviews on these sites say! We are all told from very early in life that menstration is dirty, uncomfortable and something to keep secretive. Really it’s not. It’s a natural and amazing thing to get in touch with and start loving yourself. Did you know in ancient times women where feared and honored while on their period because the people just didnt understand how someone could bleed for a week straight and not die. Anyways I have always been a feminist and into all this alternative shit, so sorry if I went on I just think these things are a great idea.
Here are some pictures for you from the site Partypantspads.com
Here’s some menstrual cups of different brands, no it doesnt hurt, you dont feel it inside of you when it is in there.
To put it in you fold it up and insert it in your vag, pretty easy, heres a pic of the fold:
So! Thats my speech on using re-usable menstrual products. (Well mostly re-usable pads cause they are my fav). I hope maybe I can change some minds. Tell me what you think and if you have any questions note me. If you are still saying no way tell me why, I love to hear what you think and why 🙂
