Tampons?

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Hi, fellow ladies. I am posting this because I have decided to start wearing tampons and I am anxious about it because it is a little scary. I watched a Youtube video about it and stuff but I am freaked out because I think we got the wrong size and I don't know when I can exchange it because the car is broken and I'm starting in two days. I really need to go in my $30,000 pool. LOL.

Too small is easier than too big. But they'll all work.

Do you have amazon prime or similar elsewhere? That might get you more fast if you are unable to get to the store.

Took me a long time before I finally sucked it up and tried tampons. I got a lot of good advice first, and the best advice by far was to buy a "sport" tampon. I have found they are the only ones that feel like they fit regardless of the absorbency I choose. I highly recommend playtex sport.

I use to wear tampons, but most of them were uncomfortable. They say if you insert them right you can't feel them, but I guess that's for NT women. I could feel them.

But I absolutely hate pads, they absorb sweat and moisture and hold it right there. Near the end of my cycle I sometimes start to get a little raw. I have been been thinking of trying divacups, but I just don't know...

I find them a necessary evil. They are always mildly uncomfortable, but the best option some days.

I prefer to use cloth (washable) pads but if I have to use tampons, I prefer the 100% cotton variety you can find in health food stores. They cost a little more, but I cramp more severely with commercial brand tampons. The commercial brands have rayon in them and a friend of mine suggested that it was the rayon in them that caused this reaction in me; she had a similar reaction. Also I read that rayon fibers can actually fuse with the vaginal walls .

If you are a virgin or are not regularly sexually active, I would suggest, if you use commercial brands, the thinner the better and also I did best in the beginning with the plastic applicators. I can't use plastic applicators anymore because they pinch me; I guess giving birth to two children stretched some things out in there . The cardboard ones hurt in the beginning but I can use them now which is good because the cotton ones use cardboard applicators.

I didn't like disposable pads: stick, pull, you know, just uncomfortable. I don't really like tampons because I can feel them more often than not and I wonder about the tampons "clogging" the natural draining process, not to mention that tampons are not sanitary really. Tampons are just uncomfortable and painful for me in general.

I discovered cloth pads when I was using cloth diapers on my second child. I really love the cloth pads. They can be a slight nuisance to deal with in washing them, but they absorb more, are more comfortable against the skin, you don't have to worry about running out (if you have enough of them to begin with), and surprisingly, they leak less than anything else I have used. It is an initial investment moneywise, but I think it pays off comfort-wise, health-wise, and environmental-wise. The cost of buying disposables is probably the same as or more than the purchasing and caring for cloth pads. I worried about yeast and bacteria but have been using them for maybe three years now without any problems. I hope that wasn't too much information; I just thought it's another option for those trying to avoid disposable pads.

Tampons- They are always a bit uncomfortable, especially when it comes to insertion, but thy are better than pads alone. I only use the ones with plastic applicators, since cardboard applicators hurt and don't insert the tampon deep enough anyway. I've had no success without an applicator.

Pads- the big ones are uncomfortable and make me worry that someone will see, the little ones always leak if used alone, and both get very smelly very quickly.

Divacup- I have a friend who swears by them, but I can't even begin to imagine that working for me. I'm not always a heavy bleeder, but when I am, well, it would fill that thing in no time. Also, I've had a couple tampons fall out because I couldn't insert them deep enough or something, so I have no doubt that would also be a problem.

As far as sticking something in your body goes, tampons are not sterile. I don't mean not sanitary insofar as their effectiveness at keeping a person from bleeding on everything they sit on.

I am going to try the diva cup. Most women, even ones that have had children, say that the smaller size is plenty. I have a friend that is also aspie, and she has a heavy flow. She says that 6-8 hours in, and no problems with leaks, less cramps, and overall less icky feeling than pads or tampons. She uses the small one and has had one child. And she says bonus that she feels really " hardcore metal" when she empties it.

I prefer pads over tampons, mostly cuz I find inserting a tampon uncomfortable. I started my period at 11 and I tried to insert a tampon, and I couldn't get it in. Maybe I was doing it wrong, but it was uncomfortable and haven't tried using a tampon since. I use Always Infinity pads because they are comfortable and they are not too thick.

Normally I just use pads but I was able to use tampon when I needed it.
I was in Germany on a few days "students exchange" (each student of my school was living with a German family for a week then the family student was getting to Poland to live a week with our families) and it happened I got my period then. What's worse - my first day come when there was a swimming pool trip planned. I didn't want to skip.

I brought some tampons with me from Poland but I was afraid of them, the cotton thing was pulling out in some spots. I believed a piece of it might stay inside me.
Then I realized there are tampons in the German family bathroom. The family told me to "use whatever I want" there and the tampons looked way better then the Polish ones (although they were the same manufacturer!) so I took 2 of those. I put one "in" and hide the 2nd one in my pocket, just in case.

It was a good idea. I soon realized the tampon is really uncomfortable and I figured out that I didn't put it properly in. It was supposed to get deeper and at different angle. Once I come to the swimming pool I pulled it out and put the 2nd one correctly. I was afraid I have put it too deep at first but once I stand up and realized I really can't feel it while the string is still out I stopped worrying.

I have had fun on the swimming pool. At times I was thinking about the tampon but those were the only times when I was feeling any discomfort (because I was focusing too much on feeling "that place"). Beside that I could swim, play, slide as everyone else and I didn't feel anything.

But I was still happy when I was allowed to change and get my pad on. I didn't like the idea of having anything inside me. I pulled it out as soon as I got to the changing room. And I got scared. It was worse than putting it in. The tampon was like 8mm wide when I was putting it in but it got about 3cm wide when I was pulling it out! It soaked that much with the blood and water. It was a surprise when I realized how big it become and that it was able to get through my hymen without breaking it. I did feel the tampon become bigger when I was pulling but I was thinking it is not THAT big - until I seen it. Looks like pulling a tampon out is about the same as sh*****g, just from other hole.

Anyway. I still don't use tampons on everyday basic but I am not that scared of use one anymore. Just that... I am still looking for a tampons that are well made in Polish shops. All I buy got the cotton pulling out! Even the most expensive ones! Why the hell German tampons get better quality?

Metaldanielle, here is a link:

http://www.imsevimse.us/c-12-for-mama.aspx

The FuzziBuns brand of cloth diaper used to make pads as well, but I couldn't find them on their websites.

I also tried to find the "shop" on Etsy where I got some really good ones but she seems to have closed "shop". There are other makers though on Etsy.

There are also some companies online I have seen that specifically make cloth pads:

http://www.newmoonpads.com/home.html

http://gladrags.com/

http://lunapads.com/

I have no experience with those lost three companies.

And cloth pads are not perfect; nothing is, but for me at least they are much better than anything disposable or otherwise that I have tried. They may leak some at the seams, but it has never been enough to get on my outer clothing. Hope that isn't too much information.

Thanks! I already leak with the others, so if it gets rid of my irritation, it's still an improvement. Tmi doesn't bother me, btw. I never dreamed they would come in so many colors! Boy is the starting cost a sticker shock though. I know it pays for itself, but sheesh. I can check out the gladrags in person, there's a store near my bf's house that carries them. Guess who's taking me pad shopping?