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Managing Aunty Flow – The Weird & The Wonderful

14 September, 2015 - 07:51pm by - First Lady | 25 Comments


By BR Kellie

Some of my earliest memories of my mother are of her holding my foot in the middle of the night (yes, for some weird reason that soothed me and now I hate people touching my feet) after I’d rushed into her bed after a nightmare. During those early hours of the morning she’d tell me in an age-appropriate manner about growing up, becoming a big girl, a woman, the birds and the bees and of course what to expect when you get your period. 

These chats meant that at the ripe old age of 14 when Aunt Flow chose to make her first visit I wasn’t freaked out or just plain out traumatised. Instead I reached for a pad and went on my merry way after announcing to my family (aka bellowing down the hall) that I had my period. It wasn’t long after that moment that I decided pads were gross. I could smell myself (I KNOW, EWWW!), they felt like wet pillows between my legs and I’d rather use a tampon. Mum showed me how and that was that, I was a Tampax girl for life. Yes, I’ve strayed once or twice, but the ease of applicator and the familiar and comforting dark blue box always kept me coming back.

Over the years I’ve had other options presented to me and recently a few new innovations have left me scratching my head and thinking ‘are you for real?’. But you never know what you could be missing out on, so in the interest of being informed I’ve delved into the world of sometimes squeamish TOTM devices – all of which also happen to be reusable. 

Imagine a device that you could insert at that time of the month, then take out at regular intervals, dispense of your menses, wash, then reinsert, month after month after month, year after year after year. The menstrual cup is one such device. Made of medical grade silicone, it is a product designed to catch your lady-liquid. Once inserted they are meant to sit comfortably in your treasure box and only need emptying and washing once ever four to six hours, with some cups on the market offering up to 12 hour protection. Divacup and Mooncup (the latter has an average 5/5 rating right here on BR) are two of the most well known. With products retailing for around the $50 to $60 mark, they do seem a little expensive up front, but as they’re made to last for at least a decade they end up being a great option for both the environmental and budget conscious.

Speaking of environmentally conscious … another option to consider are reusable pads. I must admit I had to wonder if they looked like those bulk reusable nappies you can buy for little ones…but it turns out they’re actually super cute and not huge at all! They basically look like a normal pad, except they come in funky patterns, while doing the same job as a boring normal looking one. They’re also really well designed, with snaps holding them in place. They come in a range of materials as well as thickness and size options to suit whichever way your flow rolls. Much like menstrual cups, there is an initial expense, but one that is easily recouped after you’ve had a few periods. Check out some of the cool New Zealand-made options from Moontime Aotearoa.

Another period-spilling-preventer, which I honestly can’t get my head around although would love to know if anyone’s tried it and loved it, are menstrual sponges. Basically they’re sea sponges, which have been well cleaned so as to remove any remnants of the sea. They’re used very similarly to a tampon in that you insert them, they soak up the crimson wave, you remove, rinse until the water runs clear and then reinsert. Enviro Natural’s New Zealand sells them for less than $13. While they don’t have the lifespan of a menstrual cup, they are expected to last for at least six months, but must be replaced if torn.

Lastly let’s look at… period panties. (Not to be confused with these rather rad undies.)Another rather fascinating invention, where underwear takes the place of pads and tampons. THINX has released a line of such underwear and it’s fair to say it’s taken off with shipments nearly selling out before they even reach the company. I expected the underwear to be nanna-licious, but instead it’s super stylish, looks great on (the model) and come in a range of sizes – from ‘Hiphugger’ for those heavy days, to ‘Cheeky’ for those average days and there’s even a ‘Thong’ option for light days. Depending on the knickers you choose they can hold up to two tampons worth of the red flood. They’re made to whisk away all wetness, so you don’t feel a thing, they’re leak-proof and cleaning them is as easy as rinsing them out, washing in cold water then hanging them up to dry. 

I never thought I’d say this, but I actually think I like the knickers option best – if I had to choose. However, I think for the time being I’ll be sticking with my old blue box of Tampax. Have you considered alternative methods of period control? If you had to choose one, which would it be? Or are you already riding the red wave on a reusable method? Chat away! 

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Comments

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17th September, 2015

There are some interesting products available and many of them I had no idea about. I can't get the panties link to work but I think I know which ones they are. I think the future period talk I will eventually be having with daughter will be a lot more thorough than the one my mother had with me. xx

17th September, 2015

honestly..if i had to pick .. I'd choose none of the above ... The moon cup seems really impractical ... i just can not wrap my head around it ... i think ill stick to my good old faithful pads

16th September, 2015

I have not heard of half of these contraptions I'm so glad I don't have to worry about it been on depo for the last 5 yrs but used pads before that!

15th September, 2015

Kellie you crack me up, top marks for period related puns my friend! Lady-liquid, treasure box hahahahahaha. I'll stick with what I know and love though I think.

15th September, 2015

i have heard alot about mooncups and probably the only option here i Would possibly be comfortable with, however regular tampons do the trick just fine

15th September, 2015

I recently purchased the Mooncup (on Healthpost.co.nz for $50) liked the environmentally friendly side of it and that it would eventually work out cheaper than the current options of tampons and pads. I've used it for my last two periods but I'm still getting the hang of it, it's not easy to use. On the occasions I have managed to get it right it's absolutely awesome, especially on those very heavy days/nights but it's not something as a newbie you can rush when inserting and taking out so for now it's something I'll only try when I can do it at home!

15th September, 2015

Just purchased a mooncup......so fingers crossed all will go well. I wish I had heard about them earlier........all those years of buying tampons which just seem fundamentally wrong. I am just at the peri-menopause stage, so it would be interesting to monitor "my flow", one minute I seem to be gushing, the next it's stopped! I think I will still wear a light panty liner with it....just in-case I don't have the technique sussed. LOVE the Period Panties graphics and names (if you click through on the link)...."Rainbo: First Blood" "Bleeder of the Pack""Crotching Tiger". Ha Ha we all need a bit of humour at that time of month.

15th September, 2015

I truly did not know these existed, how interesting!!!!!!!! What a different trail this is, oh well I'm up for a try if I get selected

15th September, 2015

I had heard the Moon Cup mentioned in the forum and wondered what it was, I hadn't heard of the other options, I was always a carefree tampon girl, didn't like pads.

15th September, 2015

I've tried the mooncup but could never get it to sit right so gave up and went back to tampons. Similar story with the reusable pads. They had domes/snaps on the wings that were meant to clip into each other and make a "ring" around the gusset of the undies. All that really happened was that the pad would spin in circles around my undies instead of staying where I told it to!

15th September, 2015

If I HAD to choose, I would go for the knickers, the rest just give me the heeby jeebies. And thankfully I don't have to choose, I can stick with my trusted pads! :P

15th September, 2015

I have past this stage thank goodness but I agree the Knicker option sounds the most feminine of all. I was a tampon user as I hated pads and the self consciousness of smell.Nice to have options.

15th September, 2015

You write good articles Kellie. I had no idea some of these options were out there. Nonetheless I'm glad I don't need them anymore. It's really liberating! :)

15th September, 2015

Don't know if I could handle wearing the undies all day - wouldn't it be like wearing the same pad all day long? I think they would be great for back up to tampons. I'm pretty sure I heard that strippers used sponges? Probably before moon cups. I guess a moon cup would be interesting to actually see how much comes out- it always felt like I was loosing about a litre a day! But I can envisage spill accidents trying to remove it, pants around your ankles, toilet across the room from the sink to wash it. I don't think I'd bother with reusable.

15th September, 2015

I would quite like to try period panties and see if they're better than wearing a pad and underwear. A lot of things I'd never heard of here.

k3r1pakai
16th September, 2015

I couldn't agree with you more about reusable it's not for me either

Julieal
15th September, 2015

I agree great article and really good for ladies to know all the options - The knickers option sounds like a good option for people who have spasmodic periods.

spooky40
16th September, 2015

100% with ya on that !

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