another thread made me think of this... do you use tampons or pads? &why?

i started off using pads. they were really uncomfortable &tore at my skin. now i use tampons. they scared me at first, but now i hardly even feel them.

 

so what about you ladies?

I use tampons because pads can just get downright gross and irritate the skin. Sometimes I have to take a break from the tampons on lighter days because my insides get sore from the tampon.

I use pads because I'm uneasy about tampons. Although I skipped this month...

I use sea sponge tampons and Luna Pads, both for my own health (nothing soaked in bleach belongs in my body) and the risks associated with conventional tampons, and for the health of the earth.

I haven't gotten my period since early December. But when I first got my period, age 11ish, I used pads. But I soon started using tampons. but now, in school, I wear both, just incase I leak through the tampon, I have a pad incase. I know it's weird, but I've leaked through once during school so I've had a bit of a phobia of it happening again.

tampons. I really don't like pads, the gross me out.

i have always used pads. the thought of using a tampon scares me ::::shudder::: my periods have never been heavy and they only last for about 4 days. if my periods ever get longer and heavier, i might possibly consider a tampon...

I use both! a pad kind of feels like a diaper.. and i hate that "oh! there goes the fountain again!" feeling hahaha. However i've always been nervous about seleeping with a tampon in, so i wear a pad at night. I think switching between the 2 prevents over irritation of the outside (diaper rash), or the inside (dryness).

I hope for their sake no males enter this topic  AGH!

I use the pads, sorry ladies. I've tried tampons and it's difficult to insert it, I've been told you aren't supposed to feel it and I do and it's very uncomfortable. I'll probably try them again once I get married.

I started out using pads because that's what Mommie bought for me.  The first package of pads she ever bought for me had wings and some plastic film over the top (think like a bandaid), and they were kind of thin so it was all crinkly.  It felt like I had packaging tape sticking to me and I dreaded whenever I'd have to change it.

After trying pads for a year a friend of mine and I sat down one day, shredded every last pad we had, and bought a box of tampons, splitting it between us.  Oh my goodness, I've never been so happy to have a period.  We bought a box of scented Tampax Pearls and to this day, that's what I use.

Scented pads, you can smell them through your clothes and everyone knows you're on your period.  And if you don't get them scented, everyone smells something else and knows you're on your period.

With scented tampons, I don't gag from smelling anything 'cause all I smell is pretty little flowers whenever I change.  I tried an unscented one once (ran out, got one from a friend) and while I didn't get hit with the smell like I do with pads, it did leave a little bit of a smell lurking around the toilet after I finished.

I stick with scented Tampax Pearls.

I also started using pads because my mom bought them for me.  Only the ones she bought were about three inches thick and felt like I had a pillow between my legs at all times. I HATED them. With a passion. The next time we went to the store I bought thinner pads, but hated the feeling of the plastic dri-weave or whatever against my skin.  So I stole one of my mother's Super Plus Tampax.  And traumatized myself.  I eventually tried tampons again (smaller ones this time) about a year later, and I haven't looked back since.  Pads were just NOT for me! 

Original Post by amberrr:

I use both! a pad kind of feels like a diaper.. and i hate that "oh! there goes the fountain again!" feeling hahaha. However i've always been nervous about seleeping with a tampon in, so i wear a pad at night. I think switching between the 2 prevents over irritation of the outside (diaper rash), or the inside (dryness).

I hope for their sake no males enter this topic AGH!

 I concur. Sleeping with a tampon freaks me out, especially after reading so much about TSS when I was younger.  I only wear tampons during the day and I change them every 4 hours, whether I need to or not. There's nothing that grosses me out more than using a tampon for longer than a few hours. I hate the feeling of wearing a pad, but if I'm sleeping, I won't feel them anyway. 

I'm a Pearl girl over here. But I tend to use both for safety reasons.

Discomfort of pads? 
I started in the early 70s when pads still came without adhesive but attached to an elastic belt that went round your hips. 

LINK  Heres a funny spoof about them (and it was past the 50s into the 70s).
LINK  This is what they really looked like (not the leopard thingie).
Imagine keeping THAT in place with no adhesive and hiding that under your clothes.   

Luckily the adhesive came out so I didnt suffer for long but I know prior to them, it was even worse.

Yes, I feel so lucky to have Tampons.
I remember when I first started I only used pads because tampons freaked me out.. (That has to go where??)
I was stuck wearing the super thick diaper ones (and yes, they made a crinkle noise). They were so thick that I felt like I sat a few inches taller... And because of my chubby thighs they would scrunch up into a little tee-pee into my crotch, making it the worst frontal wedgie in the world. Leakage was a problem too (Jr.High. Leaked through my jeans. So horrified).
The smell, dear lord the smell. (It was like having a peice of raw steak at your crotch, but decomposing.).
Or some how the sticky part would stick to my leg or something...
Or they would migrate around... (why is that pad siticking out of the back of your pants? Dear lord...)
 Or I would put it on too far back or too far forward...
 Yeah, i never had luck with pads.  The only reason I went with Tampons was becuase my mother and father were out of town one time and I ran out of pads, so I had to use her humungo-super-delux size tampons. Man did that ever hurt, I didnt even do it right! Didnt even put it all the way in! BUT, The next time I tried again, and I was hooked. I felt free.

Yeah, I sleep with tampons in too.. But they say you can have it in for 8 hours, so no worries for me. I dont sleep longer than that anyways...

AAaand thats my story! ^_^

Original Post by cellulitedelight:

And if you don't get them scented, everyone smells something else and knows you're on your period.

I have never smelt another womens period in my entire life. I don't think people can smell your period unless you don't bathe.

I use tampons at the start, use both in the middle for added protection, and switch to tampons at the end of it.

I was wondering about that.  The only thing I could think of is if its not changed frequently but perhaps some women are just different.  I never have detected it either, ever.

I use the instead cup.

There is a reusable one, I can't remember the name, but I'm considering ordering one.  More to prevent unnecessary waste than anything.  The instead cups are comfy, I never feel them in and they work like a charm. 

My mom showers twice a day when she's ragging, changes every two hours (seriously, on the dot!) and you can smell her comin' a mile away.

Pads always leaked for me, I was constantly having to run to the bathroom to see if it was showing on my pants, so I switched to tampons. They were uncomfortable at first, but I figured out how to angle it so I couldn't feel it. Now that's all I use.

Diva cup by day, cloth pad by night.

Diva cups are these little silicone cups that fit into you and collect the blood, you then just empty the contents into the toilet and reinsert. You only need to do this 1-2 times during the day, so I wash it in the sink when I switch to a cotton pad for night.  Silicone holds up so these things last for years (exact time not known but they are the one up on a previous version in a material that lasted 10 years) They are about $40 but you only need one so it is worth it- and the company gives full refund within a year if you decide it isn't for you.

Between 1 diva cup and 2 cotton pads, period waste products= 0 Just wash and go. It is a bit of an investment for the reusable sorts of feminine products but I think that the benefit to both you and the environment is sooo worth it (plus, you get one until what... menopause? so you save money in the long run!)