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ireland banned a tampon advert because it gave descriptive information on how to insert tampons instead of mumbling "just put it in, be grand", and that speaks volumes on the inherent catholicism in every single aspect of life here
irish people in catholic schools are still being told to not use tampons for fear of "compromising your purity", so many of us don't know how to use internal collection methods until we're older. it's a pads-or-nothing vibe. this is gonna be a thread on menstrual products.
1. pads. these are alright, they're just a wee bit of cotton that you stick to the inside of your underwear. they're widely available which is nice (but they should be free). make sure you get an absorbency according to how much you bleed. change every ~4 hours.
2. tampons. cotton (mostly) like pads, but they go inside your vagina. put the applicator up high into your vagina, when you press the bottom of the applicator the tampon will just come out into your vagina. if you can feel it inside you it's not up high enough. (1/3)
(contd.) if it's not up high enough take it out and try again. it takes getting used to. tampons have the added risk of toxic shock syndrome, which occurs when a build up of bacteria on your tampon enters your blood stream. if you're changing your tampon every 4-8 hours - (2/3)
(contd.) you should be fine! tss is pretty rare. never put in a tampon unless you're bleeding, and just like pads, use a tampon with an absorbency corresponding to how much blood you lose. using an over absorbent tampon can lead to drying and microtears inside your vagina. (3/3)
3. cups. this is personally my favourite menstruation collection method. you buy one cup in your size (there's 2 sizes, based on whether you've had a vaginal birth or not), and one cup can last years if you're taking care of it! it's made of body safe silicone (1/x)
(contd.) to put it in you fold it, and insert the folded cup as high up into your vagina as is comfortable for you. they're designed to sit as close to your cervix as possible. it will unfold itself once it's up there! you can leave cups in for 8-12 hours (2/x)
(contd.) there's no recorded risk of toxic syndrome. cups take the most getting used to imo, mostly because it can be tricky to take them out. to take them out you have to put a finger inside your vagina and pinch the bottom of the cup to release the suction - (3/x)
(contd.) - and once the suction is released you can just pull it out! to clean and sterilise your cup you just boil it in a pot. no soap (definitely do not use soap). just water! (4/4)
4. period pants. another fave of mine. for some people internal collection methods aren't suitable/comfortable/accessible, and pads aren't the most comfortable method in the world, so enter period pants! it's literally just a normal pair of underwear with an absorbent - (1/x)
(contd.) - layer built in. they hold the same amount of blood as 4 tampons, and you only have to change them every 8-12 hours. they're surprisingly hygenic and they're the same thickness as normal cotton underwear. when you take them off you just give them a wee - (2/x)
(contd.) - rinse under a cold tap, and throw them on a delicate wash! you can get them at http://shethinx.com and http://modibodi.com
gonna conclude this thread by saying 1. not all people who menstruate are women and not all women menstruate so just be careful with ur language, and 2. help in the fight against period poverty and donate products to the homeless period ireland, or similar organisations :)
