To think sanitary pads are the work of the devil?

[theimposter]

Just had an op and not allowed to use tampax for a while so for the first time ever having to use pads. The most uncomfortable thing ever if you actually want to move around and do outdoorsy stuff. Who actually chooses to use these?! Any tips on brands and what doesn't irritate your lady gardens gladly received. I don't wish to have to go totally bald down there to reduce irritation as re growth will be even more painful!

Thanks for the tips on washable pads.

I never got on with a mooncup either CalamityKate, I got shooting pains like it was hitting a nerve so I gave up.

YANBU.I 'm a recent mooncup convert and I can't believe I've wasted most of my reproductive life with these ghastly products before discovering the ultimate answer.

It isn't hard to understand.

Do you see HCPs pouring body fluids down the public sink on a ward?

Nope, because it is a biohazard, we know it is and so we do not do it.

Yes they wash their hands. And those hands may have body fluids on them but this is very different to frank body fluids.

I'd be bloody amazed if any of those who 'don't get' why I say it is unhygienic would be happy to see a HCP pour blood down a public sink. You'd all be on here howling for their dismissal.

"Can I ask about cloth pads? I'm thinking of getting some for light days, but I notice it says to only wash in cold water and on their own, I can't run a washing machine for just one or two cotton pads on their own, surely that defeats the whole object of being environmentally friendly etc?"

I use cloth pads and never knew that about only washing them in cold water on their own. I do soak them in cold water for a minute or two to get the vast majority of the blood out, but then they go in the machine with the rest of the washing. Never had a problem.

Putting blood stained cloth in hot water will set the stain. If you've soaked it in cold water first and got the blood out, then (assuming it's fabrics like cotton which can take hot temperatures,) you can put it through the washing machine on a boil wash if you want.

If you're washing at lower temperatures, as is the norm these days, I guess there could be some risk of BBVs still being present, but I don't really see the problem of putting them through a wash with your own knickers and stuff, as it's your own things you're at risk of contaminating, and I don't think it's a high risk in that case, but I imagine that's why they advise washing them on their own.

I think it's one of those things, if you really enjoy doing laundry and want to do it separately, or if you know you've got Hep C or something, then it makes sense, but otherwise, there's practicality, too, and there are limits to how much I can be bothered to wash separately. Other people may have higher standards than I do.

I really want to try a mooncup, hadn't even heard of it before mumsnet! Can you feel them at all?

On tampons v towels, I don't find tampons 100% perfect, they can irritate me a little bit but INFINITELY better than towels which I find to be totally gross. Using towels made me feel dirty, disgusting, uncomfortable, paranoid and ashamed as a teenager with constant leaking, especially at night. I am not exaggerating when I say discovering tampons changed my life.

Seriously, how do you stop towels leaking at night? I can never sleep if I have to use one for worrying it will leak everywhere! If I lie on my back it all just flows straight to the back and onto the sheets, gross!

CalamityKate Do you have the small sized Under 30/ not had a child mooncup? Maybe you could move up a size if the mooncup isn't forming a seal correctly.

Rebecca - maybe I'm lucky but I don't seem to bleed as much at night?! or maybe not… And I just find it doesn't flow to the back? don't know why.

at that time of the month I wear dark knickers, dark PJ bottoms and Always Night-time. and have you also tried mattress protectors? god send.

I know what you mean though you're either a towels woman or a tampons woman.

I just found it icky the whole tampons after I was about 18 or so.

Always Night-time towels - the best things ever.

I'm a bit at the number of women who find sanitary towels 'gross' and 'dirty' - it's just menstrual blood, there's nothing gross or dirty about it.

SirChenjin I don't think it's that people think menstruation itself is dirty. I think it's just like sweat. That's only a bodily fluid too, but you wouldn't want to wear a really sweaty and damp T shirt next to your skin for hours after exercising. Just like you wouldn't want to wear a damp, blood filled towel next to your skin for hours.

Sir - call me too much info etc but I just found icky the whole tampon thing, putting it in taking it out…. YUCK.

it was fine when I was a teenager and then I sort of found it unnatural sticking a wedge of cotton wool up there.

ok so blood and pads can be yucky but you can wipe and rather have that than the other.

Those of you who flood at night I've found a really handy thing. Night time pad worn in the normal manner then another across the back horizontally and a panty liner horizontally at the front

Why they can't design pads in this manner is beyond me! But anyway this has saved my sheets

On the cleaning instructions for cloth pads, I have fleece-topped ones, and have never bothered soaking them beforehand, I just chuck them in the wash as is. And on a normal wash, not cold. Because it's fleece, it doesn't stain and goes straight back to white. I do also have some cotton ones and they stain if you do that to them.
Fleece-topped are much nicer!

Try heavy periods (possibly caused by fibroids) and add Warfarin. Cant take ibuprofen (not allowed with Warfarin). Currently I have to use Super Plus Extra towels and tampons and change every hour.

I am deeply envious of anyone who has a choice when it comes to sanitary protection.

I love Charlie Banana's washable pads,
I don't get as sweaty or sore as I did with always ultra
I have reasonably light periods (except for 36 hours which are heavy) I change pretty much each time I have a wee and put them in the normal household wash after rinsing. we put on at least one wash per day so they are never sitting around waiting for long.

I have fibroids so feel your pain (quite literally!)

I know what you mean Benjamin - but some posters on here have claimed that towels are gross and disgusting. Fair enough to have a preference (tampons a bit of a faff to put in/out or whatever), but to claim that towels (and associated menstrual blood) are gross is really depressing. Change them regularly (like tampons) and they are not 'disgusting'.

I hate tampons as well. I find them so uncomfortable, particularly since giving birth. I particularly hate it towards the end of my period, trying to pull out a tampon that has been in for as many hours as I'm happy for it to be but isn't as "used" as I expected - ouch! Towels all the way with only tampon use for swimming. I have the leaking problem too - I found a brand once that didn't, Dr something I think which seemed to expand more width wise than the others but still uncomfortable.

Hate scented towels though - another Natracare (with wings) fan www.ecogreenstore.co.uk/natracare-organic-ultra-pads-regular-with-wings-14-pack-p-1020.html?zenid=85845c08659a3374c13805e2883c7c79

Sir exactly - if you change towels regularly then they're perfectly clean and don't smell! Even with a heavy period.

And I know people who use other methods (Mooncup etc) but that's their hygiene preference and I'd never comment! It doesn't bother me, as it were.

I used tampons for years. Hated them.
The alternative was sanitary towels. Hated them more.

After DD was born I couldn't bear to use tampons again so I tried a mooncup. It's fab. If I need something extra Iwill use washable pads.

The blood from my mooncup is poured down the loo. Why would anyone need to pour it in tbe sink? Sure, some blood goes in the sink when it is being rinsed but why would it be any more a biohazard than washing bloody hands

No rustling or sweatiness with cloth pads. I have a mooncup but it leaks a lot. Everyone's different I suppose, as long as you are comfy then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Much cheaper to use reusable though

"I really want to try a mooncup, hadn't even heard of it before mumsnet! Can you feel them at all?"

If it's a bit low you can feel it, but not if it's positioned right. It did take a bit of trial and error getting it in the right place at first, but I find it much more comfortable than a tampon: I hardly know it's there.

Sir
I don't think anyone has described their Menstrual loss as disgusting- just the sweaty, unpleasant feeling of disposable towels.
The really absorbent ones do make my menstrual blood smell ,in the same way disposable nappies make urine smell fishy.
Its the chemicals in them that react.
If you change them really frequently then you probably don't notice.
I don't want to dispose of all these products into landfill every period.

Unless you have tried a Mooncup or fabric reusable towels then you wont be any the wiser.

Perhaps not their menstrual loss on its own - but pubes with dried on blood, gross, disgusting and so on have all been used to describe towels with menstrual blood on them, which is depressing. Menstrual blood and sanitary protection are both natural and normal - it shouldn't be seen as gross or disgusting, regardless of what you use.

I neverfeel sweaty or gross with pads you change them you bin them you get on with your day,