To wonder why more people don't use cloth sanitary pads?

[Bex107]

They have changed my life, and I'm so sad I didn't discover them sooner! When my periods came waltzing back just three months after DS arrived I couldn't bear the thought of tampons or plasticky towels, but I couldn't find anyone I knew who'd used cloth. They are bloody (!) wonderful, if you're considering it give them a go - I wish I'd had someone to tell me that!

It is somewhat visceral though - and the blood doesn't flush so my kids are horrified when they go for a wee . I am
Pleased I was at home for the first period out it that way

But again I did 7 hours at a Friday ends house - so didn't have to empty it in her loo which would have been horrific

As an aside, do they all have such wanky names as 'fairy hammock'?

Hopefully I'm heading towards the menopause now but I was really surprised to see how expensive mooncups are. (I had never heard of them until I joined MN).

Fortunately I can't use tampons so I imagine a moon cup wouldn't suit me either.

So. The pads didn't leak and my period did seem a lot lighter and a day or two shorter than usual. I found that on the light days, the cloth pads didn't smell or smelled better than disposables. On the first heavy day, as discussed before, they had the same metallic smell, so certainly no worse!

I did have mild cramps, but as I think I said before, my occasional cramps have nothing to do with what pads I use.

The downsides: I bought pads with velcro, as I was concerned about the discomfort of the poppers digging in when sitting on a hard saddle. Unfortunately, the velcro isn't placed quite right for me and some of the pads chafe when I'm walking. Also, in the days since the end of my period, there has occasionally been red-tinted discharge (not enough to make a mark on my underwear, never mind leak) when I make normal visits to the bathroom. I think this may be because the cloth pads didn't pull everything out.

Mine never flushes either! I now have a system when I put loo roll down first and carefully aim it. If you're in a loo with a basin you can also pour it down the sink but I wouldn't try that till you are more comfortable with the whole thing in case you spill it! (I would never do it in a bathroom with a carpet!)

Tara - would putting a pair of pants over the top keep the Velcro away from your skin? I have some angel pads and those have really small poppers that I don't think would cause any issues.

In the days of needing pads I would go through a tampon and a towel in an hour. The 'full set' only has 10 pads, even if they are much more absorbent than disposables how many would I need for a period that lasted 7 days with the first three days needing changing every hour and 3 times at night?

I'd buy a "night angel" pad from honour your flow - possibly contacting her for extra absorbency. Should get you through the night or reduce your changes to just one. Absorbs an insane amount of blood.

For the rest of your question it depends if you want to wash mid cycle and whether you're happy to use a tumble dryer or have a radiator you can stick them on. I would start with a mix of cloth and disposable and slowly move towards a full cloth set up. It doesn't have to be all or nothing from the beginning.

Good tip Tara
I am wondering if the extra cleaning and flushing outweighed the environmental benefits !

That said it's feels so lovely to not have lilets up there and there really is no odour whereas the Tampons reeked (sorry TMI)

Randonneur could work, yeah. Although I think I may just replace/move the velcro.

One surprising thing is how few I used. I think that all together I used less than seven pads. I think you can guess that I normally use more disposable pads than that. No extra washing, fortunately, as I was changing sheets that week, so I just stuck them in the 60 degree wash with my bedding.

stop fucking shouting I think a smaller cup would definitely be in order

I don't know if it's coincidence but I now have a raging bladder infection a few days after using the cup for the first time - haven't had cystitis in over a year, may be entirely coincidental, but even if it is, the mooncup definitely wasn't a good fit

I'm 35 and apparently at over 30, even without having given birth, I was supposed to buy the larger size. What's supposed to magically happen to my vag as soon as I hit 30??!!

Any recommendations for a smaller fitting cup? I've heard mention of brands like Meluna and Lunette, any personal recommendations gratefully received

(I was nervous about jinxing things by buying a cup, that I wouldn't then get a menstrual bleed. As it took £700 of injections, blood tests and ultrasound scans to have one period, I really bloody (haha) hope this month's round steps up to the plate. I read about women having epic bleeds on the copper IUD and all I want is more than a dribble!!)

Banana definitely have a break !
I agree though - I would recommend the smaller size to anyone who has not had a baby . In all sincerity after 2 babies I can easily rummage a bit up there . Not sure that it's that easy for those who have not ?

And best of luck with your journey too

I shall do my research for smaller cups - there's such a wealth of cup evangelism on blogs and YouTube that it's almost hard to know where to start!!

I've used tampons no problem - but they're only finger width so whack up there no problem. And as I say, sex and umpteen transvaginal ultrasounds also fine - but two fingers and a cup was a hell of a challenge. I know my consultant said in my two hysteroscopies he had to jack open my cervix (I believe he may have used a more technical terms like 'cervical dilation'!) extra wide because he said in nulliparous women it could snap shut so quickly that it might not let out any retained tissue. So guess maybe the same might be true for vaginas and the amount of 'give'? I've no idea! Anyway, I shall seek out a smaller cup and hope that in 4 weeks time I have some semblance of a period that means I can have cause to try it out

Thanks for your guidance all

Hey guys! I disagree on pads being expensive, some of you may not have noticed that you could buy natural pads cheaper. I bought a set of 4 reusable pads for heavy flow and a sanitary bag off of wish.com for only $5.40 plus 5 dollar shipping in great quality! I haven’t tried them yet but from the reviews and pictures I heard and seen that they were in great quality.

I never knew they were a thing. I'll have to look into it because I don't get on with tampons or sanitary towels

My dd aged 15 asked for and got a mooncup.
I had one after I had dd,tried before but too heavy.I mostly used them at home as work had separate toilets and sinks.
Dd gets on with her's well and is gaining in confidence.Reusable panty liners to suplement them is the obvious next step except they are so visible in shared changing spaces where the pretty fabrics are really not needed.

I’m allergic to the disposable ones so I have no choice, but I honestly do prefer them. Had to use disposables during an emergency and just hated the feeling.

I wash mine separately from my clothes. Just have enough pads for a cycle and wash at the end. I now have period underwear as well. I love those. Not good to wear 24/7 if you have fragile skin because they don’t breathe as well, but perfect as backup to a cup while out of the house.

@Tross3191 the op posted this back in 2016. It's a bit late to get chiming in now on the cost 😂😂😂

Hi,

Newbie here I'm interested in learning more on the cloth sanitary pads or period pants. But there are so many companies out there that sell them and they are so expensive. Are they all the same? Modibodi, earthwise and cheeky wipes are on my radar. But digging on the forum for a while (before I joined, I'm a lurker, don't like to talk much ) I see so many other companies out there who is best?