Always pads have made me bleed

[Memetic]

I’m itching, swollen and bleeding. I stopped using the perfumed shits as soon as I saw I was shedding skin. My bits feel paper thin and the itching won’t stop unless I smother on vagisil. Why the fuck would they perfume pads?!!!

Yeah they are absolutely hideous. I've had to change brands after using them for 20 years.
There is a very limited range of non-scented ones and they are useless - can't seem to find any unscented with wings.
Also they don't seem to absorb as well as they used to. Has anyone else found that?
I use a chemist's own brand now (live abroad). They are much better. They don't stink and they don't leak either.

I use naty
I get them from Amazon
No more thrush!

Ouch, poor you. Lots of water, cranberry juice and Sainsbury’s do a really good cystitis treatment (not saying you have that but they’re soothing). I find I get like this if I use Kotex pads.

Just catching up with the thread, thanks for starting it OP, I always thought it was just me who suffered reactions. No idea so many women struggle-we have to pay to use these liners/pads! Spending money to be in pain and damage your bits. Madness.

Hope you feel more comfortable soon OP

I'm off to look up all the suggestions.

This was the one time I was cross with Ocado. Because I just ordered pads from the 'bought recently' menu. I had never bought a scented/'fresh' pad before, but they didn't see that as a product change when Always changed the product IYSWIM. So I wasn't actually aware I was using scented, until the itching started.

Bodyform, Kotex and supermarket brands for me after that.

Scented ones left in my sports clubhouse loos, in the emergency supply stash, as there was no way I was knowingly putting one of those next to my undercarriage ever again

Ocado did that to me too last year.

There should be a Mumsnet campaign about this. Periods are not dirty and we don't need perfume on our sanitary products. Especially if the perfume harms us!

So Always market research suggested that women are so squicked out by the scent of their own bodies that they need chemical and heavily scented pads?

Who exactly did they do the research with?

The writing is on the wall for all these disposable products anyway. The amount of plastics in them means that public opinion will be completely against them within the next 5 years or so. Reusables are the way forward.

Complain! I emailed and response implied I was only person who disliked them.

Start letting always know!!

The smell from Always products is may be that was the market research, your product stinks...ahh thought Always we'll add a ton of perfumes in that'll help.

Btw I have been traumatised by the honour your flow website. Reuseable tampons? Eek. I'm not sure I can get behind reuseables.
I'm okay with my organic disposable pads and mooncup I think.

I always used to use Always, but also can't since they added perfume. They give me a rash too.

I use a mix of reusable cloth pads and now Thinx pants - shipped from the US, they were the most expensive knickers I've ever bought, but they can last me a whole day at work, I change into a fresh pair when I get home and can go until the next morning in them. Meanwhile I've washed the first pair and dried them overnight and an ready to go again. Absolutely revolutionary for me, may not be so great if you're very heavy though.

I'm coming towards the end of the menopause period, my periods are getting further and further apart. I'm so glad I won't have to put up with periods much longer.

Mine have always been heavy, I use a mooncup, but have been careful to look for unscented liners for light days. I rather like the idea from a pp to sew towelling into big knickers, that seems ace.

DD will only have unscented, so far we can get Bodyform in a local shop for much cheaper than usual.

I would be suspicious that the "research" conducted by Always includes leading questions.

The only time I have ever known someone was on their period from the smell is when I stood next to a woman and immediately smelt that she was wearing a scented pad.

soupdraggon me too. It's so revolting.

Can't believe always haven't suffered a drop in sales

Phone them up and complain they might need to recall them

I bought some reusable pads recently, and am going to try them on my next period. I've also just bought some Always Infinity due to recommendations on this thread and others. Only decided to try them though as they were on offer; they are usually way too expensive!

It's totally horrible - but at least it gave me the push to buy reusable. I own 10 and a cup. Get on so much better with reusable types

It’s great how the scented sanpro movement has prompted so many of us to switch to reusable. What utter bollocks that most women prefer scented pads.

I am so gobsmacked that the scented monstrosities are still a thing. I went to washables about 5yrs back not long after perfumes came out because aside from the discomfort i felt freaked that i could now smell whenever someone was on their period which meant that people could smell me too.
Felt a bit odd at first but have had no prob with the swap and i am well past the point of recouping costs so my periods are now free

Try bodyform, they're cheaper and better. Or switch to cloth pads, better for the environment and you can wash them in whatever wash powder is most friendly to your skin.

Yes to horrific perfume smell now indicating a period!? Nobody smelt periods before; if your san products stink, you're using them wrong...now the perfume follows you round like a period flag/neon sign. it's not even nice perfume, I wouldnt clean the bog with a product that smelt like that, let alone put it on my ladygarden

Perhaps if a few of us took a photo of our (clean) cloth pads, mooncups etc, & tweeted Always or messaged them on other social media - on anonymous accounts if preferred (I have an anonymous Twitter account) they might take notice? Something along the lines of thanking them for helping us to save money & be more environmentally friendly. Shock value & all that... at least it might get some attention. It would probably need a good few different people to do it though.

I’m long past needing sanpro, but both my DDs have switched to mooncups and rave about how wonderful they are. It saves a fortune as you only buy one for life, they’re soft and non traumatic, and simple and comfy to insert and remove. I think they should be advertised more widely, but I suspect they’d destroy the market for pads and tampons!

Natrucare (sp?) are amazing. Really soft. Do the job on my massively heavy periods. Their tampons fit me better than any other brand.
I get them from Holland & Barratt or Waitrose.

Always are the devils own sanpro. You can smell them on other women a mile away.

I used one of those fresh wipes that used to be attached to always, then got thrush but even more worrying the knickers I had on changed the colour they would if you'd doused them in bleach !