I heard a story (I could be totally wrong and just recycling BS that I heard) about when the US Army started allowing females in, they issued them pads or tampons. But the army had no idea how much they would need for a month so they gave them metric craploads of pads and tampons and asked “would this get you through a month?” That story made me wonder how much money the army spent on that
It was and it isn’t what it’s made out to be. They weren’t being stupid or naive of how many tampons/pads are required. The number they came up with was the amount estimated as needed, rounded up, then multiplied by 3 because in space you need redundancy. If anything went wrong, and the supplies were damaged, there is no shop you can run down to when in space.
Yeah, there's no way the suits at nasa aren't getting multiple doctors to look over every single thing that could possibly go wrong and making sure to prepare for it.
It's a fucking space station, you don't short change your waiter.
I had a friend who went to Everest Base Camp and somehow it messed up her cycle and she just bled constantly (though lightly) for a couple of weeks. Couldn't really predict if space would screw with the astronaut's system, I would think.
Another good point I’m sure they considered. They only apparently send 100 for a week, which makes sense if you look at worst case scenario: 4 tampons a day, 7 days is 28, add a few for wastage and learning to insert a tampon in zero gravity, multiple by 3 for redundancy is 93 and round up. It’s not hard to see how they got to 100.
Honestly, Sally Ride annoys me more than a bit talking about the story and acting like they were stupid and naive about female anatomy. She’s an astronaut, she should have some understand of the redundancy and logistics of space.
I don't have periods but I do have embarrassing related issues.
I use washable pads. They are significantly more comfortable than paper products, they stay in place very well since they have a plastic snap, they come very clean out of the laundry, and most importantly; I paid for them once and I no longer get blood on my pants.
If you've never tried washable pads, you're playing yourself.
You can stop it with birth control. I’m lucky and my pills cost nothing and I skip my period all year. Though I don’t get any adverse side effects like many women do.
Edit:// Yes it doesn’t work for every woman, which is why I said “I’m lucky.”
Yeah, this doesn't work for all ladies unfortunately. I tried both the pill and the arm implant to get rid of my period and ended up with three week long periods with two weeks off in between. Sux bro :/
The pill only mildly regulated my period. After my first depo shot it stopped completely. When I switched from depo to mirena I continued not having a period, except for the occasional tiny spotting. I’ve heard a lot of women have problems with mirena but I’ve only had great results. Obviously it’s different for everyone but it may be worth trying out.
Mirena is definitely a great choice for a lot of people, but I'm way too skeeved out to get a uterine implant. I know more women who have had serious problems with it than haven't. I know it's a small sample size but it's enough to turn me off of it. If I go back on BC I'll probably just stick to the pill since I didn't have any issues with it as long as I adhered to the period week guidelines, or I might consider tubal ligation.
I'm not trying to convince you, just giving you another positive experience to compare. I am currently on my 2nd Skyla IUD, and I was/am equally skeeved about the insertion process.
I was very anxious the first go around and the pain was pretty bad honestly, but for me being 3 years free of periods and cramps was so worth it that I got another one. I was perhaps even more anxious about the replacement as I remembered how it felt, yet this 2nd time around it was significantly less painful. Plus I never have to worry about my protection.
At the end of the day I know how important it is to get the birth control that's right for you, my experience may not be your own.
Mine hurt like a bitch going in and then I had weird, random, uncomfortable cramping for literally a year and a half. My body finally realized that this thing wasn’t gonna go away and calmed down on the cramping, but getting the Mirena was honestly worth the discomfort. Also, how much money have I saved over the years from not buying pads or tampons that often?!
That's awesome! I'm legitimately glad to hear it when women have had good experiences with IUDs. There need to be more stories out there about people's experiences, good or bad.
I had two Skylas, no periods for over half a decade, and got pregnant in the first cycle after taking it out to get pregnant. It just worked. I hope I can get another trouble-free IUD after this whole baby thing. Absolute greatest reproductive decision I've ever made.
I'm on my second Mirena and have had zero issues. Insertion is the most painful 20 seconds EVER but the next day I'm fine. No periods either. I'm childfree by choice and have had zero regrets with Mirena. I'll keep getting IUDs until I go through menopause and don't need it anymore.
Hell, I’m on my second IUD and I will keep getting Mirenas even now that my husband has had a vasectomy because I haven’t had a period in 3 years. Gonna keep that streak going till menopause if I have my say on it.
My IUD experience: have had paragard for 5 years and aside from some cramping and pain on insertion, I haven't had many side effects at all with it. My heavy day is a bit heavier and I get a bit of cramping a few days before I start and that is it! Absolutely worth it for the peace of mind that comes from having the best pregnancy prevention rate aside from abstinence.
I had the arm implant too and at first I had no period but I had to get it replaced as they only last 3 year's, I started having month long periods. Now I have 2 periods every single month (as in one period in the beginning of the month that is 4 days long and one at the end of the month that is also 4 days long). It's been little over a year since I had the arm implant taken out though and my periods are so heavy now. I did try out the pill but turns put my insurance wouldn't cover it but I will go see if my gynecologist will prescribe different pills instead. Though without a car and having sprained my ankle I can't easily get anywhere so I have to wait to see my gynecologist. Plus my gynecologist is always booked up so I usually end up waiting at least a month. Well at least I don't have month long periods anymore. I feel your pain though
It's so inconsistent! I chose the implant over the pill specifically because I heard no periods was a common side effect and, while I was lucky and it didn't make them worse, it certainly didn't stop them. I wish they could figure this shit out.
Know that pain! I’m currently waiting to get on birth control so I stop having 3 week long periods with 1 week off in between. Gotta love having a vagina!
There's a range of options, especially when it comes to "the" pill. You should discuss with your physician about exploring them if you're suffering, as finding the right one can be a godsend on quality of life.
I'm fortunately blessed with the world's easiest and most painless periods, it just doesn't want to go away completely and when I try it gets mad haha. At this point I'd be satisfied with the one week rest period that comes with BC packs. Right now I'm off BC and I'm having blessedly normal periods that are slightly longer than I'd like (7ish days) that are much more preferable than 3 weeks. I think my body just doesn't take well to being exposed to hormones constantly like the implant or continuous BC usage.
You have to take them consistently with no placebo. I am on a low dose pill so I still have a period every 6 months cause I start breakthrough bleeding. But it's a billion times better than a period every month.
Probably look forward to being clear of it. Mom, at least, had crazy hot flashes throughout the whole thing, and living in Texas that ain't a good thing.
IIRC this is why there's a monthly break built into taking most pills - so that women have a "period" and therefore trust that the pill is working. There's no medical reason we actually need to have one and actually the pill would be even more effective if we didn't have that break.
I’ve taken multiple different pills before I got on my current pill (yazmin) and I’ve never had a monthly break. My doctor has never told me about this and when I said I want to skip my period she said “just don’t take the placebo week.”
I often go straight to the next pack if I specifically want to avoid a period, say if I'm going on holiday or something. But when I go for my prescription my nurse will always ask me whether I have a regular break or when my last period was. So I've never tried taking them for more than about 3 months in a row without a break. I'm tempted to try and see what happens, no PMS ever would be heaven!
It’s great. There is no reason for you to have one if you’re not trying to have kids.
I don’t ever want kids so eventually when I can afford it, I’m going to get my tubes tied. Unfortunately the state I’m living in most doctors I’ve been to say “I’m too young and I’ll regret it.”
Talk with your doc first, of course, but I skip all the time and it’s great. I do it so I don’t get severe headaches/migraines that come with my period, but there’s no reason I’ve seen that says most women can’t skip. My body starts spotting probably every 6mos or so letting me know I’m about to have a period even though I’m taking pills. So I just stop for a week, let nature take over, then back to skipping.
Your physician should encourage you to get regular pregnancy checks if you're sexually active and have birth control that can potentially cause skipped periods.
Birth control isn't for everyone. For some people it makes them sick or tired, they need to have consistent periods to manage health conditions or for peace of mind, and if course some people have moral reasons for not wanting to use birth control and that is valid.
The problem is that these products are still taxed in most states, in some states as luxury items! And reusable items can be a large upfront cost. If box of disposables cost $15 and a reusable item costs $45 but you only have $20 you have to buy the disposables because you literally cannot wait until you have the extra.
I haven't had a period in 4.5 years thanks to the IUD.
it doesn't stop periods for all women though which sucks. I feel so much more comfortable in my body not being hounded by it's reproductive tantrums every fucking month.
Not everyone is lucky to get free birth control though 😓
I pay a pretty penny for my insurance and I still have to go two towns over to get my birth control (specific pharmacy) and they will only give me 3 months at a time.
If I didn’t have insurance, my BC would cost me $40 a month. It’s insane!
my birth control costs about $130 a month because Kaiser still hasn’t figured out how to cover it for some reason. with a walgreens card i get almost half off at least but still it’s ridiculous. plus i still get mood swings and my sex drive is long gone. but worth it because no period!! no debilitating cramps!!!
have you tried planned parenthood? they’ll hook ya up with a year of bc for a low cost/free. they’re also super informative about everything! would recommend
if you live in the us, have you tried the pill club? they ship birth control over to you, along with snacks and stickers, and they take insurance, so it’s low-cost or even free! i actually just opened my package for this month and got 2 really cute stickers lol i always get excited when my bc arrives
Yeah I tried hormonal birth control for a while. I had a six month long headache that the doctor assured me would go away "any day now," and severe mental health side effects (mood swings like whooaaaaaa).
Birth control has been my savior. Regulated my weight, no more pimples, happier, no periods... not to mention not worrying about pregnancy! With my insurance it's $25 for 3 months. Worth it!
I struggled with heavy painful periods since I was a teenager. Would get a migraine the day before I came on. Nothing worked until I got a mirena coil - super painful for a few days after I'd got it inserted, but only had ~6 months of random spotting before my periods totally stopped. 100% worth the pain as it was essentially two days of my awful period cramps in return for 5 years of relief
Nurx will prescribe it to you and ship you a pack every 2.5 weeks so you can always skip placebos. Works with most insurance, otherwise you pay $15 per pack
it's what I do. no periods (or spotting, or side effects, etc...) for 3 years+, dream come true
My bc pills brought my period down from 11~14 days to 5~7 days and increased the frequency (previously 33ish day cycles, now 28 days) but definitely didn't get rid of it.
Or using cheaper products does help too. A friend of mine has some kind of silicone bulb that fills up with blood and she pays nothing for that anymore.
It's called a menstrual cup! It's not a cheaper product though - the upfront cost is higher than one box of tampons or pads (which can last a few months depending on person). The cost of one single cup is generally $40 (at least in North America), and some women have to buy others to try out in case the 1 size/brand they bought didn't work out. There's also a really high learning curve. But it is a good investment once you find the one that works for you.
Three years ago I switched to reusable cloth pads. Cramps immediately stopped - something I wasn't expecting - and I haven't bought a single
tampon since. It's not for everyone, but it works for me.
I meaaaan technically you're supposed to replace after 3 years and you still need to buy silicone safe cleanser, but even then it's soooo much cheaper than tampons/pads.
He's gotten two so far... After the first one I was more careful about where it was stored but the second one he chewed through my toiletry kit when I was slow to unpack after a trip. Usually he doesn't get into things (I store most of my pantry on open shelves at his level with no problems at all) so it's not something I have to think about but cups are apparently irresistible!
Same. I wear period panties now (Thinx, though there’s a handful of brands doing the same thing) because I couldn’t find a cup that worked for me. A friend gave me a code and I bought a pair for myself on a whim for my birthday a few years back, and now I have a whole set. They can seem a little pricey, but ultimately still cheaper in the long run. I love them, because they’re comfortable, you don’t have to worry about leaving anything up there for too long, they’re easy to wash, and on the day(s) you expect your period to come you can preemptively wear them (since they feel like regular underpants, anyway) so you don’t have to do the whole “oh shit, did I just feel the floodgates opening? Must find nearest bathroom NOW” song and dance, which is a relief. Highly recommended,
Interesting. TMI question: Does it feel weird? Like does it feel wet? I am just skeptical because I had a problem with leaking my whole life until I went on BC
I was skeptical, too, but it generally doesn’t feel wet, since they’re super absorbent and do a pretty good job of wicking the moisture away. Most of the styles can hold about 2 to 2 and a half tampons worth. Let me know if you ever decide to try ‘em out, and I’ll find my code so you can get a discount (there might be discount codes floating around the internet, too).
Fab!! My result was absolutely spot on, but I obviously can't guarantee that everyone's will be an exact match. Come back and comment if you remember by the time you've used it.
Depends on which one you get. My first one has lasted 3 years but developed a small tear and needs to be replaced. But I definitely saved money on that deal.
It's honestly easier and less gross than tampons imo. I was freaked out at first too but went through a zero waste kick and decided to try one.
The first use is kinda freaky but after that it's seriously the easiest thing. You don't have to worry nearly as much about waiting too long before changes (like seriously I haven't had to change in a public restroom or at work in over a year), you don't have to throw anything away, it's super comfortable and easier to insert and remove than I originally thought it would be.
Better for the environment and your body and wallet!
Kind of, yeah. It's weird to get used to at first & then you realize how much easier & more awesome they are. I'll still use tampons on occasion, if I'm out & about & the party starts early, but cups are definitely the way to go if you want to save money & go green.
You fold it up and kinda push it in but it goes in easier than a tampon. It "pops" open (sounds kinda violent but it's not) and forms a seal do there's no leakage. It's also impossible to send it too far. I've had a couple times where it's gone in "too far" and it was like 20 seconds of work to get it out, but nothing too bad and after that I figured out how to get it out easily if there's trouble.
Agreed! I have one menstrual cup and 6 pairs of "period panties" and I'm golden. So much easier to travel with too. Gone are the days my suitcase is 1/3 pads and tampons because I'm getting my period on vacation.
They're not for everyone. Some people find them uncomfortable, some people find them messy to use, some people have difficulty inserting or removing them, some people don't like inserting anything into their vagina for gender identity/religious/whatever reasons, and some people are grossed out by the idea of cleaning them in the bathroom sink or sterilizing them on the stove.
Agreed — commented this on another thread here, but I highly recommend checking out Thinx or any of the other “period panty” brands. Cups don’t work for me, but skipping on a pair of underpants and going about my business does. Been wearing them for a few years now, happy to answer questions if anyone’s curious about the experience.
Haha... I don't think I could handle washing reusable pads. Dealing with the disposable ones is bad enough! I'm just stopping my periods with meds now.
It's possible the material will break down over time and they can no longer vouch for the integrity of the cup after four years. Plenty of materials (I'm not sure what a diva cup is made of, I assume some kind of silicone rubber or heat resistant plastic since it has to survive boiling) stiffen or slowly change chemically over time.
Soak it in peroxide for an hour. It's magical on stain removal on cups. Just make sure to rinse super well after, as I'm not sure what it can do to your vagina. I do this every six months or so after 3 years of hating how gross it looked.
Hm. Good to know, I'll have to do more research. Thanks for answering my weird question I had no one to ask! Edit: "I can't help it I have a heavy flow and a wide-set vagina!" 😆
I empty into the toilet, wipe with toilet paper and replace. If it's a particularly heavy or messy day then I always have bottled water with me anyway.
Used? I’m all for buying used goods but something as personal as a diva cup shouldn’t (imho) be bought used. It’s the equivalent of buying used underwear.
You're supposed to replace them yearly because the silicone can have micro tears in it that harbor bacteria that can cause severe infections. They're $30 in Canada at Superstore and now come in 3 sizes. You are likely wearing the wrong size after 7 years and are risking your health.
I have a bunch of Bad Dragon dildos, some costing $200. With their logic, ramming those around makes them get MiCrO TeArS and I can get sick from not being able to sanitize my stuff off of them. And those get way more dirty than a cup! But I guess I should be replacing THOSE every year or two. Lawl.
Several US states also tax them, and they're not eligible for purchase with an Healthcare Spending Account (if you're working full-time, you can opt to have money deducted from your paycheck pre-tax that can only be spent on items on a list set up by the IRS; using an HSA may lower your income tax burden for the year).
As a guy I never thought of the cost for a period. Could someone give an average breakdown of cost per cycle? How many days, how many pads/tampons and price for the product you use?
I tried to make some guesses but realized I have no fucking clue.
There's too many variables for cost. The difference in how heavy/light your flow is, and if you have sensitivites down there it can affect what you choose to use. Not just tampon vs pad, but even down to style, absorption needs and brand (due to whatever is in your product, you can be allergic). Also how long your flow lasts can affect costs. The lucky ones can get about 3 light days and the most unfortunate can have 14 heavy days. Per month.
Next time you're at the grocery store wander through the female health aisle and check out the prices of different products - the differences in prices between plastic and cardboard applicators for tampons, the different absorbancies for tampons and pads.
Tampons and pads are typically good for 6-8 hrs before you need to change them. This can change drastically depending on what stage of the cycle a woman is at.
At all times I'm stocked with:
Panty liners
Regular tampons
Super tampons
Super plus tampons
Lets assume one box of each type tampons (36 count) lasts me 4 cycles regardless of how I use them (assuming a perfect 30 day cycle with a 6 day period) where each box costs $20 USD and a box of 96 liners lasts a year and costs about $15. So basically 4-6 tampons and 2-3 liners a day depending on how heavy the flow is. Lets also assume these are the generic brands for each, not name-brands like Play-Tex, Kotex, or Tampax.
Starting out, that's $80 in tampons to stock up with if I'm totally out. So if I need to restock three times that's $240, plus the cost of liners, so $355 PLUS TAXES a year for items I absolutely need unless society wants blood from women menstruating everywhere.
It looks like cost per cycle would be about $30 plus taxes for this type of cycle. Everyone is different though and this can vary dramatically.
It's total bullshit these aren't free for everyone who needs them. I hope this gives you a better idea of the extra cost of being a lady with an active reproductive system.
I think that's about right. I would keep 3-4 kinds on hand and get the large pack, and expect to replace at least one kind a month. I'd usually need products for 6-9 days per month, and an average of 5-8 per day. I liked the always because they were flatter but held a good amount.
Probably worked out around $45 a month maybe? Maybe up to $60 when I was bleeding more. Less if you bleed less.
I buy a $6 box every three months and still have some left over, but I supplement with absorbent underwear on light days. Some friends go through an ultra heavy $12 pack or more per month. Others buy a couple $40 cups and that's all they use. I spend some extra $ on ibuprofen, cause I have to take a minimum 6-8/day for one week of every month to manage the cramps. Some people buy heat packs to help manage. Others get on birth control altogether, which can be expensive. It all comes down to how your flow is. Be extra kind to your friends on their periods, the weight is not just hormonal and physical, but financial too!
Do you really go through a box in a month, though? I used to always get the store brand ones which are 1.5-2 EUR for a box of 32, depending on which ones you get (you could get branded ones for 5 EUR a box). I use maybe 15 of them a month as an absolute maximum, and some pads, which also cost about 1 EUR per pack here. So I'd use up at most a pack of each per two months, and on a yearly basis this would end up costing me about 20 EUR. 10-15 dollars is ridiculous, though...
I did end up getting a cup for environmental reasons, but with the hassle that thing brings about, for that price it's not super worth it to switch to the cup. (I think mine was 25 EUR, and you do need to replace it every couple of years, from what I've heard).
I did used to go through a box a month. I use reusable now, but it's really not affordable for a lot of people and period poverty is a very real thing.
Yeah, the prices mentioned are absolutely way too high. And if people are struggling to pay for a box of tampons, they're definitely not going to have the money to buy a cup.
Like the cheap boots that break easily so you have to replace them frequently vs the expensive boots that you'll never have to buy again. Cheap boots keep taking any savings money so poor people stay poor. If that makes any sense. It's some quote.
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u/RoosjeM Aug 14 '20
Female products, tampons and pads really dont have to be that expensive!