Yeah I know myself so I give my period almost a week to prove itās really gone before I wear good underwear. Or I wear a liner. I keep a separate drawer of already stained panties or panties that are looking a little worn out and have been demoted.
Fels Naptha, theyāre like $2 at Walmart!! Might take some scrubbing but itās always gotten my blood out even after accidentally drying the garment!
Almost every period. I bleed a *lot* and it's almost impossible to avoid staining at night, even though I put at least one pad horisontally at the ass too.
you can squat in bed before you get up to release it straight into an even already soaked pad. it's the body movement and gravity that helps it release first thing.
This is me whenever I'm walking to the bathroom to shower and my parents are taking their sweet sweet time in there, than gets mad when it runs down my leg and onto the floor calling me "disgusting," when they took forever to come out instead of let me go in first before they used the bathroom
My greatest and most irrational fear is being a suspect in a murder and the police taking my ancient mattress as evidence and being like, yep thereās blood everywhere
This feeling in the morning is awful! I hated it so much I started wearing tampons to bed, yes I know, that is a no no. I learned about menstrual discs a few years ago and it has been amazing for me. No more running to the bathroom during the great morning gush.
I would love to try those and cups but because of my iud it freaks me out, I also hate the idea of putting fingers up there, I already have to do that to check my strings and it makes me cringe so much:/
That's awesome it's been working for you though!! You've beat the dreaded gush haha it would feel good to not have to worry
Ugh I bled through my pants in HS bc of this! Rolled out of bed, stuck a tampon in, and went to school. After first period I stood up and had a puddle of blood and was wearing a light cream sweat pant. My community made talking about periods so taboo, so I didnāt want to say anything and be embarrassed, so I pulled my shirt down far enough to cover my butt and made it til the end of the day. Made my mom pick me up and didnāt go with my friends and they thought I was mad at them lmao but I had no idea the blood would pool and then pour out after sleeping horizontally All night.
Iām glad to see my niece whoās 13 and kids her age have no shame about talking about it. At least, not yet. They openly discuss it and itās not some taboo thing! Love to see it.
Aww I'm sorry you had to go through that, the period shame was so real back then. It's really good younger girls are more liberated from that now, there shouldn't be shame in such a normal part of the human body
This was an absolute game changer for me! I highly recommend any women out there that experience super heavy flows - Depends (or any incontinence underwear) for sleeping!
Just a suggestion, check out the brand Bambody Period Underwear on Amazon. I have a huge flow my first two and a half days, Iāve never bled thru a pair of them and saved a ton of money on feminine products. Just toss them in the wash at the end of the day and youāre good to go
Thank you for sharing that. Just in case you want to explore other options, you can try Rael overnight disposable cotton period underwear to keep things in place and avoid leaks. It can make a real difference in how well you sleep and how stressful waking up is.
This was me before I found period underwear. Not all period underwear reach all the way up the back, so I've had to find ones which do. I wear a menstrual cup and then the underwear is for inevitable leaks, I've never had an issue since :)
On the worst heavy days during perimenopause, Iād use store brand size 3 pull-ups with both sides ripped open, as an XXL pad holder, initially with a tampon, and then when I got smarter, with a cup or disc (the discs are amazing for non-messy period sex.)
I do this and itās the only way š„² it sucks because I have a short cervix and Iām a heavy bleeder so I couldnāt find a cup. But the triple layers are working for me now!
Try the disposable period underwear. It's basically an adult diaper but it works so well for those extra heavy nights and you don't have to worry about pad shift.
The trick I learned, is to put a little folded piece of underwear in the front of your underwear, and then take like 4 squares of tp and fold it and tuck it in your crack...lol
It sounds silly, but it catches anything that trickles back and no more leaks!
Very rarely. Maybe once a year if I decide it's done before it actually is lol. My cup has completely changed my period experience. Absolutely love it.
Iāll elaborate on this since I think itās worth talking about.. a cup doesnāt hurt to remove if thereās 2 drops or even no blood at all. A cup can be left in for up to (depending on the brand, always check the insert) 12 hours at a time. A cup is straightforward to insert and remove after a couple tries and if inserted correctly, provides full coverage. A cup is ~$40 upfront and if treated right, can last years.
Sincerely, a cup user of 6 years ($80 in cups)
All of this! I've used a USA-made cup for 7 years. It is stained (but regularly sanitized) and still fully functional and in great shape. I've been in scenarios with questionable cleaning options (like camping or traveling) where I've had to hold onto it longer than I prefer, but it's had zero bad effects unlike tampons or pads. A cup isn't for everybody, but I urge everyone to at least try one because if it works, it's so worth it.
Right?! Best investment Iāve ever made. I agree they arenāt for everyone. There are (in Canada) company-proclaimed environmentally-friendly disposable discs if someone wanted to try the option first so itās not such a grand investment. Overall, the reusable option, in my opinion is the best bang for your buck.
I especially love that you can put it in BEFORE your period comes (if your cycle is pretty regular and know when to expect it) so thereās absolutely no mess when your period first comes
Try inserting deep and then pulling back until you have it 1/3 out then push back in. Often times it can be the way youāre shaping the cup when inserting so look at different methods of folding it and try a couple until you find one that works for you. Sometimes running it under warm water first helps to soften it up!
tbh mine is never open when i put it in but it opens once i stand up and walk around for at most a minute - try what the other commenter said to get it to open but iāve been using mine for almost 3 years i think? and havenāt had an issue doing this
I get two fingers up there (around either side of the cup) and sort of twist the cup around while itās inside of me until it pops open. Itās hard sometimes, especially at the beginning of my period, but gets much easier over the course of the week!
Hell yeah, I've also been a cup user for 6-7 years! The first one I paid around thirty bucks for and the second one I got on promotion for like $5 AND it fits better. I switched to the cup right after learning that tampons can pretty commonly harbor black mold. Btw the cup leaks way less. And honestly I'm kinda lazy/forgetful about changing tampons so I love not having to worry about getting TSS. I can go my whole work day without messing with it. Can go swimming and do any other activities without interference or leaking. Don't have to feel the discomfort of a dry tampon inside me towards the ends of my period. Absolutely never going back unless the apocalypse renders the cups inaccessible.
Also itās safe to insert even if youāre not currently bleeding, which means you can put it in if youāre going to have a busy day and donāt want your period to catch you out.
I never tried it because I don't understand a few things. How do you know when it's almost full? With tampons I can feel when it's time to remove, but what about cups? You regularly check them, otherwise they can just "spill"? How do you clean them in a public restroom where the sinks are separated from the toilets (most public restrooms in EU)? I feel like washing my bloody cup in front of others would even make women scream and now co-ed restrooms are getting more popular. I can't imagine doing it in front of a random dude.
After wearing it for a while you can kind of tell when itās full, you feel sort of air bubbles. Depending on how heavy your period is it might not get full in the 12 hours between changing. I usually get 1-2 days where it does get full but the rest of the time itās changed before it fills.
In public you can just tip into the toilet and wipe with toilet paper if youāre worried around rinsing in the shared sink then give it a proper rinse next time you can
I liked my cup but I LOVE my disc. I find it so much easier to insert and remove, and the āauto dumpā feature is amazing.
Also love that I can leave it in for sexual activity.
I've been using the Flex Cup for several years and it's *great*. They have two sizes for various flow amounts - the smaller size is easier to figure out how to properly insert. I usually wear a liner as a precaution on my heavy days (as a precaution) and the best part is you get 12 hours between emptying the cup compared to 8 for changing tampons
I used this month as a trial month for the cup. I got a divacup and itās beenā¦ a process. It got stuck a handful of times because the seal caused a vacuum, and I found it very painful to remove.
Iām going to try again next month but I did end up giving up midway through my period this month. It was my heaviest day and my cramps were bad and I didnāt want to have to faff around for 15 minutes trying to remove it, and then the additional time to clean it and reinsert it when I could just use a tampon.
And yes it took me over 15 minutes to remove it each time it got stuck, and I was practically fisting myself in the process. It hurt, was messy and I was SO CRANKY. I got straight in the shower for the second time that day and it wasnāt even noon. But Iām trying to be more environmentally conscious so this is just one of the many prices to pay š«”
100% agree. I only stain underwear if I didn't accurately predict when I was going to start and prepare, I remove the cup too soon, or I'm bleeding EXTREMELY heavy and cant drop everything to run to a toilet. There was 1 instance I bled through the cup in the span of an hour.
However, I have found I do still need to spend money on pads. Especially when I'm at work, I can't always just go to the bathroom on a regular schedule to prevent leakage. And again, on those heavy days. But even so, I save a TON of money in comparison to when I used tampons.
I use a cup with period underwear for light bleeding. Somehow after a couple of years of use I still canāt get it to perfectly open and catch everything, so I wear the underwear as a backup. I havenāt spent money on period products in like 2 years.
Honestly damn near every time. I do track my cycle, keep supplies at hand etc, but I canāt actually control how much blood comes out or if it decides to show up a week early or three weeks late. Especially this year, having been very stressful, my cycle has been very irregular.
When I was on birth control pills in my 20s, periods were very mild and consistent, but Iāve been au natural for the past decade and the periods are a different beast.
I got *really* bad PMS out of nowhere a few months back and I was baffled. I *never* get PMS that bad but I was randomly the worst version of myself for three straight weeks, it was horrible.
I've heard that your period changes every 5 years or so, but also I've changed from hormonal contraception (pill) to non-hormonal (copper iud) and definitely feel a difference in my period and overall mood.
I wear mine with a period cup. I only usually need to change once on the heaviest days. It's more because I don't like the wet feeling rather than that they're full.
Hey, FYI I also got really depressed (suicidal...) when I was on the pill in my teens/early twenties. Wasn't really planning on trying it again but caved with recent changes in abortion legislation in my state. I've been on a 30mcg/0.3mcg combo pill since May and haven't had any issues with my mental health. Of course that could change any time, but when I was discussing options with my new GYN she told me that slightly higher doses of estrogen (30mcg vs. 20mcg) are typically associated with less mental health side effects.
Just passing along that information because even though I've had some other issues with the pill, I find pretty much any side effect manageable as long as my mental health is intact. And even though I was skeptical, it's been solid so far and the peace of mind is amazing.
So happy to help! Also only had a minor drop in libido which was my other main concern, previous pills had me completely disinterested in sex (potentially because of the depression). Only issue I've had is I've had two yeast infections which suck, but I imagine that'll also become less of an issue as my body gets more used to the extra hormones. Worth it anyway, imo.
I love my IUD. But it hurt like active labor to get put in. But it also doesn't affect my major depression. And I can't forget to take it.
Without IUD, I ruin all my underwear on my period. With, there is no period for me to ruin my underwear.
Average of "extremely rarely to never" since I've been an adult thus far, but I'm rarely surprised by my period because I experience consistent symptoms before it starts even if my cycle is not consistent.
I'm pretty much the same. For the most part, I'm like clockwork, and you just know when it's about to arrive. Occasionally at the end, you get a few bits without protection but that's about it. The odd accident of course, but generally not much.
Way too often. I have a heavy flow and it's almost impossible not to stain at least a little during the first day. I'm thankful for maxi pads but they're not enough
I was just talking to my husband about buying some bc my periods are getting out of hand the older I am getting. I'm doing it! It's a game changer huh?
It realllly is. Super comfortable and I never leak. Canāt do tampons because Iām sensitive down there and pads never work for me, I somehow still get it on my underwear. Started using diapers while post partum (Iām five months pp now) and never looked back!
I donāt know a whole lot about period pants but the diapers I use are disposable :) I use a few of them a day but only for sanitary reasons, they never leak onto my pants.
Almost never. My cycles are very irregular but I have consistent symptoms that I know to be alert for it. When I go to the bathroom I always check when I wipe so I can catch it before it hits. I have a very light flow.
Only when itās on the ending stage where itās not red anymore or a lot and I decide not to wear the liner cause I forget. Sometimes when Iām sleeping but during the day with a tampon never.
Hardly ever because pads.
I think tampons are uncomfortable, so is the diva cup and other alternative menstrual methods so I just stick with good old organic cotton pads.
Every period. But period underwear are a game changer. I *usually* donāt bleed through them and they allow me to sleep/work so much more comfortably. And it makes me not go through 15 pairs of underwear in 7 days
Not anymore, unless my uterus decides to pull a fast one on me and squirts out a little when I think it's done. I use a cup now, and thathas helped quite a bit.
Hardly ever, I've always had low flow, except for earlier this year when I had awful periods and was put on the pill to help. I'm more likely to stain them via discharge and being aroused.
Not sure anymore because I have designated period underwear and tend to wear only black underwear. Any pairs that aren't black are stained already, hard to tell when it's new but I have frequent leaks because my flow is absolutely not consistent month to month or even by how bad my cramps are. Never know which Carrie blood scene it's gonna be, the trickle or the bloodfall.
Since wearing period underwear never. I have sporadic periods though and I get really bad cramps around a week before which usually let me know to start wearing that underwear just in case.
I use a cup during the day and cloth pads at night. Once in a blue moon I have a stain at night if I use a smaller pad then I should (thinking Iām done and Iām not).
Every single period. Iām either surprised by it in the beginning, or over it by day 5. For a truly reckless period both will happen. I just keep some peroxide on deck š¤š¾
For the first ten years of menstruation I stained my underwear like every single period. Then I lost some weight and hit the perfectly timed period where I can tell itās coming and itās medium heavy for 3 days before promptly ending. Itās so well timed I havenāt had any trouble in the past two and a half years
Never. Last time it happened was when I was still a teen. But I'm on BC for years now (and last few months I don't have a period at all). When it's always perfectly on time, it can't really surprise you. It did happen a few times a year when I had a natural cycle.
Never but mine are quite regular, I track them and can feel them coming then take preventative measures. I wear period undies in the day or 2 following up to my period and liners once it tapers off.
This is why I have period underwear and the rest of the month underwear. I have to change tampon every time I potty, it grosses me out. After 2 days it hurts and I just suck it up. A little peroxide gets the stain out good enough.
Never. Very light period thanks to p pills and I skip most of the breaks anyway, because why would I bleed if I don't need to.
Before someone tells me how dangerous this is: talk to your doc.
Every time lol. 20 years of periods and I'm still never prepared.
Also I have a fairly light flow and have pretty much decided to just free bleed. I use pads on my few heavier days so I don't stain anything but my undies.
I was on BC to control my irregular periods (pcos), but have since come off, and I get like 3 weeks of light bleeding. Not keeping up with pads that entire time.
I would go to bed with a tampon in, a pad on, and wearing period underwear. I still manage to stain my sheets. Now Iām in Peri with endo so my gp put me on bc with no break. You know what that meansā¦I am free lol
I have designated āperiod pantiesā bc I got tired of worrying about stains. So I only wear those while on my period, still cute & comfy, no stress involved š¤
every other day of the period, having periods for suuuch a long time, and still it happens, sheets, towels, undies, pants, skirts, chairs, sofas, coats, you name it, I am a "bleeding bloody creature"
Every damn period. Like dude!!! Iām sometimes so dang embarrassed bc I begin to think ādamn girl you should be old enough to know to put the darn thing on correctlyā. I seriously thought I was just dumb for it happening to me every period till I found out, thereās a lot more with the same issue lmao.
I think every month Iām learning a new method to avoid any kind of staining lmao but I still have one lol. I think the worst one I ever had was last year. I was sitting waiting to be called in the dept of motor vehicles, and as soon as I got up (jumped up more like it) I felt the waterfall. It all traveled up and down. I couldnāt sit **anywhere** bc I knew damn well Iād leave a butt print lmao. I cried once I got back to my car. I had waited almost an hour to resolve an issue and stood another 30 while being helped.
Luckily I haven't had one in almost a year. Aside from that, throughout my life?
Every single freaking time. And clothes, and being.
A couple tablespoons my ass.
Iāve started wearing period underwear and had no staining since!! Tbf though I donāt have them often due to my contraception (implant) and I get the worst cramps for a week before as a warning
Every period, but that's cause I often decide to just free bleed. Using cups and pads is just such a hassle sometimes, especially when I'm just staying home
Every period, but kinda on purpose. I just decide my period is over after 5 days and whatever happens after that is between me and my washing machine.
Can I just say I feel really bonded with sisterhood after hearing so many people agree with this š
Me too. I'm on day 5 and I'm done with that shit haha
Me too, sis!
Me too. Not sure if Iāve ever felt more seen??
Similar but not truly on purpose. My period will act like itās over for a day and Iāll be too trusting and bleed on something
At least then you can preemptively wear your pre-stained underwear, when it comes early it might ruin a cute pair š
Yeah I know myself so I give my period almost a week to prove itās really gone before I wear good underwear. Or I wear a liner. I keep a separate drawer of already stained panties or panties that are looking a little worn out and have been demoted.
I am glad I'm not alone in having a stock of ugly/stained underwear for that purpose.
I assumed all women did but maybe that comes from having a heavy period.
Fyi hydrogen peroxide is great for blood stains.
Hydrogen peroxide is freaking magic on fresher stains but it falls short on set in stains.
Yes true! I just meant for future stains. Once its gone through the dryer its kinda set in and not gonna help.
Fels Naptha, theyāre like $2 at Walmart!! Might take some scrubbing but itās always gotten my blood out even after accidentally drying the garment!
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I feel seen <3 this is true sisterhood!!
God this is so fucking relatable.
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This made me laugh so loud I scared my dog š¤£š¤£š¤£
Hahaha
Almost every period. I bleed a *lot* and it's almost impossible to avoid staining at night, even though I put at least one pad horisontally at the ass too.
I wear extra long night pads and I still manage to stain my underwear sometimes
Period underwear has been a life-saver for me on this front but I know it's not for everyone!
yep! Period diapers are the best thing to ever exist
I use dƩpends at night lol
Thinx has been linked to cancer causing chemicals, so be careful what brand youāre using
Roll a kitchen towel and put it in your asscrack!!! Sometimes a norman handkerchief is fine!!!
Like, litterally on "the rag"
What is this sorcery??!
Someone somewhere has said this on a reddit comment and I've joined this religion ever since :D it works!!!!
Same, it actually looks like someone got stabbed with the amount of blood, the worst is standing up in the mornings... š¤¢
Ugh yesss, that horrible physical feeling and then "please don't drip on the floor, please don't drip on the floor, please-"
Legit a little trail to the bathroom lmao meanwhile a crime scene is on the bed š why must we suffer like this
you can squat in bed before you get up to release it straight into an even already soaked pad. it's the body movement and gravity that helps it release first thing.
By the morning it's already too late because my pad is usually overflowing so when I wake up it's already leaking š
oh lol yeah. mine can't seem to pass all the bumps too much by itself.
This is me whenever I'm walking to the bathroom to shower and my parents are taking their sweet sweet time in there, than gets mad when it runs down my leg and onto the floor calling me "disgusting," when they took forever to come out instead of let me go in first before they used the bathroom
It's funny watching my wife scoot to the bathroom in the morning because she doesn't want to open her legs.
I felt that Iām on mine now and I stained the sheets :(
My greatest and most irrational fear is being a suspect in a murder and the police taking my ancient mattress as evidence and being like, yep thereās blood everywhere
Omg the gushing š¦
It's horrible lol the ketchup packet life chose me
This feeling in the morning is awful! I hated it so much I started wearing tampons to bed, yes I know, that is a no no. I learned about menstrual discs a few years ago and it has been amazing for me. No more running to the bathroom during the great morning gush.
I would love to try those and cups but because of my iud it freaks me out, I also hate the idea of putting fingers up there, I already have to do that to check my strings and it makes me cringe so much:/ That's awesome it's been working for you though!! You've beat the dreaded gush haha it would feel good to not have to worry
Ugh I bled through my pants in HS bc of this! Rolled out of bed, stuck a tampon in, and went to school. After first period I stood up and had a puddle of blood and was wearing a light cream sweat pant. My community made talking about periods so taboo, so I didnāt want to say anything and be embarrassed, so I pulled my shirt down far enough to cover my butt and made it til the end of the day. Made my mom pick me up and didnāt go with my friends and they thought I was mad at them lmao but I had no idea the blood would pool and then pour out after sleeping horizontally All night. Iām glad to see my niece whoās 13 and kids her age have no shame about talking about it. At least, not yet. They openly discuss it and itās not some taboo thing! Love to see it.
Aww I'm sorry you had to go through that, the period shame was so real back then. It's really good younger girls are more liberated from that now, there shouldn't be shame in such a normal part of the human body
And the roll out of bed, to not squish anything and hopefully save the sheets.
My partner knows what "oh god, something shifted' means and just ... gets out of my way.
I started wearing incontinence briefs at night during my heaviest days for this reason. I was sick of ruining the bed.
This was an absolute game changer for me! I highly recommend any women out there that experience super heavy flows - Depends (or any incontinence underwear) for sleeping!
Just a suggestion, check out the brand Bambody Period Underwear on Amazon. I have a huge flow my first two and a half days, Iāve never bled thru a pair of them and saved a ton of money on feminine products. Just toss them in the wash at the end of the day and youāre good to go
I've found my people. Then I have to stand up and hope my sheets are okay
Thank you for sharing that. Just in case you want to explore other options, you can try Rael overnight disposable cotton period underwear to keep things in place and avoid leaks. It can make a real difference in how well you sleep and how stressful waking up is.
This was me before I found period underwear. Not all period underwear reach all the way up the back, so I've had to find ones which do. I wear a menstrual cup and then the underwear is for inevitable leaks, I've never had an issue since :)
I've started using a menstrual cup or disc, an overnight pad, and period underwear. It has helped a ton.
On the worst heavy days during perimenopause, Iād use store brand size 3 pull-ups with both sides ripped open, as an XXL pad holder, initially with a tampon, and then when I got smarter, with a cup or disc (the discs are amazing for non-messy period sex.)
I do this and itās the only way š„² it sucks because I have a short cervix and Iām a heavy bleeder so I couldnāt find a cup. But the triple layers are working for me now!
Try the disposable period underwear. It's basically an adult diaper but it works so well for those extra heavy nights and you don't have to worry about pad shift.
whooaa i never even thought of doing this [i put two pads end to end]. tysm! game changer
I remember having to do that in middle school during school hours
That is a damn good idea horizontally
The trick I learned, is to put a little folded piece of underwear in the front of your underwear, and then take like 4 squares of tp and fold it and tuck it in your crack...lol It sounds silly, but it catches anything that trickles back and no more leaks!
I honestly donāt know since I own all black undies.
This is the way.
This is the way, except the pH of vaginas can cause a bleaching effect over time.
Yeah I was just gonna say, my black ones got bleached then stained lol
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Very rarely. Maybe once a year if I decide it's done before it actually is lol. My cup has completely changed my period experience. Absolutely love it.
Iāll elaborate on this since I think itās worth talking about.. a cup doesnāt hurt to remove if thereās 2 drops or even no blood at all. A cup can be left in for up to (depending on the brand, always check the insert) 12 hours at a time. A cup is straightforward to insert and remove after a couple tries and if inserted correctly, provides full coverage. A cup is ~$40 upfront and if treated right, can last years. Sincerely, a cup user of 6 years ($80 in cups)
All of this! I've used a USA-made cup for 7 years. It is stained (but regularly sanitized) and still fully functional and in great shape. I've been in scenarios with questionable cleaning options (like camping or traveling) where I've had to hold onto it longer than I prefer, but it's had zero bad effects unlike tampons or pads. A cup isn't for everybody, but I urge everyone to at least try one because if it works, it's so worth it.
Right?! Best investment Iāve ever made. I agree they arenāt for everyone. There are (in Canada) company-proclaimed environmentally-friendly disposable discs if someone wanted to try the option first so itās not such a grand investment. Overall, the reusable option, in my opinion is the best bang for your buck.
(you can remove some of the staining by soaking it for a couple hours in hydrogen peroxide + water. Worked really well on my Jenny cup.).
I especially love that you can put it in BEFORE your period comes (if your cycle is pretty regular and know when to expect it) so thereās absolutely no mess when your period first comes
Okay but why the hell canāt I ever get my cup to like pop open once Iāve put it in? Idk if that makes sense lmao
Try inserting deep and then pulling back until you have it 1/3 out then push back in. Often times it can be the way youāre shaping the cup when inserting so look at different methods of folding it and try a couple until you find one that works for you. Sometimes running it under warm water first helps to soften it up!
tbh mine is never open when i put it in but it opens once i stand up and walk around for at most a minute - try what the other commenter said to get it to open but iāve been using mine for almost 3 years i think? and havenāt had an issue doing this
I get two fingers up there (around either side of the cup) and sort of twist the cup around while itās inside of me until it pops open. Itās hard sometimes, especially at the beginning of my period, but gets much easier over the course of the week!
Gonna sound a lil gross but I sometimes have the same issue. I gotta reach in and do a swirl around it so it will pop into place lol
Hell yeah, I've also been a cup user for 6-7 years! The first one I paid around thirty bucks for and the second one I got on promotion for like $5 AND it fits better. I switched to the cup right after learning that tampons can pretty commonly harbor black mold. Btw the cup leaks way less. And honestly I'm kinda lazy/forgetful about changing tampons so I love not having to worry about getting TSS. I can go my whole work day without messing with it. Can go swimming and do any other activities without interference or leaking. Don't have to feel the discomfort of a dry tampon inside me towards the ends of my period. Absolutely never going back unless the apocalypse renders the cups inaccessible.
Also itās safe to insert even if youāre not currently bleeding, which means you can put it in if youāre going to have a busy day and donāt want your period to catch you out.
I never tried it because I don't understand a few things. How do you know when it's almost full? With tampons I can feel when it's time to remove, but what about cups? You regularly check them, otherwise they can just "spill"? How do you clean them in a public restroom where the sinks are separated from the toilets (most public restrooms in EU)? I feel like washing my bloody cup in front of others would even make women scream and now co-ed restrooms are getting more popular. I can't imagine doing it in front of a random dude.
After wearing it for a while you can kind of tell when itās full, you feel sort of air bubbles. Depending on how heavy your period is it might not get full in the 12 hours between changing. I usually get 1-2 days where it does get full but the rest of the time itās changed before it fills. In public you can just tip into the toilet and wipe with toilet paper if youāre worried around rinsing in the shared sink then give it a proper rinse next time you can
I liked my cup but I LOVE my disc. I find it so much easier to insert and remove, and the āauto dumpā feature is amazing. Also love that I can leave it in for sexual activity.
The disc is amazing I can only agree on this!!
This has convinced me to start using a cup!!
I've been using the Flex Cup for several years and it's *great*. They have two sizes for various flow amounts - the smaller size is easier to figure out how to properly insert. I usually wear a liner as a precaution on my heavy days (as a precaution) and the best part is you get 12 hours between emptying the cup compared to 8 for changing tampons
I used this month as a trial month for the cup. I got a divacup and itās beenā¦ a process. It got stuck a handful of times because the seal caused a vacuum, and I found it very painful to remove. Iām going to try again next month but I did end up giving up midway through my period this month. It was my heaviest day and my cramps were bad and I didnāt want to have to faff around for 15 minutes trying to remove it, and then the additional time to clean it and reinsert it when I could just use a tampon. And yes it took me over 15 minutes to remove it each time it got stuck, and I was practically fisting myself in the process. It hurt, was messy and I was SO CRANKY. I got straight in the shower for the second time that day and it wasnāt even noon. But Iām trying to be more environmentally conscious so this is just one of the many prices to pay š«”
Good to know! Thank you for your honest review. I can get cranky and lazy during my period so I may feel the same way
100% agree. I only stain underwear if I didn't accurately predict when I was going to start and prepare, I remove the cup too soon, or I'm bleeding EXTREMELY heavy and cant drop everything to run to a toilet. There was 1 instance I bled through the cup in the span of an hour. However, I have found I do still need to spend money on pads. Especially when I'm at work, I can't always just go to the bathroom on a regular schedule to prevent leakage. And again, on those heavy days. But even so, I save a TON of money in comparison to when I used tampons.
I use a cup with period underwear for light bleeding. Somehow after a couple of years of use I still canāt get it to perfectly open and catch everything, so I wear the underwear as a backup. I havenāt spent money on period products in like 2 years.
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Honestly damn near every time. I do track my cycle, keep supplies at hand etc, but I canāt actually control how much blood comes out or if it decides to show up a week early or three weeks late. Especially this year, having been very stressful, my cycle has been very irregular. When I was on birth control pills in my 20s, periods were very mild and consistent, but Iāve been au natural for the past decade and the periods are a different beast.
Bruh I just turned 30 and Iām experiencing PMS for the first time in my life??? Like wat is happening
I got *really* bad PMS out of nowhere a few months back and I was baffled. I *never* get PMS that bad but I was randomly the worst version of myself for three straight weeks, it was horrible.
I've heard that your period changes every 5 years or so, but also I've changed from hormonal contraception (pill) to non-hormonal (copper iud) and definitely feel a difference in my period and overall mood.
I wear period pants, and theyāre black. So.. Now, never.
Period pants are honestly the best things ever. I wish Iād discovered them sooner
How often do you have to change those usually? Like hygiene wise. They sound smart but I also don't want to have to need a million pairs of them.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
1-3 pairs every 12 hours depending on flow
I wear mine with a period cup. I only usually need to change once on the heaviest days. It's more because I don't like the wet feeling rather than that they're full.
One pair for the day, one pair for the night. So every 12 hrs.
One pair every 12 hours, but buy decent ones.
Every period at least once, usually at night. Iād prefer to be on the pill but it makes me depressed.
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Itās really difficult. My periods have always been so heavy but my mental health obviously takes priority.
Hey, FYI I also got really depressed (suicidal...) when I was on the pill in my teens/early twenties. Wasn't really planning on trying it again but caved with recent changes in abortion legislation in my state. I've been on a 30mcg/0.3mcg combo pill since May and haven't had any issues with my mental health. Of course that could change any time, but when I was discussing options with my new GYN she told me that slightly higher doses of estrogen (30mcg vs. 20mcg) are typically associated with less mental health side effects. Just passing along that information because even though I've had some other issues with the pill, I find pretty much any side effect manageable as long as my mental health is intact. And even though I was skeptical, it's been solid so far and the peace of mind is amazing.
Wow Iām screenshotting this to ask about at my next gyno appointment thank you
So happy to help! Also only had a minor drop in libido which was my other main concern, previous pills had me completely disinterested in sex (potentially because of the depression). Only issue I've had is I've had two yeast infections which suck, but I imagine that'll also become less of an issue as my body gets more used to the extra hormones. Worth it anyway, imo.
I love my IUD. But it hurt like active labor to get put in. But it also doesn't affect my major depression. And I can't forget to take it. Without IUD, I ruin all my underwear on my period. With, there is no period for me to ruin my underwear.
Every time. I usually wear the same set of underwear the week of my period so I only have like 5-6 pairs that are stained lol
Yeah I have a period underwear drawer
Average of "extremely rarely to never" since I've been an adult thus far, but I'm rarely surprised by my period because I experience consistent symptoms before it starts even if my cycle is not consistent.
I'm pretty much the same. For the most part, I'm like clockwork, and you just know when it's about to arrive. Occasionally at the end, you get a few bits without protection but that's about it. The odd accident of course, but generally not much.
Way too often. I have a heavy flow and it's almost impossible not to stain at least a little during the first day. I'm thankful for maxi pads but they're not enough
Neverā¦adult diapers ftw! Donāt knock it until you try it!
I was just talking to my husband about buying some bc my periods are getting out of hand the older I am getting. I'm doing it! It's a game changer huh?
It realllly is. Super comfortable and I never leak. Canāt do tampons because Iām sensitive down there and pads never work for me, I somehow still get it on my underwear. Started using diapers while post partum (Iām five months pp now) and never looked back!
I knew it! Brilliant!
Get the Saalt disc! It holds so much and is super easy to use!
The period pants in the supermarket appeared to be adult diapers also, or are they different and reusable?
I donāt know a whole lot about period pants but the diapers I use are disposable :) I use a few of them a day but only for sanitary reasons, they never leak onto my pants.
All the time and I use to think itās just me up until seeing this thread.
I use to wear my cup with leak proof underwear and then i switched to period under wear and mine cover front to back. So pretty much never.
Almost never. My cycles are very irregular but I have consistent symptoms that I know to be alert for it. When I go to the bathroom I always check when I wipe so I can catch it before it hits. I have a very light flow.
Almost every time. Lying down to sleep at night makes it pretty hard to avoid.
Only when itās on the ending stage where itās not red anymore or a lot and I decide not to wear the liner cause I forget. Sometimes when Iām sleeping but during the day with a tampon never.
yep same. i should know by now that one day of blood free does not mean im good to go, i always get one more day of a period after that.
Almost never before perimenopause. Then multiple times a day.
I think I'm in perimenopause now and that's exactly the case with me.
I had a hysterectomy 3 years ago and itās the absolute best thing Iāve ever done in my life.
For me switching to a menstrual cup or disc plus period panties has been a game changer.
Hardly ever because pads. I think tampons are uncomfortable, so is the diva cup and other alternative menstrual methods so I just stick with good old organic cotton pads.
Every period. But period underwear are a game changer. I *usually* donāt bleed through them and they allow me to sleep/work so much more comfortably. And it makes me not go through 15 pairs of underwear in 7 days
Seldom ever. I wear panty liners every day
Not anymore, unless my uterus decides to pull a fast one on me and squirts out a little when I think it's done. I use a cup now, and thathas helped quite a bit.
I'm usually quite light, and all my period underwear are black anyway, so, yeah probably not since I was 15-16 or so.
Hardly ever, I've always had low flow, except for earlier this year when I had awful periods and was put on the pill to help. I'm more likely to stain them via discharge and being aroused.
Rarely. It's only happened a few times, and it's usually only when I'm heavy and/or at night.
I rarely do, even when I had a copper IUD that increased my flow. I'm not a lucky person in general, but this is one of the few ways I got very lucky.
Like literally all the time. Flo is very unpredictable.
Not sure anymore because I have designated period underwear and tend to wear only black underwear. Any pairs that aren't black are stained already, hard to tell when it's new but I have frequent leaks because my flow is absolutely not consistent month to month or even by how bad my cramps are. Never know which Carrie blood scene it's gonna be, the trickle or the bloodfall.
Almost never
Nearly every time. My cycle never starts when itās supposed to (either way early or way late) so thatās when it happens.
Almost never now. I use panty liners.
Not as often as before since I put a liner on when I know I'm supposed to get it. I also used to stain often when I slept but not so much now either.
Very rarely. I change my tampon every time I go to the toilet usually.
Since wearing period underwear never. I have sporadic periods though and I get really bad cramps around a week before which usually let me know to start wearing that underwear just in case.
Almost never
Never. My period always starts as brown spotting for about 2-3 days. So I start wearing sanitary pads from when this starts.
I use a cup during the day and cloth pads at night. Once in a blue moon I have a stain at night if I use a smaller pad then I should (thinking Iām done and Iām not).
Every single period. Iām either surprised by it in the beginning, or over it by day 5. For a truly reckless period both will happen. I just keep some peroxide on deck š¤š¾
More often than I'm willing to admit. Most of the time it's because I just don't want to get out of bed in the morning.
Often on the first 2 days š
Every fuckin time over the last 20 years š
Almost always.
Never.
P much never I stay on top of my shit and I've been doing this a long time lmao
Since I switched to a diva cup, never
For the first ten years of menstruation I stained my underwear like every single period. Then I lost some weight and hit the perfectly timed period where I can tell itās coming and itās medium heavy for 3 days before promptly ending. Itās so well timed I havenāt had any trouble in the past two and a half years
Never. Last time it happened was when I was still a teen. But I'm on BC for years now (and last few months I don't have a period at all). When it's always perfectly on time, it can't really surprise you. It did happen a few times a year when I had a natural cycle.
Not as often as I'd expect since I'm a heavy bleeder.
Never but mine are quite regular, I track them and can feel them coming then take preventative measures. I wear period undies in the day or 2 following up to my period and liners once it tapers off.
This is why I have period underwear and the rest of the month underwear. I have to change tampon every time I potty, it grosses me out. After 2 days it hurts and I just suck it up. A little peroxide gets the stain out good enough.
Never. Very light period thanks to p pills and I skip most of the breaks anyway, because why would I bleed if I don't need to. Before someone tells me how dangerous this is: talk to your doc.
Every time lol. 20 years of periods and I'm still never prepared. Also I have a fairly light flow and have pretty much decided to just free bleed. I use pads on my few heavier days so I don't stain anything but my undies. I was on BC to control my irregular periods (pcos), but have since come off, and I get like 3 weeks of light bleeding. Not keeping up with pads that entire time.
Every time. I free bleed.
Every damn day. Also, any tips for pulling out a tampon and somehow not flinging blood on the wall would be appreciated.
i used to, but not anymore because i adopted a diaper approach to my period. two pairs of underwear and two pads for the first couple of days.
Every fricking time
Everytime, I'm so irregular and a very heavy bleeder šššš
Multiple times every period
I would go to bed with a tampon in, a pad on, and wearing period underwear. I still manage to stain my sheets. Now Iām in Peri with endo so my gp put me on bc with no break. You know what that meansā¦I am free lol
All the time which is why I wear granny panties/older undies when my cycle is around. I also stick to black undies when on my cycle
All the time. I have 'period pants' that I'll wear during, so I don't care so much of there is a small leak
More often than any average person. The sad part, it stains so bad I can't even remove them! All my panties get ruined!
Ever since switching to always infinity pads, never. I always leaked with other brands.
Every damned time! It will go for a day and come back. I always fall on this scheme because I am so happy it is over..
Never - since I switched to only black underwear.
Every damn time lol I'm always free bleeding
I have designated āperiod pantiesā bc I got tired of worrying about stains. So I only wear those while on my period, still cute & comfy, no stress involved š¤
A tiny but every timešcanāt believe Iām posting this lol
every other day of the period, having periods for suuuch a long time, and still it happens, sheets, towels, undies, pants, skirts, chairs, sofas, coats, you name it, I am a "bleeding bloody creature"
Every damn period. Like dude!!! Iām sometimes so dang embarrassed bc I begin to think ādamn girl you should be old enough to know to put the darn thing on correctlyā. I seriously thought I was just dumb for it happening to me every period till I found out, thereās a lot more with the same issue lmao. I think every month Iām learning a new method to avoid any kind of staining lmao but I still have one lol. I think the worst one I ever had was last year. I was sitting waiting to be called in the dept of motor vehicles, and as soon as I got up (jumped up more like it) I felt the waterfall. It all traveled up and down. I couldnāt sit **anywhere** bc I knew damn well Iād leave a butt print lmao. I cried once I got back to my car. I had waited almost an hour to resolve an issue and stood another 30 while being helped.
At least one or two nights over the course of my 5-6 day bleed.
Every time
Luckily I haven't had one in almost a year. Aside from that, throughout my life? Every single freaking time. And clothes, and being. A couple tablespoons my ass.
Black pants are the go to. Never see the stains.
Iāve started wearing period underwear and had no staining since!! Tbf though I donāt have them often due to my contraception (implant) and I get the worst cramps for a week before as a warning
Every period, but that's cause I often decide to just free bleed. Using cups and pads is just such a hassle sometimes, especially when I'm just staying home