Susan's Place Transgender Resources

So, today in Starbucks, Mary asks me, "Hey Ann, have you got a tampon?"  I must have stood there with the most shocked look on my face for several moments, till I simply shook my head, no.  This is the second friend to ask, but one of many times it's happened.  Does anyone know like, the best kind of tampon to buy?  Next time I have a friend in need, I'd like to at least do her the service of not providing some cheap dollar store junk.

The other thing that's bothering me is she also commented that as long as she's known me, and even lived with me, she's never seen me PMS.  Once again, I'm struck clueless.  What are you supposed to say, without giving yourself away?  Am I supposed to get a lot of chocolate one week a month and sleep in pinestraw the same week so I'll be a total bitch as well?

It seems the further one gets in, the stranger things get.

Haha! That's funny.

Don't worry about the PMS stuff, not every woman gets pissy around that time.

Tampax is fine. You should be able to get one of those small boxes with about ten tampons. The box should last you a long time if you only carry around a couple of units for other gals in need.

If someone comments on your lack of PMS, just say that you've never had a problem with it. Some women just don't.

When I was, you know, fertile that way, I didn't have PMS. I had nasty periods, but never PMS.

what arch said
jessica

Lilets or Tampax.

Personally I think Lilets are better. Lilets have a handy little applicator too which makes using them easier.

(for various reasons way too complex to explain here I have very occasionally had to use one, which is why I know...)

I think putting two and two together about that and the comments about pms you friend has put 2 and 2 together and was using that as a polite "test" to figure out if her suspicions about you are right. Some people can be very tactful.

Quote from: rejennyrated on April 22, 2010, 02:26:56 AM
I think putting two and two together about that and the comments about pms you friend has put 2 and 2 together and was using that as a polite "test" to figure out if her suspicions about you are right. Some people can be very tactful.

Could be. The remark about PMS struck me as odd, but I didn't see this possibility. I thought it was strange because, first, tons of women don't get PMS; and second, I would have expected the friend to ask a question and say, "Don't you ever get PMS?" instead of comment that she had never seen any PMS symptoms. But then, some women seem to think that everyone has PMS.

A lot of us trans folks do seem to be paranoid about every little thing. I was at a luncheon a couple of weeks ago, and the conversation turned to trans stuff. Our host had lots of positive things to say about trans people, specifically about a trans guy who works at the local LGBT center. Then another man said something similar. Later, after everyone else had left, I found myself in the living room with those same two guys, and the trans topic came up again but with a different focus. I kept wondering if at least one of these men was giving me an opening. But I think it was just coincidence.

I've been meaning to carry something on me just because of that. That reminds me, I suppose.

To be honest I'm thinking I'll just say I have really rare, irregular periods. A friend's girlfriend has them only about once a year, she's got a hormone imbalance.

How do periods on hormonal BC really work, anyway?

It's a very good idea if you are wanting to cover your tracks...

Fortunately, (or not), I have genuinely had occasion to need a tampon or a pad on the odd occassion - (it's a long story...) so I always do carry a couple in my bag anyway and there is a big box of them in the bathroom at home too. (for which the odd visiting woman has been most grateful.)

...and Arch - yes I think it may indeed have been their way of creating an "opening," but the nice thing about people who are tactful like that is that if you don't want to take the opening and fess up they mostly take the hint, let it drop and let you preserve your anonymity.

Welcome to the club  ;D Tampax should be fine. I've had friends who know about my trans past ask me before, and then actually ask me about my period or ask me questions about periods and if this or that is normal, and if I've ever experienced such and such period (they forgot about my trans past, believe it or not... happens often, actually. I usually don't remind them, although. ).

As for PMS, I get that majorly. It's noticeable with me. It can very girl to girl about PMS (trans or not). I know girls that get really, really nasty, others who hide, others who cry, or get angry and cry at the same time, or really, not much happens. I also know a lot of women who don't have periods, or have very irregular periods, or regular periods. Not every woman has tampoons in their purse, either (thus, they ask around).

What's worse, for some reason I start synching with women who have periods around me, too (ones I live with). At one time, I lived with 3 other women -- think 4 women being PMSy all at the same time. It wasn't a pretty picture.

My newest roomie and I have been roomies for about 3 months, and we've just started synching up. o_0 Her poor boyfriend (who also lives with is). LOL

O.B. is the tampon I used when I used 'em.
They have a cute little carry box now, you can get it as a free trial (http://www.obtampons.com/mightysmall/en/register_landing.jsp#) apparently.

Could you not just say, 'Sorry, I don't have periods.'?

It's the way you were born. You've seen a Dr and there is nothing that can be done to change it.

No, sadly, you will never get pregnant.

I'm just making this point because it seems that carrying tampons so you can give 'a spare' to a friend is just being dishonest.

You were born a woman. You had some problems but sadly, the pleasures of monthly inconvienence and the ouch of child birth are somethings you will not enjoy.

All perfectly honest. You only need to give anyone as much information as you choose.

Quote from: Arch on April 22, 2010, 02:55:40 AMThe remark about PMS struck me as odd, but I didn't see this possibility. I thought it was strange because, first, tons of women don't get PMS; and second, I would have expected the friend to ask a question and say, "Don't you ever get PMS?" instead of comment that she had never seen any PMS symptoms.

I've had women ask me before do I ever or why don't I get PMS or have PMS symptoms (way before transition). Maybe some women are just jealous?

Inoutallabout, it sounds to me like it was just innocent conversations about girl stuff. I wouldn't worry.

Quote from: Arch on April 22, 2010, 02:07:23 AMThe box should last you a long time if you only carry around a couple of units for other gals in need.

I transitioned at 24 and used to keep some in the bathroom, a couple in my purse, and a couple in the desk drawer at work. One box lasted me a decade.

QuoteIf someone comments on your lack of PMS, just say that you've never had a problem with it. Some women just don't.

The topic came up at a house party some 5 years into my second marriage and I commented that I never had a problem with PMS but my husband advised me otherwise and explained the little x's on the kitchen calendar ..... apparently I was wrong!  :o (One of the VERY rare occasions when I was wrong LOL!)

Quote from: spacial on April 22, 2010, 09:17:06 AM
Could you not just say, 'Sorry, I don't have periods.'?

It's the way you were born. You've seen a Dr and there is nothing that can be done to change it.

No, sadly, you will never get pregnant.

I'm just making this point because it seems that carrying tampons so you can give 'a spare' to a friend is just being dishonest.

You were born a woman. You had some problems but sadly, the pleasures of monthly inconvienence and the ouch of child birth are somethings you will not enjoy.

All perfectly honest. You only need to give anyone as much information as you choose.

If you wanted to be completely honest, and are going to do this (and uhm, I'm sorry, we're 'dishonest' about enough as is that I don't think a puss-plug really matters here), tell them you're blessed without them but you carry spares for friends in need. Paying it forward.

Quote from: Arch on April 22, 2010, 02:07:23 AM
If someone comments on your lack of PMS, just say that you've never had a problem with it. Some women just don't.

I get the idea, but I believe she was referring to the bloody menstruating moonblood part, asking if I was pregnant.  I'm not worried about being, "uncovered," more so that I go to great lengths to always have an appropriate response to a wide variety of situations, and due to not having such a response for this one, I was left flabbergasted. 

Thanks for the Tampax suggestions.  I may also say it's a genetic abnormality.  I am sure that while many things may be suspected, my gender related history isn't a part of it.  Genetic disorder:)

I'll stick to both.  There's nothing wrong with carrying something around for friends, it's no different from a flashlight, pocket knife, baby wipes, an extra cell phone, bandages, etc. 

It is interesting that it's widespread, more so in post-ops?

Quote from: spacial on April 22, 2010, 09:17:06 AM
I'm just making this point because it seems that carrying tampons so you can give 'a spare' to a friend is just being dishonest.

Let me step in and play the devil's advocate here. In what way is this dishonest? I know a guy who carries a "survival kit" in his car. Band-aids, first aid cream, stuff for upset tummies, Ibuprofen, a few tampons. He sure as heck doesn't need the tampons, but he was able to help a gal in need at Pride last year when she needed a tampon and couldn't find one.

I went through menopause years ago, well before I started transition in early 2009. Yet I carried a few tampons around in my car (and had some in the survival kit in my office) up until December of last year. I didn't need them anymore; was it a lie to have them? Was I tacitly saying, "Yes, I still bleed"? I kept them just in case someone else needed them. Lately, I've decided that it looks a little odd for a guy to have them (my buddy got a few raised eyebrows at Pride), but it's perfectly natural for a gal to have them, even if she doesn't menstruate (or doesn't anymore) or only uses pads. Seems to me it's nice to have a couple of tampons on hand if you are a woman and hang around with women and frequent women's restrooms.

Let's take this a little farther. Am I dishonest to go to a gay men's group and not say that my ex-partner is straight? I pack, so men think I have male genitals. Is that dishonest? Trans women often wear breastforms and pad their fannies and tuck their genitals. Is that dishonest?

Think about it.

My brand of choice is playtex  but tampax is good too. Just get whatever is on sale as long as it's not the cheap dollar store kind. I made that mistake once, never again my friend...

Remember to get the regular absorbency especially if you're carrying it for others, because too much absorbency will end up being painful and too little will cause leaks. Regular is a good middle ground.

Quote from: spacial on April 22, 2010, 09:17:06 AM
I'm just making this point because it seems that carrying tampons so you can give 'a spare' to a friend is just being dishonest.

I would like to point out that I have already stated that I do occassionally need them myself and I suspect I may not be the only one.

But even if that is not true I can not really see that there is anything wrong with this, particularly given that the only consequence is that you are then in a position to help someone else.

I like Tampax Pearl or Playtex Gentle Glide (the ones with the plastic applicators), which are godawful terrible for the environment but less painful to use than the cardboard or no-applicator kind. But I have to assume that a woman who's caught without won't be so picky (don't know, honestly never found myself in that situation because while mine are painful and miserable they're very short and light).

OK I'm weird, not once have I had anyone ask for any hygeine product. nor can I imagine ever doing so.

No, Kat, I'm the same.

Quote from: kyril on April 23, 2010, 01:47:20 AM
No, Kat, I'm the same.

No, it just means that you're BOTH weird. >:-)

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Post Merge: April 23, 2010, 03:49:56 AM

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P.S. Like the new pic, Kyril.

great pic kyril looking handsome.
arch i would never have guessed you were close to my age for whatever reason i always got the vibe you were in your 20's when i read your posts
jessica

I could, perhaps, have worded the comment about being dishonest better, but I was trying to be consise.

What I'm trying to say is:

You are a woman.

You were born with a problem which has or will be sorted with surgery and or medicine.

But you don't have periods.

There doesn't seem to be any need to pretend that you have experienced this little female rite of passage.

I have never met a woman, ever, who enjoyed having a period. Lucky you. OK so you're lucky. And the other girl isn't. But that's life. Every cloud has a silver lining.

Fine, carry a few for friends, just in case, though this sounds a bit weird to be honest. Can you imagine if a guy carried a selection of tampons????

Thanks, Arch! And Jessica!

Quote from: kyril on April 23, 2010, 01:47:20 AM
No, Kat, I'm the same.

Quote from: Arch on April 23, 2010, 03:49:27 AM
No, it just means that you're BOTH weird. >:-)

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P.S. Like the new pic, Kyril.

Nice to know I'm not alone in being weird. and her I reveled in it for so long.

Quote from: spacial on April 23, 2010, 05:03:58 AM
Can you imagine if a guy carried a selection of tampons????

I think someone else mentioned knowing a bloke with tampons in his emergency kit, but I'd like to raise my hand and go "me too".

My dad has three kids, me and my two sisters, he makes sure there's a box of tampons in his bathroom cupboard just in case, all cause one of us left one or two in there at some point and another found 'em and was all "OH THANK YOU GOD!" over it.

I also know a couple other blokes who have feminine hygiene products of some sort on hand as a part of emergency kit, "first aid kit" or bathroom stuff.

It really isn't that weird.

Quote from: jesse on April 23, 2010, 04:02:00 AM
arch i would never have guessed you were close to my age for whatever reason i always got the vibe you were in your 20's when i read your posts

Interesting. I thought you were much younger because you look so young in your avatar. That IS you, isn't it?

I'm actually pretty confused about my age. Intellectually, I know that I'm in my forties. Emotionally, I'm stunted in certain ways. I sort of froze myself at thirteen, in my head...I lived whole lives up there as a teenager, even till I was your age. I would start out at thirteen, live through an arc, reach fifteen or sixteen, and then start all over again at thirteen.

Now that I'm out of the closet and transitioning, I feel more like a backward nineteen-year-old who is just getting his start in the world. I still want to do all of this teenage boy stuff, but I have to be mature. I suppose if I were a little older, people might read me as a man who is going through a midlife crisis. But I have no desire to buy a sports car and date a twentysomething blonde. No, I want to bump into other guys, wrestle around, waste gobs of time, have no responsibilities, drive my car too fast, and crank up the volume on my stereo, whether I'm playing The Police or Puccini.

I'll tell you, though, I was VERY glad to have an early menopause. Even with the hot flashes. And, truth to tell, it was a relief to get rid of the tampons. I suppose it's rather horrible of me, but I found myself thinking, "If some gal needs a tampon, it won't help her to come running to ME." Yeah, I'm still pretty insecure about my manhood. ::)

P.S. Spacial, I see where you're coming from, but I think we're fated to disagree on this one. If you think about it, people do all sorts of things to fit in with other people...why shouldn't a trans gal carry a couple of tampons if it will make her feel like she fits in better? Not to mention that a sister will appreciate it somewhere down the road.

Quote from: Arch on April 23, 2010, 01:17:09 PM

P.S. Spacial, I see where you're coming from, but I think we're fated to disagree on this one. If you think about it, people do all sorts of things to fit in with other people...why shouldn't a trans gal carry a couple of tampons if it will make her feel like she fits in better? Not to mention that a sister will appreciate it somewhere down the road.

No reason at all, or for a man. A pretty decent and thoughtful thing to do.

But from what inoutallabout was saying, she is passing perfectly well. Yet this incident has caused her to lose her confidence somewhat.

If I had been in her position I would have said, 'Sorry, don't use them'. Perhaps a bit of a reticent smile to back it up.

sidetrack question here: what happens when a girl who feels faint when seeing blood menstrate?

Quote from: milktea on April 24, 2010, 11:10:52 PMsidetrack question here: what happens when a girl who feels faint when seeing blood menstrate?

You know, I've wondered that too. ???

Menstrual blood is different from blood from a wound so there is a distinction. If I bleed profusely from anywhere else I'm like OH ->-bleeped-<-! but one gets use to the routine of having a period. Even if someone doesn't like seeing blood they'd deal with it enough to get through it.

I've found myself on all sides of this situation, and having tampons stashed all over random places (including my tool kit?) has never been a bad idea. I usually use O.B. without the applicator, cause they are tiny, and easy to hide in your fist or pocket.  barely any extra trash with them too.

I think my worst "Oh crap, I need a tampon" moment happened a few months ago. I ended up pretty wasted and crashed at a friends apartment.  Woke up the next morning feeling like I was going to die from the combination of cramps and a hangover, to discover that doom had arrived, all over the white sheets on the guest bed. D found me searching her bathroom for tampons, with the bed sheet halfway in the sink where I was trying to rinse it out, and was like "You ok?"  Turned out she had gotten an IUD a year before, and hadn't had a period in almost 8 months, so no tampons. I ended up with a wad of toilet paper for a very awkward 2 hours.

Quote from: rejennyrated on April 22, 2010, 03:13:24 AM...and Arch - yes I think it may indeed have been their way of creating an "opening," but the nice thing about people who are tactful like that is that if you don't want to take the opening and fess up they mostly take the hint, let it drop and let you preserve your anonymity.

It would have been nice if it had been, because then maybe I would consider coming out to them. But these guys aren't Meryl Streep, and they would have to be, week after week.

Quote from: Osiris on April 27, 2010, 09:43:16 PMMenstrual blood is different from blood from a wound so there is a distinction. If I bleed profusely from anywhere else I'm like OH ->-bleeped-<-! but one gets use to the routine of having a period. Even if someone doesn't like seeing blood they'd deal with it enough to get through it.

Ah, O.K. I've never been bothered with blood but have known some women who absolutely freak out over a drop of blood so I wondered how they handled their periods. I know you get used to it and I'm sure they do too but I wondered if it still did freak them out some.

Radar, I faint at the sight of blood (I have since I was little; something as small as a papercut can be enough to knock me out (I do have anti-fainting strategies though)), but even from my first period menstrual blood hasn't bothered me.  The only thing about my period that might cause me to faint is if I forget to take painkillers for my cramps.  I've ended up hanging onto the sides of the toilet or lying on the bathroom floor more than once after forgetting to take ibuprofen...

Wow...I guess I'm the only one who has been grossed out by my Monthly from the first time I got it? My mom tried to convince me it was something beautiful...to which I frankly replied "I don't think finding blood in my pants is beautiful."  I would get embarrassed if someone saw me heading to the bathoom with a pad even though the girls in High school said well meaning things and a friend of mine even gave me chocolate. I also never used a tampon in the 17 ish years I've been bleeding, even way before comming out. Is that odd?

Um, no, definitely not the only one. I think it's completely disgusting.

I do use tampons, though, because pads are painful to me. And the smell would get to me when I used them.

Quote from: kyril on May 04, 2010, 08:49:26 PM
Um, no, definitely not the only one. I think it's completely disgusting.

I do use tampons, though, because pads are painful to me. And the smell would get to me when I used them.

Oh good. I feel better now.

Quote from: GothTranzboi on May 04, 2010, 07:49:08 PM
Wow...I guess I'm the only one who has been grossed out by my Monthly from the first time I got it?

God, no. I think your feelings are much more common. I've only had one trans guy friend/acquaintance who was "in tune" with that part of his physiology (before he started transition), and I don't know if he still is because I hate talking about that stuff and won't ask him.

It seems so weird to me that many trans women wish they had a period.

Quote from: Arch on May 05, 2010, 01:42:59 AM
It seems so weird to me that many trans women wish they had a period.

I'm sure you do understand that it's only because of what it represents in terms of fertility in our chosen role...

From the point of view of the smell, the mess the discomfort, and the whole rigmarole of the actual process itself then no, of course we are lucky not to have to bother.

I mean I could say that transmen are weird wanting to have errections and ejaculations - two things about masculinity that I found deeply offensive and revolting, but I get the idea. I understand that to you it is a symbol of everthing you are striving to express.

Quote from: rejennyrated on May 05, 2010, 02:10:56 AM
I'm sure you do understand that it's only because of what it represents in terms of fertility in our chosen role...

I hope I did not phrase that offensively. Yes, I do get this on an intellectual level. And I've tried to find an analog for us guys--that is, a parallel that helps me to "get it" on a gut level. Your comparison of erections and ejaculations doesn't quite go there for me. I'm not just talking about disgust level here or this-isn't-rightness; I'm mainly talking about symptoms that don't occur to all female bodies (from what I understand)--mood dips that interfered with my ability to function, constant pain for days, dizzying nausea, days of diarrhea...and a lot of other people have it worse than I did. The period is a physical manifestation that lots of cisgender women would gladly do without, even though it is a persistent signifier of a womanhood that they completely embrace. I really think that menstruation is sui generis in these respects. But that could just be my bias talking.

BTW, just for the record--I did say it seemed weird to me that trans women want it, not that trans women are weird for wanting it.

Heck no Arch!  No offense at all. I was just trying to find something as an analogy and the errections thing was one of the best I could find.

you might not think it compares and on a purely physical level perhaps it doesn't but the psychological can be devastating. I used to spend days literally unable to function for fear of an errection or worse, and it certainly didn't help that I was hugely physically dysphoric but with a sex drive somewhere in the stratosphere. For some reason for me my sex drive doesn't seem to correlate to my T level - because my postop t is only 0.7 and yet my sex drive is still pretty good.

I suppose on the level of the physical discomforts you describe I would have viewed them as the price I happily paid for the miracle of being able to carry a child, but I can well understand that you might feel it wasn't worth it. For me, personally, it would have been, but we are all different.

As this is also where I think we come to that point of desperately wanting what the other has. I understand the beauty of carrying a child, but if I myself where to become preggers, I would be devestated beyond belief. I think we can all understand mentally why the person on the oposite spectrum wants what we have, but emotionally its harder. No matter how much I understand mentally at the end of the day it doesn't change that I am utterly revolted my my body. If I could yank out my unterus and give it to you I would happily do so.

Here is where I differ from the masses.

Being pregnant was cool about the 5th month when you could first feel the baby move. The rest sucked. I got lucky in having mostly painless labors. I wouldn't give up my kids for anything. Red death was gone thanks to carrying a baby and that was a big plus.


Sucky part was the female hormones caused other things to happen which wasn't cool. Details I'm not going into atm, too lazy.

Quote from: rejennyrated on May 05, 2010, 12:21:26 PMyou might not think it compares and on a purely physical level perhaps it doesn't but the psychological can be devastating.

This I can definitely see...in fact, I also see a direct parallel. In high school and my first year of college, I wasn't on the Pill. I had terribly irregular periods that would come any time they wanted--sometimes I would get one a week after the previous one, and sometimes I would skip a month. Skipping a month sounds wonderful, but I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I knew it would happen soon...well, pretty soon, well, it had to happen any day now...well...

Then, when I was actually bleeding, I was always convinced that I was leaking and that everyone would see the stain between my legs. In four and a half years, something like that only happened once, and I ran to the nurse's office and rinsed out my underwear in the sink. I had caught it in time. But the girl there just HAD to know what I had spilled on myself. I looked her straight in the eye and without hesitation said, "I didn't spill anything. My period came early." You should have seen the look on her face. For a second or two, she was more mortified than I was.

Gah. The appalling things that my body did and my inability to predict them was nasty. I was always scared spitless.

I had that happen to me once...It was in 6th grade math class, ms. Winnicks room. I had to walk all the way to the front of the class hoping I wouldn't bleed too much. Then she wouldn't let me leave so I had to whisper to her what had happened with the whole class staring...and she says aloud. "AT LEAST YOU"RE WEARING BLACK EH?" hahahahaha...I wanted to kill her.

Keep your bloody menstrual cycles, and the cramps, all to yourselves.  I'd rather have an erection here and there, than be leeking from the holiest place on Earth.

Quote from: inoutallabout on May 07, 2010, 03:53:17 AM
Keep your bloody menstrual cycles, and the cramps, all to yourselves.  I'd rather have an erection here and there, than be leeking from the holiest place on Earth.

I don't see nothing holy about it. I think I get your point but if not, grrr.

Quote from: LordKAT on May 07, 2010, 04:26:51 AM
I don't see nothing holy about it. I think I get your point but if not, grrr.

Everyone idolizes their nether regions in some fashion.  Instead of referring to mine as huge, or constrictingly tight, I'm simply making it known that mine is nothing less than heavenly, holy, and all that jazzy pot of life.

Then I was wrong and GRRR.

 ??? ??? ???

I always hear how this is a big concern for transladies.  It's always the little things that everyone else takes for granted that end up seeming suspicious.

I once heard that story of a woman who was so committed that she, uh... how to put this delicately... she used chicken blood to throw off any suspicions.

Umm, even without actually menstruating there are many post-op trans-women who are practically major stockholders in Procter & Gamble (manufacturer of Always).

As for the what to tell your freinds, you could tell them you have PCOS and therefore dont have periods.

Unfortunately my periods are awful, just plain hell:
When I was 8 i started my period it was hell I had to change a pad every 2 hours and all I was just doing was laying there.

Well my period never stopped it slowed up and lightened but it was still there and then the red stuff would come and then it go back to its brown state, old blood. I have had to wear a pad every single day for
8 1/2 yrs and no doctor can figure out whats wrong and they refuse to do anything about it because of my age. They are extremely painful, sometimes to the point I can barely walk and apperently I just have to deal with according to the doctors.

Free and high quality:  http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid87034.aspx (http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid87034.aspx)

If you're trying to live in stealth, getting free feminine products through the mail isn't a bad thing.

Shaun, that really sucks. I hope you can see a better doctor some day.

Before I got my period my mum gave me this 70s feminist hippy book about menstruation.  It had abstract paintings of all the different shades your blood might come in.  I was horrified.

Kotax is what I use and carry

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Quote from: mcalistershaun on May 25, 2010, 09:45:16 AM
As for the what to tell your freinds, you could tell them you have PCOS and therefore dont have periods.

Unfortunately my periods are awful, just plain hell:
When I was 8 i started my period it was hell I had to change a pad every 2 hours and all I was just doing was laying there.

Well my period never stopped it slowed up and lightened but it was still there and then the red stuff would come and then it go back to its brown state, old blood. I have had to wear a pad every single day for
8 1/2 yrs and no doctor can figure out whats wrong and they refuse to do anything about it because of my age. They are extremely painful, sometimes to the point I can barely walk and apperently I just have to deal with according to the doctors.

My friend has the same thing experience and now she has to undergo surgery to have her tubes removed

You could always say you're on a birth control. Therefor don't have a period and that you just never was one that had PMS. I never had PMS and when I was on birth control, I didn't have periods. I never had anyone ask me for a tampon though, but then I wasn't a normal kind of girl that other girls felt girly around. I never got to play those reindeer games LOL

There was a girl at my apt.s who asked (near demanded) me to go to the store and buy some for her

She had the money and the tab from the box in hand and looked rather stressed out

So I was like, "okay"... Hopped on my bike and went and got them

A few days or so later... There's a gift with a thank you note at my door...
I unwrap it and there's a box of tampons for me  :laugh:

Also be sure to carry midol/pamprin and a wine mini.  Then they'll know you're for real.

Me either , bones.

Quote from: Lachlann on April 22, 2010, 02:02:55 AM
Haha! That's funny.

Don't worry about the PMS stuff, not every woman gets pissy around that time.

Lol yeah. I never get PMS too around other people.

I've very awkwardly had to explain that I don't use tampons or pads, on more than one occasion.

Which then leads to having to explain the diva cup.

Lord, I can't wait until T nukes my ovaries.

...Diva Cup?  Is that anything like the Moon Cup? :D

Yep.  Same thing, different company.

Inoutallabout is that you in your icon? If so you're so pretty! <3

it's not unusual for a guy to carry around tampons, every first aid kit i've seen has at least one in it. I've got a cis-male friend who is gay and he carries around a couple a tampons. if i ask him for one, which i try to be prepared, i know he would probably have one in his backpack.

As for what i use for my monthly, i use pads. I am way too grossed out to even put in a tampon.

The paper wrapper and the cardboard applicator around regular ol' Tampax will fall apart if you leave it in your bag for a couple months. learned that one the hard way! ::) It didn't bother me any, but if you're going to carry tampons in case friends need them, I'd recommend plastic-applicator ones so you're not handing them a tampon covered in confetti.

As for guys carrying tampons, the only guy who noticed I had some in my backpack just said "girlfriends, eh?" with a what-can-you-do tone.   ;D

Quote from: Overtime on July 12, 2010, 02:18:45 AM
The paper wrapper and the cardboard applicator around regular ol' Tampax will fall apart if you leave it in your bag for a couple months.

Here in the UK every now and again Tampax has a free plastic container with each pack that contains two tampons. That is ideal for the handbag.

Caroline

I was reminded of this thread today when my girlfriend said that she'll have to bring more liners over because she was almost out. I produced a 24 pack out of the nightstand drawer. (I was trying to see if they helped tucking or not... and bought liners instead of pads, accidentally. She's the only girl I know who actually uses liners, but then, I haven't really gone asking women about that.)

Totally handy to have things on hand, even if you don't need them. :V

Quote from: Autumn on July 12, 2010, 07:50:54 PM
I was reminded of this thread today when my girlfriend said that she'll have to bring more liners over because she was almost out. I produced a 24 pack out of the nightstand drawer. (I was trying to see if they helped tucking or not... and bought liners instead of pads, accidentally. She's the only girl I know who actually uses liners, but then, I haven't really gone asking women about that.)

Totally handy to have things on hand, even if you don't need them. :V

Pre and post op I have used panty-liners.

As a pre op I would use them to aid in tucking, and to stay fresh smelling down there.

Post operatively I continue to use liners for the freshness I just mentioned, and because my vagina
secretes fluids, and also secretes the vaginal cream I use.

I used to use tampax which are fine but for cotton wool in a plastic tube i find them a bit expensive. I actually use Tesco's own which work just as well and are like half the price. They are card tho not plastic. I dont get moody i just get stomach cramps for which a tablet and and a hot water bottle work wonders but chocolate does nothing.

Just for anyone whos interested i'll give you a little info on tampons and pads just incase anyone asks. I have got 'do you prefer pads or tampons?' and then obviously you have to elaborate on why so this might help you answer.

Pads - easy to apply, fairly cheap, easy to remember to change and good for on a night. Pads with 'wings' are best because they stop them shifting in your underwear. You can also get night pads which are massive but you can still leak. A lot of people compare wearing pads to feeling like your wearing a nappy and without meaning to freak you out, it gets hot down there and feels like your peeing yourself. The blood also goes everywhere and dries so.....yeah i hate them for that sole reason.

Tampons - not as easy to use at first but you get the jist fairly quick, A LOT cleaner and nicer feeling downstairs because obviously the blood stays inside you. Feels like your not on a period which is both good and bad. Its bad because you can forget you are on your period and leave it in for too long.  Because its inside of you if you get a bloodclot it can block you up. That for me really hurts my stomach.

Periods - you can have mild to really heavy periods. Mine start with a dull ache on either the left or right side of my body a few days before i come on. It doesnt last all day its more like 10 mins every so often. When i start i can have a slight bellyache for a day then be fine which is in most cases. About twice a year i will get pain so bad i cant stand, i shake all over and i feel sick and light headed. After a tablet it goes and doesnt come back

I know this is an old topic, but I just wanted to chime in some brands that most girls and myself included like are tampax pearl or playtex sport.

I just use tampax pearl, there more comfortable for me, and the tampons that are cardboard and me don't get along (to me card is evil). Oh god when I'm on that time of the month I just get a headache before it arrives, then the cramps, and I tend to be moody and have been known to clear a room on the count of it. I hate that time of the month but all I can do is grin and bear it heh.