Bicycle-appropriate panties required?

[clarinka.livejournal.com]

I have recently started riding my bike around town again, and I have discovered something that I don't like at all. It seems that if I ride for more than 20 minutes wearing American Apparel boy-cut panties or a cloth pad, I get blisters on my outer labia! I'm pretty certain it's not herpes because these lesions occur pretty much exclusively while I am on a bicycle, and I've been tested in the past year for herpes and I am without antibodies for types 1 and 2, and I am in a monogamous relationship of a year and a half.

What I want to know is: does anyone else ever have bicycle-related vulva blisters? What seems to cause them more often, and what fixed them? My roommate suggests sport panties, but I want to see if there's a quicker fix at home. I just don't wear the offending panties on days that I bike (easy enough), but for IUD-related reasons I'm using cloth pads a lot for the next three months before I switch back to a cup.

Comments

[thenuddpants.livejournal.com]

Have you tried sea sponge tampons? I recently got an IUD and am using them because I HATE tampons and I don't want to use my cup for a few cycles, just to be on the safe side. They are really nice!

[clarinka.livejournal.com]

I've been using cloth pads because I've been spotting intermittently, so I just kind of always need a bit of a backup. Can you do that with sea sponges? What are they like to change? Tell me more!!

[thenuddpants.livejournal.com]

Well, from the two days I've been using them on my really light flow/spotting Mirena-period, I really like them a LOT. You get them wet, then squeeze out the water so that they are damp, then insert them like an applicator-less tampon or a contraceptive sponge. (Though they are a bit harder to insert than an applicator-less tampon because they are softer). I had mine in all day yesterday, and have had it in for half the day today. The instructions say you can leave them in overnight... so I figure how is the equivalent time during the day any different?

You just kind of reach up and grab to remove... lol. Then you rinse it out, put it back in if you still need it, or let it air-dry. They come in a pack of two, and they suggest bringing a little ziploc baggie with you to put the used one in until you get home (much like with cloth pads) if you need to change it often/mid-day, but with my light IUD periods I've not needed to change it, and if I did I would probably just go to the handicapped restroom stall, take it out, hobble over to the sink, rinse it, and put it back in.

I really like them so far - even when there was barely any blood on it yesterday (sorry if that's TMI) it didn't hurt to remove, which is what I hate hate hate about tampons + light periods. And the BEST part - no dangly strings!

[cadetsandkings.livejournal.com]

p.s. OT but I am in love with your icon. :D

[thenuddpants.livejournal.com]

haha, thanks!

[mmargot.livejournal.com]

Oh man. I have been looking at those sea sponge tampons and holy shit I think those are what I've been dreaming of! I hate tampons and pads are pretty terrible. I was wondering, though, how do you clean them? Obviously rinse them out after use, but what about sterilization and such?

[clarinka.livejournal.com]

i've used a cup for years, and my attitude about sterilization is that it's kind of totally optional. The inside of a vagina isn't sterile at all, and as long as you wash your hands before handling the cup you aren't introducing anything into your body when you empty it out that wasn't there ahead of time. They just require a scrubbing between cycles. I imagine sponges are similar: you could soak them overnight in salty or mildly soapy water, rinse them out a few times, and then they're as clean as they need to be.

If bike shorts don't help, i'll be checking out sponges.

[thenuddpants.livejournal.com]

The Sea Sponge Tampons insert I have (and info from the website) says:

There are several ways to disinfect Sea Pearls™. You may soak them in any one of these mixtures below for up to 30 minutes or more:

1. A solution of ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide and ¼ cup of water. This will also re-bleach the sponge if it becomes discolored from use.

2. A solution of a few drops of Tea Tree Oil in a cup of warm water. Tea Tree oil is a very effective germicide and has been proven to inhibit up to 60 strains of bacteria, including S.Aureus. This will also eliminate any odor on your sponge.

3. A solution of 1Tbsp. apple cider vinegar in 1 cup of warm water.

4. A solution of 1 Tbsp. baking soda in one cup of warm water.

5. A solution of 1 Tsp. Colloidal Silver to 1 cup of warm water. There is no pathogenic organism known that is not killed by Colloidal Silver in 6 minutes or less. Its use is also of benefit to women who suffer from recurrent candida (yeast) infections.

*Soaking a sponge in the Tea Tree mixture we mention above then inserting it into the vagina is a great way to get rid of an active yeast infection. For some women it can be irritating so use discretion.