menstrual-product woes

[the-midgetqueen.livejournal.com]

i'm 21 now and i have gotten terrible cramps during my period since i was 15 or 16. tampons seem to make them much worse. it's like my vag muscles are like "foreign object! CLAMP!" so clearly i'm not too keen on that idea. and pads are so messy and even the ultra-thin ones are uncomfy. i feel self-conscious wearing them at least half the time.

i tried the pill (ortho tri-cyclen lo) when i was 18, and that helped tremendously with the cramps, so i'm getting back on it, and stepping up the amount of exercise i get since i've heard that helps too.

i just can't seem to find any way of dealing with period-blood that really works for me. i saw the Instead cup at wal-mart and my first response was WHAT? i had no idea they carried it. so, i tried them this month. i figured maybe the absorbency of the tampons, the way they suck up moisture like crazy, might be what was upsetting my poor vag so much, and maybe the Instead cups would do better. they didn't. i switched back to the pads after two days because, despite all the testimonials that you "can't feel it at all," i could. my vag apparently just does NOT like foreign objects. it wasn't as bad, but things still cramped up. it was just like... i could feel my muscles clenching down around it. and almost right after i removed the cup, it got better.

i don't know if my vag is just... smaller than "average," or just ill-tempered, or what. i would love to be free from pads, and free from having to take enough advil to kill a small horse in order to stand tampons.

for reasons of the "mess" of dealing with pads (it could be argued that the cup is messier, but for some reason i seem to handle the blood better in the cup than absorbed in a mushy pad), plus economic and environmental concerns, i've been dancing around the idea of trying the keeper or divacup or something similar. i know their design is different than the Instead cups. however... given the ill-temperedness of the vag with any other internal things i've tried, i'm really iffy about shelling out 40-ish dollars for the thing, for fear that i won't even be able to use it if my vagina rebels. i couldn't find any info on return policies on any sites, but i figure that considering the nature of the product, it probably can't be returned. how much risk is there and is it worth it?

advice? opinions? is my vagina crazy?

Comments

[the-midgetqueen.livejournal.com]

"vag wrings the sponge out"

wow, it can do that? that's pretty cool...

[the-midgetqueen.livejournal.com]

oh, and to answer the question... it's excruciating for the first two or three days, and then it usually calms way down or goes away for the last three. i tried the Instead on the 25th, and my period started the 22nd. so i really shouldn't have cramped up.

i'm going to give it another...month or two, i guess. however long it takes to finish up this box of Insteads, and see what happens after i've been on the pill for a while. if things go better, i'll probably feel better about trying a divacup or a keeper. Insteads are just... big and awkward, if you ask me. the others look friendlier.

[scien.livejournal.com]

That's been the experience of most people who have tried both. I suggest you wander along menstrual_cups, we're very nice, and plenty of people have tried both insteads and reusables and will be able to offer great advice.

I'd just like to add that I personally have horrible cramping and a heavy flow, and my mooncup has been a lifesaver. It took me a period before I could use it properly, but it's been many times worth it. And yes, the Divacup allows for returns within a year, so all you have to lose is the price of shipping.

Best of luck :)

[willow-starr.livejournal.com]

I've never used a sponge (I find sea creatures gross and don't want to put one in my vag) but if the OP's pain is caused by cramping around tampons and cups then with the softness of the sponge it seems to follow that there might be some wringing issues - maybe someone who uses a sponge could let us know if this ever happens.