Adventures in the Alternative

Bloody tamponosis.

2012-01-31T20:47:00.000-05:00

..a new bacteria hahahaha. It was a photo in the bio section of my mcat stuff.

Schwinn

shit girls say on their Periods

2012-01-25T03:18:00.000-05:00

this is a youtube video that is apart of the "shit -- say" movement. click the title for the link.

what do you think?

VyNL

Milk and PMS (click me)

2011-07-26T13:31:00.002-04:00

really Milk?

VyNL

The five year old tampon

2011-05-21T14:00:00.002-04:00

Hey there,

i unexpectedly got my period three days earlier than i thought i would get it- i have been getting it on the 15th or 16th of the month regularly since October or November but this month i got it on the 12th. I had nothing with me and i was at work! ah! i have no idea how people with children can do it! seriously my cramps kill me i couldnt imagine doing it with a needy child around me (well i guess i kind of can since i work with children). anyway, i had to use toilet paper during my first case (3hrs) then i found the oldest tampon in the world in my car! seriously it has been there since i first got my car 5 years ago! hahaha my mom strongly suggested that i dont use it but i had nothing else and i didnt think the toilet paper was going to work for very much longer (since it was a thursday and those are 10hr days for me). so i used it. it was weird. it was a tampax brand one and they never expand inside of me so when i got home and pulled it out it was the exact same size as it was when i put it in. i honestly have no idea if it really made a difference because i still put toilet paper down just in case the tampon disintegrated inside of me. it was quite an experience and my vaginal canal still cringes at the thought of that tampon inside of me.

on a lighter note.... the mother of one of the kids i work with (the one i was working with when i got mine) got her period that saturday (i was working with them) and she bled so much it got all over his little white chair! i have heard of that happening to people- i must not have a heavy flow because when i was younger my friends would get period spots on whatever they were wearing but i have (thank you universe) never had that happen to me. So i have heard of that happening (i think thats happened to my mom.... maybe its a "i've given birth so i period all over things now" thing) but i have never witnessed it. i am proud to say i handled it like a champ. truth be told i first thought she had cut herself and was bleeding haha i almost asked her if she had cut herself but she chimed in with "i'm so sorry i'm having a period moment." i told her its totally fine and not to worry about it. she said i was sweet for not freaking out because if she were in this situation she would be like "um... excuse me! i dont think so!" hahaha she was also really embarrassed. i told her not to worry or be embarrassed because my friend and i write a blog about our periods so this stuff doesnt phase or bother me. she laughed and said ok. but im sure she was thinking "great and this is who they send me to help my autistic child." i probably would have been embarrassed in that situation too but i would probably play it off like it was no big deal by saying something like "oh sorry... you know how it goes, you flow." unless its a guy then i probably just made dating men seem more appealing hahah in reflection, it was a lot of blood that is why my first reaction was "omg she cut herself on something!" also i dont remember seeing any blood on her pants. it was a weird situation. i am jealous that she doesnt have cramps. maybe that is why i dont have period mishaps like that- i get intense cramps before i start to bleed so i can always catch it before other people do.

VyNL

Coachella

2011-04-19T01:24:00.002-04:00

So this last weekend was Coachella! it was amazing! and you know what else is amazing? my LUNETTE cup! i used it all three days and it definitely made me have a happy period! i only had a little leakage the first day but other than that it was pretty great. i wish the sponge had the lasting power of the cup since i usually feel the cup when i move around but it wasnt that bad at coachella.

so here is another love letter to my cup hahah

VyNL

colorize your pad... the earth hating kind

2011-04-08T20:23:00.003-04:00

so fashion designer patricia field is participating in a contest with kotex. they are encouraging young women to design a fabulous pad in order to win a chance to work with the designer... why don't we do a colorize a cup contest? i'm sure this will boost pad sales but what about those of us who love the earth and love our bodies? shouldn't we get a decorative blood soaker contest? well lucky for us, reusable pads are already colorific. so suck it kotex your contest only promotes harming the earth!

Green and Greener

2011-03-25T23:54:00.002-04:00

A family friend of mine has a green store in LA and she sells alt menstrual products. On the website (click the title) you can buy moon jars (the jars you put used cloth pads in) as well as cloth pads. at the store, she sells the diva cup. If you're in LA you should come check out her store she has great products.

VyNL

Reusable Cloth Tampons

2011-03-11T12:49:00.004-05:00

I never thought about making reusable cloth tampons! i have definitely gotten used to feeling more connected with nature with the sponge. i will probably never buy/use one of these but it seems like a good thing to have around when you are surprised by your period in a place where it is unsanitary to put in the sponge or maybe you dont have your cup (or its too hard to get it in). (now that i said that i think i just made a great argument for getting one) i couldnt imagine my housekeepers' reactions to seeing it in the laundry! they would probably throw it out. the good thing is that you can get a little bag that you put it in when you wash it.

i really enjoy spending my down time looking through new alt products. its always fascinating to see what people come up with. i have become quite settled with the sponge and the cup so it seems my adventurousness has died down. i know reader comments are quite low on here but we always welcome people's insights about their product usage.

also please send your love and positive thoughts to our readers in Japan after having gone through such a devastating natural disaster!

thanks!

VyNL

p.s. here is a video of the cloth tampon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPgUdOEFMIY

Interesting (click me)

2011-03-02T01:03:00.000-05:00

vintage feminine hygiene (click me)

2011-02-18T03:17:00.002-05:00

This is in the women faculty bathroom at the school work at.

VyNL

You're a Young Lady Now

2011-02-11T16:09:00.012-05:00

My mom and my aunt were cleaning out my grandmother's office and found two mensturation pamphlets from the 1960s by Kotex! my grandmother would go over them with each of her daughters when they got their periods. one of the booklets goes with the Walt Disney Mensturation Story (click the title to see the youtube video). I took photos of the pages for all of you to enjoy :)

VyNL

The Tampons are missing..... (click me)

2011-01-23T05:13:00.003-05:00

The tampons are missing! oh goodness no! the tampons are missing!

My response to these women who use ob tampons for environmental reasons- use alt products that end up in landfills once every 10 years or twice a year. Mother Nature will love you more for it (but she does love you just a little bit more than those who use heavy applicator tampons).

VyNL

ipad

2011-01-20T02:31:00.001-05:00

i found an ipad case that is a maxipad! haha sooo great! click the title

VyNL

WHAT!

2011-01-14T13:20:00.003-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9b_LazfgM8&feature=player_embedded

This video is ridic! but click on the post title to go to the society for menstrual cycle research for more interesting takes on women and their natural body transformations.

I WANT THIS CUP!

2010-06-25T05:47:00.000-04:00

LOOOVE THE COLOR!!

VyNL

click the title!

Maybe this would be Paris Hilton;s cup....

2010-06-25T05:44:00.001-04:00

found a very pink cup... click the title.. reminded me of our paris hilton joke!

invader Zim and Hell cramps

2010-06-25T05:27:00.004-04:00

i'm sure you all know how much i love my sponge! the only problem is that it does not have super insane staying power!

i am sitting at the hospital pulling an all-nighter for my new summer job and would love nothing more than to be wearing my sponge right now. but since i do not have the facilites to wash my sponge out when it gets full, i am wearing my Lunette cup. I do love the cup's staying power but i hate that it pushes on my bladder making me feel like 1) i have to constantly pee, and 2) like i have a bladder infection because i constantly have to pee. when i finally go home (in about 6hours) i will have a cup full of blood! i dont think i have worn the cup for this long of a period of time before (it has been in since around 8:30pm and will be out around 8:30-9am). maybe i have during a long day at school but i doubt it because the tab was really painful and i took the cup out often. but now that i dont have the tab anymore i am good to go all night!

on another fun period topic....

this was the first period i have had since going off birth control where i had insanely painful hellish cramps like what i used to get before bc. I felt insanely hot, i thought i was going to throw up and pass out, and i was in excruciating pain. i think this means that all of the bc toxins are out of my body! my face is also clearing up! i have started using Jade & Pearl's Mystic moon tonic herbal tinctures- it is to bring coordination to the menstrual cycle, to alleviate cramps, reduce or eliminate PMS and menopausal symptoms. It promotes clear skin and reproductive health. i think that is helping because the cramps only lasted the first day. i gave in and took advil- which, if you know me, is a really really big deal since i dont like to put that kind of poison in my body. but it has been pretty chill so thats good. i dont know how long it will last so that will be a nice (or maybe not so nice) surprise.

VyNL

soo funny!

2010-06-23T05:17:00.002-04:00

PEE IN MY PANTS:

Soft Tamps....

2010-05-27T15:27:00.002-04:00

look like pink marshmallows! i dont really understand the point of them- espc since they say they are to replace using a sea sponge but i think they are one time use only which defeats the purpose of the multi-cycle use of the sponge... anyway click title to check it out

VyNL

MeLuna Cup

2010-05-27T15:19:00.002-04:00

LOOK AT THE COLORS OF THESE CUPS! I WANT A GREEN ONE!

in class once we joked about paris hilton having a cup that would be pink and blinged out! (this would be the company to do it!) how fun! its not like i really need a new cup or anything seeing that i have two already... maybe i should start collecting and i can have a cup for every day of the week or one for every cycle of the year! (i also wouldnt need to buy menstrual products for the rest of my life x2)

VyNL

(click the title for the site)

VIDEOS!

2010-05-27T14:56:00.002-04:00

I went a little video crazy: (click the title to be directed to the menstrual cup info channel)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLPBZz3uJEg

No tamps:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bElxn6fGgSI

Brands:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d12NcWGEnrM&feature=related

diva cup channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheDivaCup

LunetteCup channel (you all know how much we love our lunette cups:
http://www.youtube.com/user/LunetteCup

i hope you enjoy!

VyNL

Mold

2010-05-06T02:23:00.004-04:00

So i think my sea sponges became moldy on their trip from the supplier to me... it's smell reminded me of my jr year roommate's moldy towel! i'm so upset! thank goodness i finally got the cup to fit me and not hurt (i cut the tab off) i forgot to order more tea tree oil so i wasnt able to use my sponge this last cycle (MY FIRST ONE WITHOUT BIRTH CONTROL IN LIKE 4 YEARS!!!) so i cut the tab and used the luna cup cause the diva cup and my vag dont get along. it was a happy period (and i didnt even need Always products!)!
I am happy to report that another friend of mine got herself a diva cup! Way to go Slush!!

VyNL

(i have never encountered a moldy sea sponge before... so it may or may not be mold... it is just my opinion and i thought it was funny and reminiscent of the moldy towel. i just purchased new sponges and cant wait to try out the regular size!)

menstruation

2010-04-22T03:27:00.001-04:00

This girl did this video for a senior project (click the title)

Guess who is not on birth control anymore?!?!?!

2010-04-21T05:48:00.002-04:00

ME!

Yay to not knowing when i'm going to get my period!

VyNL

cup love!

2010-04-13T20:07:00.000-04:00

Leap-frog loves her cup!

VyNL

The story of Instead: better for You still bad for the Earth

2010-04-09T03:45:00.003-04:00

I may have posted up pics of this before but i am always in shock that my CVS carries this and not more eco conscious products... they are better for your body cause it collect the blood like a cup but you dispose of it like a tampon or pad... so its good for you bad for the earth.

and as always... i looooove having my sister (if only for blog entertainment)

also.... just because its funny... open the supply cabinet and fiiiiind......

VyNL

Really Ladies?

2010-01-23T01:15:00.002-05:00

I saw a tampon wrapper in the toilet at school the other day and couldn't believe it! especially after i tried to flush it and it popped out to reveal a tampon applicator inside.... there was a menstrual product trash right next to the toilet. idiot....

VyNL

Cup lovin'

2009-12-08T17:29:00.003-05:00

I was reading through some old posts instead of writing a huge paper due tomorrow and not only did it cause me to miss MMC, NYC, and how much fun doing the assignment was, but it caused me to miss the cup, which, as you have see in previous posts, i love dearly. i miss the examination of the blood, the whole process of using it. With the sponge it has become so routine (i have been using it for a year) that the novelty wore off. so maybe tonight i will put the cup in and enjoy its splendor.

VyNL

Breezy

2009-12-08T16:56:00.002-05:00

As you know, Cleaning the sponge with tea tree oil is the best way to clean it.... well let me tell ya! After cleaning it, putting it in feel soooo great! i love the way the tea tree oil feels its like cooling and breezy its AMAZING! it makes me feel better :)

VyNL

The writing on the wall

2009-11-22T23:40:00.001-05:00

Feeling adventurous?? Share your stories!

2009-11-12T11:02:00.003-05:00

Why hello there! Boy it's been a long time since I've been able to post to this blog...I almost forgot what it looks like. Now, that's a horrible thought -and it's exactly what we don't want to happen. A blog's success is measured not just by the consistent dedication of the writers and the quality of work published, but also by the support of followers and their sharing of ideas, interpretations, opinions, comments, disagreements....menstrual adventures! I suppose that means I should also uphold my end of the deal as a writer...so expect some articles soon -maybe even tonight! Enjoy VyNL's recent contributions and in turn, participate with us in our Adventures in the Alternative!

Today, in particular, we are asking each of the students in David Linton's "Social Constructs & Images of Menstruation" Class at Marymount Manhattan College to get on the blog and really read through entries - comment and email us with entries of personal stories or anecdotes you've heard elsewhere about alternative products, conventional products, menstrual woes and successes...bring us images, words, truth -really shock the blog over the weekend!

We invite all readers to share this blog with their friends.
We encourage all readers to comment on all entries.
We hope you will all consider posting entries as well - you can do this by sending us an email:
kouridm@gmail.com or dpogorelec@mmm.edu with an Alias you'd like to use and your entry in the body of the email.
Your fresh insight will help this blog grow - and your networking and sharing will give us new readers and new material!

Keep it flowing!
Thanks!
Schwinn

CLEANING THE SPONGE!!!

2009-11-04T02:41:00.007-05:00

So i found out that you actually should not boil your sponges because it lessens your sponges life! The best way to clean it is using Tea Tree oil. The smell is strong but it disinfects the sponge and it takes away the ocean/fish smell.

Here is the new sponge i got, they now make them in teeny, regular and large. i thought "oh the original ones i had must have been normal so i must be a large!" NO WAY!!!! check out this bad boy!!! its a monster!
This is one of the two sponges that come in a pack... this one is uncut:

This one has been cut for comfort and has been used for one cycle. the color changes because the blood stains it but the tea tree oil has disinfected it.

Here are the sponges next to each other.

Also i think i may have mentioned this but here is my glorious luna cup! i have missed it sooo much! now the (un) delightful diva cup can become a lovely addition to my shelves of nic-nacs.

FYI: Diva Cup takes returns on your cup if you are not satisfied!

VyNL

for more info on sponges click the title!

Diva Cup

2009-11-02T00:59:00.003-05:00

I bought a diva cup right before my trip to Lebanon because my luna cup could not be found. IT WAS AWFUL! well before that... i found out that my vag problem is not a short canal but i straight one! a "normal" canal dips at the end (inside you) but mine does not so that is why i have problems with the cups... ok so it was soo long it stuck out of me slightly and was not fun. i used it everytime we went to the beach so i could go in the water but i just couldnt deal the whole time and ended up using tampons... which was also miserable. i felt sooo bad about cheating on alt and harming the environment. but in lebanon they do not put anything in the toilet (tp, menstrual products) so it doesnt run off into the ocean... but there is soooo much litter that it doesnt seem to matter. that was sad (litter) and using tampons sucked (but they were chlorine free and organic so i didnt feel really shitty over it).

It would be great to have people send in pictures of products they have seen around the world!

VyNL

Lebanese Products

2009-06-21T10:22:00.007-04:00

Well they are the same as in America... but like most foreign countries, they dont use any, or very little, packaging. some even give free gifts. they also have chlorine free and organic versions but i was able to get any pictures.

VyNL

Hopscotch yankin' Leap-Frog's cup tab.

2009-05-18T23:25:00.004-04:00

Our friend Leap-Frog told us this really funny story about this guy, Hopscotch, who has this huge crush on her:

Leap-Frog's friend Bead was telling Hopscotch and their other friend Leaf about the diva cup, because, as you already know, we like to tell as many people as we can about these alternative products, after Bead told the two boys about the cup and how awkward it is when you pull it out because it is hard and can easily fall or splatter blood all over. In response to hearing this, Hopscotch told Leaf and Bead that he would pull a cup out of Leap-Frog any day.

and we thought Hopscotch was awkward before saying this...

that's just a little too alternative for me!

I hope you are all experiencing new and exciting things concerning your menstruation!!!
Please send us any fun or exciting or adventurous stories you have! we love them!!

VyNL

HELP US OUT!

2009-05-06T22:55:00.002-04:00

So basically there hasnt been any new info on our periods or our period product use! soooo if anyone has any feedback or stories they would like to share with us or have us post on the blog we would absolutely love that and you can pick a name for yourself that will allow you to be anonymous!

VyNL

awful...

2009-03-14T20:48:00.002-04:00

So this was a very tramatic cycle! after the natural history museum accident, everything was fine, for a day! i guess the sponge just ran its course but i really thought that it would hold out through this cycle. the same thing that happened at the museum happened in my bathroom! the sponge just leaked out everywhere! i ended up just throwing it away and used the cup for the last three days. I guess i had a heavier than usual flow because i stopped using the nuvaring bc. uuuuugggghhhhh! misery! i felt really sick and gross and the smell of blood was haunting me for the rest of the time i was on my period! uuuuggghhh!

VyNL

Knit

2009-03-09T16:17:00.000-04:00

anyone wanna knit me a uterus?

VyNL

p.s.

2009-03-06T22:48:00.002-05:00

i think its funny how the sponge provides so much more entertainment than a pad or tampon

The Museum of Natural Blood Gushing EVERYWHERE!!!!

2009-03-06T22:04:00.003-05:00

Today i went to the museum of natural history (my favorite museum ever!) and the very first thing i did was search for the bathroom. i had to pee sooo badly! after peeing i kept hearing squishing noises coming from my sponge. i thought "wtf! did it absorb my pee?" i had no way of washing it cause there was a long line and i wouldnt be able to wash it out and then go right back into the stall. so i thought it would be a really good idea to squeeze it out and then put it back in.. kind of like the how you can pour out the cup... but no. that doesnt work with the sponge. so i pull it out and it was sooo full!!!! i didnt even know i could bleed that much! it was leaking out EVERYWHERE!!!! it got on the toilet seat, all over my hands (dripping down my hand!!!), ridiculous! so i wrapped it up in toilet paper and it leaked through that so i kept wrapping it and it kept leaking through!! it was such a mess! and there was a whole line of women waiting for the bathroom. (thankfully there were two other stalls) it was like a movie! it was insanity! this sponge is at it's last cycle. its sad but it just isnt doing it anymore. what a wreck! its funny to think about it now but at the time i'm sure my face was bright red!

VyNL

Sneeze, Squish, Splat!!!

2009-03-06T02:32:00.003-05:00

AGAIN!!! haha.

yes my love for the sponge provides entertainment to me only... cause thankfully i'm the only one who can hear it! i love alternative products soo much because they are crazy comfortable but... i always forget i have my period! which is great but sucky cause then its 2:30 am and i havent washed the sponge in many many hours! which lovingly causes sneeze squish splat.

my cousin (whom i love dearly but is very very wasp-y and close minded) got her period the day before her week long Virgin Islands vacation. i suggested that she get a menstrual cup then she could go in the water and got get her vag bit by a shark. i (knowing this was going to be the likely response) got the usually reaction of "that is wrong!!! DEVIL! DEVIL!!!!" and then got an earful the whole ride from connecticut to nyc about it.

WOW!!!!! i dont understand why people are so closed minded about alter products! it's like people are addicted to the eco-killing, body harming products that are sold in bulk. well i say "that is wrong!!! DEVIL!! DEVIL!!!!" to those. (i have an angry, squinty eyed look right now)

oh the passion!

schwinn mentioned that its funny how we get out periods on days that we had menstruation class. (t/th)

and that's all folks!

VyNL

Tampon Tattoos

2009-02-21T22:42:00.005-05:00

What do you think of these tattoos?

I think the first two are cool but the third one is really grungy! I dont know if it's a "Punk" statement like "i smoke and have bloody tampons! take a look!" the first two are pretty and there are wings and stars! haha. they just fly right outta ya!

VyNL

My mom

2009-02-06T02:24:00.001-05:00

I forgot to post about this when it happened...

over break i showed my mom my menstrual cup and she laughed saying that she would need one of those red (i guess party/beer) cups for her period!

VyNL

In the toilet...

2009-02-06T02:01:00.002-05:00

So today was a very interesting day. I was stressing out over something i shouldnt have been stressing out about yet and while i was on the phone with schwinn one of the balls from my nose ring fell off and it pretty much pushed me over the edge. i couldnt understand why i was so irritated by everything and why i was so furiously searching the 4th floor of Nuge for the last earring ball i had. after rushing off to class and going to the bathroom i found out i had gotten my period and was getting cramps and irritated. it was weird that i was so irritated because i dont usually get more irritated when i am getting my period. so i was very unprepared and didnt have any sort of product so i had to sit uncomfortably with a wad of toilet paper through a 3 hour class.

sadly i broke down and bought one of those 25 cent tampons in the girls restrooms at school. let me tell ya that is the smallest tampon ever!!! i am used to having the cup or sponge in me and before that the hugest tampons money could buy. so i told schwinn and she referenced it to a penis... as she does so many things! (hahah just kidding)... and my demonstration of how a tampon the size of my pinkie was insecurely resting in my jumbo silver dollar sized vag made a really cute boy laugh (as well as schwinn and i)... pretty much made day!

but that had nothing to do with the toilet!

the first time schwinn used the cup it fell in the toilet. that provided a really great laugh.. until now.

as i was pulling out the cup... oh about 20 mins ago... it flung out of my fingers and went splat all over the place. not only did it cover the toilet bowl with blood but also my backside and legs! gross! but i was cracking up! it was so ridiculous!

and on top of that... i have this weird eco-friendly low flush toilet... this does not work in a situation where there is bloody water and toilet paper in the toilet. i have already flushed 3 times but the water is still this lovely shade of red (as are the few pieces of toilet paper that have not gone down). Thank goodness i live alone so i am not subjecting anyone else to the silly blunders of this alternative menstrual user!

WOW! what a day. probably my most flustered menstrual day in a very long time!

VyNL

Moroccan Menstruality

2009-01-31T22:00:00.003-05:00

I spent the majority of January traveling throughout Morocco and came to realize over time that I would return not only with nothing to declare at customs, but -more importantly and much to my dismay-also nothing of interest to post relative to the topic of alternative menstrual products. It comes as no surprise to me that they are not available off the shelves of pharmacies, super-marches, souks or hanouts.

The language barrier separated me from conversing with most women as well…so I learned nothing about the “secret women’s business” of Al Maghrib. I held out with the alternate prospect that I would be somewhere between Marrakech and Chefchaouen on my period, with or without my menstrual cup, and worst of all -in front of a Turkish toilet contemplating my next move on limited toilet paper and without a power flush or nearby sink. In fact, I had hoped for days that this might happen so that I could report to everyone something delightful or awful. The closest I came to experiencing Morocco with a menstrual cup was a funny conversation during which the suggestion of "alternative" uses for the alternative cup arose:

"When you come back from Morocco, make sure to bring hashish back with you!!"
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"Put it in your period cup. Then if a dog smells your crotch, you can just wave it off like it's normal."

I did try to share this moment with a male Moroccan friend and was sensitive enough to note that if I grossed him out, he could stop me. Really, I don’t think he understood a word I said. I talk fast…and in English…and some Spanish. My French and Moroccan Arabic were limited to few words.

Needless to say, the cup remained empty of anything and everything. While I took a risk of being without it by forgetting it at my home base (Fes) while traveling to other cities, I never did get my period...until the day before I left.

Interestingly enough, my friend who I was visiting, had planned to take me to a hammam (a bath house/spa of sorts that is reputed for sloughing layers of dead skin, warming souls, leaving everyone squeaky clean and providing an overall relaxing experience while shedding body image shame and embarrassment away with that dead skin). She too had just started to bleed and was using a tampon. While discussing social norms/taboos of Morocco, she suggested: "it might not be kosher to go to a hammam while on one's period.” Determined not to miss the experience, I assured her that she with her string tucked, I with my undetectable cup, and we with underwear on (it's only acceptable to be topless) would be fine - and sure enough, we were.

Although we survived the hammam, I managed to experience worse luck in my travels. With a load of baggage to deal with, I spent little time in the bathrooms while waiting hours for my flight –this after spending all night on the train. I managed to check and empty the cup before take-off, however, I spent a total of 12 hours in flight with a few hours here and there for a layover. Somewhere over the Atlantic, I recalled that I was not only bleeding and filling the cup, but also that I hadn’t been to a bathroom in long enough. Perhaps I am becoming accustomed to “free-bleeding” (no shame here)…for sure enough, I had the feeling in the seat of my pants that something wasn’t quite right. I discreetly glanced at the seat and saw a token rose petal and did all that I really could do at the moment: cover it with the blanket and go to the rest room.

So it goes - these pink underwear will never be so light pink again. Black pants are lucky to be black. There was nothing I could do but cover my thumb and index finger in blood that had never quite experienced Madrid nor Morocco, blood that had lined and filled and shed and tried to escape only to fill again. I prayed I wouldn’t drop it in the toilet and double checked with minor apprehension that the toilet was not an auto-flusher. (With my cup-dropping mishaps, I am slightly afraid that one day the toilet will take it…though I highly doubt this.) I used more toilet paper than I had in all of my North African journey and stuffed it in and around that little spot of the crotch of underwear where it is lined with an opening (go check – there is an extra sewn layer open at one end on many pairs of bikini bottoms – at least ones from GAP). I sighed – 5, 6 more hours? It seemed like forever.

What would you have done? I’m interested. If it had been VyNL or another of my close friends sitting next to me, I certainly would have attempted to casually let them know only to double over in laughter and repeated attempts at producing the story with a straight face. I contemplated letting a flight attendant know so that at landing, the stain could be tended to, but Iberia features employees who speak mostly Spanish. I’m not saying they couldn’t navigate English, but my pride forces me to use my language skills-and a Spanish menstrual vocabulary isn’t one of my skills. “Yo deje sangre en la silla” (I left blood on the seat)…”es de mi chocha”…(it’s from my crotch)…“Puedes limpia la?” (Can you clean it?)…that would go over nicely, muy suave. My new friend and reason for not being able to get out of my section without waking her up was from Colombia and also spoke mostly Spanish.

I never did tell the flight attendants. I returned to my seat, emptied and stuffed and put my faux leather coat over the seat. I sat in varied positions so as not to continuously smear any remaining damp blood into my coat or the seat. At one point I had to laugh because Erica (from Colombia) asked me to hold her white coat while she got up. As I went to get something out of my own bag while she was in the bathroom, I nearly sat on her white coat. I could only imagine what I would say if I managed to deposit a red letter on her sleeve. Souvenir? Fortunately, it never happened. When we landed, I covered the seat with the blanket from the airline once again –much like everyone else covers their seats. I shared this story with my boyfriend who claims he had a friend who was a flight attendant. He was certain that in the time between me landing and the flight taking off once again, the attendants will have gone through each seat, cleaning out garbage, collecting blankets and pillows and spot-treating such stains they find. And the stain will come out. I’d like to get my hands on stain remover that works so well on my blood. Hey, then I’d have pink underwear again.

-Schwinn-

sponge-haps

2009-01-12T03:43:00.002-05:00

so i had my first mishap with the sponge tonight!

i went out with some friends and wasnt able to rinse the sponge anywhere (it would have been a good idea to use the cup) and as i was leaving the restaurant i sneezed and i heard a squish/splat type sound... it was the sponge being squeezed causing the blood to squeeze out! aaahhhH!!!! it was crazy! it was my first bad experience and it was so inconvenient! i'm glad it wasnt a lot of blood but still it wasnt the best time for it to happen.

i learned a lesson and it was really uncomfortable... at the time... but now its funny. the sound is what kills me.

VyNL

also... if anyone has any funny stories they would like to share please post!! thx

Oh BFF

2009-01-11T20:42:00.002-05:00

so i told my best friend about alternative products and she said gross. haha! like almost everyone i have told about them. she thought that the cup was literally sticking a cup in your vag. i showed her my cup and she thought that i had pulled it out just to show her but i'm using the sponge so that wasnt the case. it was really funny! i also showed her the sponge (the second one, they come in packs of two) and told her that it smells like the ocean... another gross! hahah!

also another thing i forgot to mention about the sponge is that sometimes it causes queefing! whoa!

VyNL

also i found my Vinnie tampon case which is ironic cause i dont use tampons anymore...

Looong Time

2009-01-09T21:42:00.003-05:00

Hey all!

i know it's been a really long time! i have been out of town and Schwinn has been really busy!

i am on my period right now and felt like i should let you know about my product use.

i used the cup yesterday and i didnt have any problems with the tab which was great! but since i really like the sponge i am using that today.

i was explaining how menstruation works to my sister, who is 21 and should know, and she was extremely grossed out by it saying she thought she was going to vomit and pass out! hahaha! it was ridiculous! but this morning i was washing out my cup and she wasnt grossed out at all. i would have thought the opposite cause there i was washing out a bloody cup that i had just pulled out of my vagina! but she just asked what that was when i was drying it and i told her it was the cup. she said "oh" and that was that.

i also really wanted to ask my gyno about his opinions on alt mens products but after telling him about my "vagina eating monster" i chose not to. he pretty much thinks i'm a freak.

oh well!

i hope everyone had a great holiday and a happy new year!!

VyNL

I'll be back- not like Schwarzenegger-but like your menstrual cycle

2008-12-17T13:44:00.005-05:00

Wow, so I tried to give an interim update, but it posted in hindi at first.

Anyway, I got an email saying that one of our readers was happy the blog is still up - this makes me happy that you're reading and commenting! Stay tuned for Schwinn-based comments -because I miss the blog. Keep reading Vynl's contributions, because she's hard core.

-Wishing my life could straighten itself out and relax a bit,

Schwinn

ps - don't stop with your own words. Tell your friends and tell them to pass it on.

Hey!

2008-12-17T01:30:00.002-05:00

So i was watching some youtube videos and one of them was called Bloody Women! (it's from the UK so there is a double meaning to bloody!) and the main woman (the one talking about the alt products) said that Boots (it's a popular drugstore chain in England) sells the MoonCup! In the store! i was shocked (in a good way)! how cool is that? it's so available to women! i have never seen a cup being sold in a chain drugstore! the only place is Bluestocking! i am jealous! but since i already have a cup... it would be of no use to me now! if i had seen one when i was younger i probably would have tried it!

this just furthers my jealousy of the English...

VyNL

Click the title to see the video!

How to use a menstrual cup

2008-12-16T18:55:00.000-05:00

Click title

Menstruation animation

2008-12-16T18:54:00.000-05:00

Watch it!

Click title...

Birth Control

2008-12-16T15:29:00.001-05:00

Here is a really funny video from Current_ about targeting women for birth control.

(Click the title)

Pad Slippers

2008-12-16T15:25:00.001-05:00

Here is a funny e-mail that a girl in our class showed us....

My dear friends,

Somewhat embarrassing to admit, I'm not getting an annual bonus and Christmas is tight this year.

I will be making bedroom slippers for you all as gifts.

Please let me know your sizes.

You'll most likely agree that it's a splendid idea,

and should you wish to do the same,

I've included the instructions below.

How to make bedroom slippers out of maxi pads:

You need four maxi pads to make a pair.

Two of them get laid out flat, for the foot part.

The other two wrap around the toe area to form the top.

Tape or glue each side of the top pieces to the bottom of the foot part.

Decorate the tops with whatever you desire, silk flowers (this is most

aesthetically appealing), etc.

These slippers are:

* Soft and Hygienic

* Non-slip grip strips on the soles

* Built in deodorant feature keeps feet smelling fresh

* No more bending over to mop up spills

* Disposable and biodegradable

* Environmentally safe

* Three convenient sizes: (1.) Regular, (2.) Light and (3.) Get out the Sand Bags.

I've attached a photo of the first pair I made so that you can see the

nifty slippers for yourself....

Awaiting your response. It's crucial that I get the right size for each

one of you.

Can't stop laughing....

Hope does not take away your problems.........

It can lift you above them.........Maya Angelou

free bleeding

2008-12-11T18:56:00.003-05:00

here is a link for a website about... well.. menstruation. this page is about free bleeding... but there are a bunch of other topics on the site... (click the title)

My friend Fettacine and i were talking about free bleeding and i'm not sure whether or not she was joking about wanting to do it or if she was serious.

she said that she just wants to not use anything and let it flow everywhere. i, of course, just laughed. she says that she wants to go natural and doesnt want paper, then changed her answer to cotton, inside her.

also she wants to know if it is normal to have grape-skin type "things" coming out of her... so if anyone knows what that means or what that is and can give an answer please do!

so our conversation prompted me to post the link about free bleeding.

VyNL

Check it out!

2008-12-11T12:47:00.001-05:00

Here is a link to MC Flow... she raps/sings about her menstrual cycle.

(Click the title)

Day 2,565 (well it feels like it is)

2008-12-10T17:46:00.003-05:00

So the novelty of having the sponge and all the excitement i felt about it is now gone. i have been bleeding for a week now and i am over it! maybe its the stress of finals that is causing this but i just want it to be over. i dont have the time to be cleaning the sponge often and i miss the longevity of the cup! i would take the uncomfortable tab right now just so that i dont have to worry about leaking! ugh!!!

i also hate that i have a public bathroom in my dorm and i hate the public bathrooms in Nugent. its so inconvenient for my alternative life! or is the sponge inconvenient for the non-alternative world?

i hate to say that but it sucks that women who choose the alternative route dont have a lot of places that are suited for their cleaning needs.

i dont know if i'm making sense. its been a very long day.

VyNL

Gross

2008-12-10T00:16:00.003-05:00

so my hallway in my building smells like an old smelly tampon! i live right across from the girls bathroom so it's really gross! i prefer the fishy ocean smell of my sponge to this gross used tampon smell! every girl on my floor needs to have a cup because then it wont smell! i dont understand why girls feel it is OKAY to be gross and not properly dispose of their environmentally unfriendly menstrual products!! it bothers me a lot because i have to smell it every time i leave or walk to my room!

VyNL

Check it out!

2008-12-09T16:17:00.001-05:00

here is another link! it is a livejournal about menstrual cups!

(click title!)

Check it out!

2008-12-09T12:10:00.001-05:00

here is a link to a site about people's experiences with HPV

(click on the title)

Day 5 sponge

2008-12-08T17:33:00.004-05:00

So last night (well very early this morning around 2:30) i finally remembered to wash the sponge! this was always my problem with tampons.. i forget to change them! so i pull it out and it was so full that blood started to drip down my hand! i had it in for almost 8 hours! it was crazy! so this freaked me out about wanting to sleep with it. i was thinking about using the cup when i slept but i didnt and it was fine! no leakage! so i am sold on both products! still thinking about getting the keeper to see if its more comfortable.

oh but... my only problem with the sponge is that it smells! it smells like the ocean! but not the nice sea mist/ocean breeze smell. the smell of the water with fish in it. its not to bad but its kinda gross. it causes me to think of snorkeling.

i was also freaked out by the packaging saying that there may be small bits of coral in the sponge! great! watch out you may have coral cutting up your vadge! so i examined it and didnt see anything.

i'm good to go! its way cuter than a tampon! and i feel very in touch with nature using it!

VyNL

Day 4 Sponge!!!

2008-12-08T00:19:00.002-05:00

I LOVE THE SPONGE!!!!!

Yep, its pretty rockin'!! i have been a tampon user since i got my period at 13 and straying away from them was hard. but i did it and i'm really glad i did! The sponge is awesome!

it's like wearing a tampon except you rinse it out. I just picked it up today ( i couldn't yesterday cause i was in too much of a rush). and i cleaned it by boiling it (i don't have all the crazy oils and minerals they say to use) and then shoved it in! i was at school today and i went into a single person bathroom and washed it and shoved it back in! its so easy! it's not as fun as looking at a pool of blood like the cup but there is a lot more physical contact with the blood (so thankfully it doesnt gross me out!!). i actually had a little problem cleaning it because some of the blood didnt want to come out. but i got it. mission accomplished!

about two hours ago i went to go clean it again (in my shared dorm bathroom) but there were a bunch of people in the bathroom and i didnt want to wash out the sponge in the sink in front of them. that would have been awkward. that was one of the really great things about the cup, was that i could change it anywhere! like last night i was at my friends apartment and i needed to rinse out my cup. so i went to their bathroom. there was more blood than i thought! and i was sooo afraid that it wouldn't flush all the way or i dont know some freak thing would happen and they would see menstrual blood everywhere! (My friends are boys so it had the making of a very awkward situation) But i got it all down the drains and was good to go. i have the image of the blood going down the toilet and the water turned bright red! i was so scared that there would be red water in the toilet after! aahh! it's actually really funny and i would have gotten such a kick out of one of them seeing bloody water!

well i really really need to clean out the sponge! i havent changed it in like 6 hours.. which isnt good! i hope i didnt leak everywhere.. cause i refuse to wear a pad! sadly i would rather have an accident than wear a pad!

VyNL

Meeting Kimmie

2008-12-07T23:40:00.004-05:00

VyNL was running out of time before her period would start without a jam-sponge to catch it. That meant we were in store for a trip to Bluestockings Bookstore on the Lower East Side. We arrived to find cute cloth pads, Diva Cups, Keepers and colorful ways to allow women to stand up and pee (what were those called again? I’d call ‘em pee-pods, but they probably had a better name). While we were looking, we were fortunate enough to meet Kimmie who works there and was ever so helpful and willing to be interviewed on the spot about alternative menstrual products.

She had been through the conventional pads and tampons, but recalled reading Cunt at the age of 17. The section called “On the Rag” introduced her to the possibilities of alternative menstrual products and she has been using them now for 5-6 years.

Although I have fallen in love with the Diva Cup, Kimmie’s perspective demonstrates that everyone is different and we all develop preferences whether conventional or alternative. She had tried the DC but felt that for her, the Keeper was easier to insert and doesn’t pop out or cause leakage. When people ask her which one is better, she explains that it is anatomy dependent and difficult to pick one on general terms. Additionally people have to be careful because of allergies. *For me, I am allergic to latex, so the DC works wonders, however, I think the keeper has natural rubber and latex properties are lurking!

We asked about the return policy and discovered that via the company, both the keeper and DC companies will accept them back. The DC offers a 90-day guarantee. This gives women a great opportunity to try something new without investing in something they might hate at a greater cost than the average pack of maxis.

VyNL had warned me, I was forgetting the questions, so here VyNL…here are the questions:

What about your friends? Do you have many friends who use alternative menstrual products? (Are you happy VyNL?) J

Kimmie says – I probably have more friends who use alternative menstrual products than the average person. I even have a sister who uses cloth pads. I too have used cloth pads. I’ve made my own or used washcloths. (Aha! Someone who mastered the rag for reals!)

AND she’s used the sponge. Sorry for VyNL, but Kimmie alluded to the sponge having more potential cons than pros. For an average to heavy flow, the sponge cannot hold enough and requires frequent emptying. Pressure can cause leakage. It’s better for lighter flows or the beginning/end of your period. She offered a backup suggestion to use a cloth pad with the sponge. VyNL *loves* pads. Actually, I’ve come to believe that VyNL is more of an equal opportunity pad hater – whether they’re winged, woven, hand-made or ragged.

How do you feel about being in a public place (rest room) with alternative menstrual products?

Kimmie responded that the sponge is more inconvenient in a public place because you have to squeeze it out. With the cup, you don’t get blood on your hands. She is pretty calm about emptying the cup and has no issues, though it took a couple cycles to get used to the Keeper. Nowadays, she doesn’t feel it.

Thinking about my own mishaps with the DC the first time I used it sparked the question if Kimmie had ever had any of her own issues while using the keeper.

She said she had none (I guess I am the only one who drops my cup into the toilet) but does recognize that forgetting to empty it or not having backup protection *in case* can be problematic.

We asked Kimmie about the benefits of the product-

Even if we aren’t sure of the environmental footprint left by products, half of the population uses disposable menstrual products. For Kimmie, this evokes a mental image of a landfill of bloody pads- cotton, plastic liners, etc. For me, this makes me think of Staten Island as a giant maxi pad surrounded by a bloody bay. But she has a great point that was reinforced by the images we saw of the thousands of tampon applicators in the sewage plant in the scene of one of the movies we watched in class.

Kimmie also reminded us that it is awesome when you don’t have to spend money on products every month. Sure, a cloth pad might be $12, but you only have to buy one every 3-4 months as opposed to an entire package of pads or tampons every month. Besides, the packing is more compact and convenient too.

Kimmie mentioned that she has used the cup/cloth pads to track her cycles as well. I wish I had asked her to elaborate because I wasn’t sure where she was going with that. But she did mention that she is aware of her mood patterns and the regularity of her cycle. Readers, does anyone else have experience with this?

We asked her if there was anything else she would like to add-

She says that using alternative products has opened discussion with her partners. She doesn’t feel like she needs to sneak off and change a tampon before or after sex. Washing a pad in a sink is more visible and allows for good conversation.

*In class, we had related alternative products to being more in touch with one’s body. Perhaps by being able to talk about it more with others, there is an even greater sense of understanding that spreads from self to a circle of friends/family. I think it’s great that she is so open to talking about it. People need to learn about these things.

She also let us know that while working at Bluestockings, she has been able to sell alternative products at readings and parties. I think that puts an awesome twist on the outdated Tupperware parties.

If you ever need assistance with the issue of alternative menstrual products and are in the area, Bluestockings Bookstore is a friendly place where people like Kimmie are eager to be of assistance. You can even get a great cup of coffee or tea while you’re in. We had a great time talking with her and look forward to hearing from others at Bluestockings. Check them out any day between 11:00 am and 11:00 pm : 172 Allen Street between Stanton and Rivington :: 212.777.6028

www.bluestockings.com

You can reach Kimmie at kimmie@bluestockings.com

Schwinn

Day 2 of what should be the sponge (i just got the package as i was leaving!)

2008-12-06T04:28:00.003-05:00

So the sponge just got here in the mail. i got the package slip as i was leaving tonight so i havent picked it up it. but i will in the morning and start using it tomorrow! yay!

the cup was actually fine today. i think it's because i wore a thong so it kept the tab up and away from irritating me. also i just cleaned it and my blood was brown! all of it! no red at all! it was creepy and gross and weird! eeek! ha ha

g-night (or morning i guess)

VyNL

Day 1 of what should be the sponge

2008-12-04T23:57:00.003-05:00

So i just got my period today and i was hoping that i would have the sponge! but Bluestockings didn't have them so i ordered it online and the lady told me i would get it Friday at the latest! i hope it comes tomorrow!

I am using the cup, because it is all i've got! and i really like it!

but... i'm having the same problem with the tab... ouch! i don't know what to do! i think i may get the keeper because the tab is smooth.

Kimmie from bluestockings was not into the sponge and Schwinn says that i am "going against her advice" but whatever! i am excited to try it! at least i still have the cup incase there is a problem with the sponge. Kimmie said that i should probably have a rag with me because the sponge tends to leak... great... but oh well i will have it for back-up, i guess.... gross... i hate pads. they are like diapers and are uncomfortable...

Anyway,

i was afraid i was going to get my period yesterday so i wore the cup all day and it was fine! no problems! so it got me really excited! but then today happened... and i feel it and it hurts... so maybe i will cut the tab. eeeeeek!

VyNL

p.s. if you want your story/ies posted on here just send me a comment or note or smoke signal or write me a letter! and i will put it up here!!! yeah!!!

Quote

2008-12-02T03:07:00.002-05:00

I found this to be a snazzy little quote from one of my guy friends about menstrual blood:

"I don’t see why it’s gross, it’s like bleeding from any other place." -Adam, 20.

VyNL

Interviews

2008-12-01T23:55:00.001-05:00

So we had to do interviews for a paper for class (it's due tomorrow) and i thought i would share some of the answers to questions about alternative menstrual products:

E, 51

What has your experience with menstrual products been?

- I could never wear a tampon because I was too small. They just really irritated me a lot. And I hated those wing things that were plastic. So I just always wore a regular pad. I remember in the summer time when we would go diving and there would be sharks around and we had to be careful that we wouldn’t get our periods cause we didn’t want sharks to get us.

Have you ever used alternative menstrual products?

-What are those?

Like the diva cup or cloth pads.

-like women on the rag really is women on the rag? No that is to archaic for me. If I used that I wouldn’t get a Brazilian bikini wax and I wouldn’t shave my under arms. I would just braid my underarms and let the monkey be the monkey.

N, 21

What kind of products do you use?

-I don’t use pads anymore because I finally got comfortable with tampons. Sleep in them use them all the time whatever. I used to use the cardboard ones but now I use the plastic ones because they are more comfortable.

Have you ever considered or learned about alternative menstrual products?

-no

J, 43

What has your experience with menstrual products been?

-I have to take Tylenol and anti-depressants because of my period. I get really moody and cranky and depressed.

What about products? Like alternative menstrual products?

-No, I use the PMS symptom pills and Tylenol and Advil.

No, like tampons or pads, things like that..

-I use pads and tampons.

Have you ever considered using alternative menstrual products?

-Well I heard the cup doesn’t work. actually I think I tried the cup like 15 years ago. Maybe its changed. I’m not really aware of it but I would like to learn more about it. I would love to hear about it. I have a really heavy flow and sometimes I really hate having the tampon in me. I know nothing about it so I would really like to know more about it.

M, 13

How do you feel about menstrual products? Have you eve heard of alternative menstrual products?

- -No.

How do you feel about getting your period?

-Really bad. It’s a horrible wretched thing.

V, 44

What is your experience with menstrual product? Have you ever considered using alternative menstrual products?

- -I believe in gravity. I have big diapers. I don’t believe in corking the stuff. It has to come out. I wear the biggest diapers I have ever seen. They are very useful if you have a spill or an emergency, they are very absorbent. I like pads they work very well.

Have you ever considered using a cloth pad?

-God no, that’s disgusting!

D, 47

What has your experience been with menstrual products? Would you ever consider using alternative menstrual products or have you ever used them, like the cloth pad, cup or sponge?

- I remember Granny always telling me about how she used a rag and I think one of my sisters had to use one when she stayed at Granny’s once and I thought that was the grossest thing. I would never use them. I need like thick, I use two and then the tampon. I did once consider using the one that is like a cup but I don’t remember why I didn’t. If it just sounded too weird or if I tried it and I don’t know. I remember hearing about it. But now I just bleed too much and I don’t have the energy to try it.

It's interesting how E, who is a risk taker, be so against trying alternative menstrual products. She doesnt get her period anymore but the imagery she brings up about the cloth pad is very primitive.

And D, who is very conservative and reserved, was so open to sharing and was, at one point, thinking about using the cup. she also said that one of her friends says that getting her period is “your monthly reminder that you are capable of baring children.” This rings true for N, she talked about how she was so excited about getting her period because it was a symbol that she was now a woman and that she could get pregnant.

all of these woman are family members and it makes me sad that only one of them is open to using alternative menstrual products. i find them fascinating and i tell everyone who will listen about them.

VyNL

p.s. i get my period this week that means i am starting the sponge!

Day 5 Pads

2008-11-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

I didn’t really get time to update today. I’m so behind and barely got through classes. Left rehearsal early to pass out – I laugh thinking I could still have that same rag sopping up blood from whatever day it was…oh thank goodness for the cup. I probably end my period tomorrow, but alas, this is goodbye as I won’t have time to update. That’s all folks. Don’t take my word for the pad/rag/cloth…I’m sure they’re great…really.

Schwinn

Day 4 Pad

2008-11-29T23:59:00.000-05:00

When I finally got home last night, I couldn’t take it। Really, I’m sure the rag wasn’t that gross – and would be fine if I just washed it. But I was a mess and couldn’t take it anymore. I took a shower and gave up on the rag. I just don’t have time to put up with anything that conceivably gets in my way or makes me feel gross. I stamped an eco footprint by throwing the rag out and happily loaded the diva cup. At least one thing made me feel better. Perhaps one day I will try the pads again…give them a fighting chance. But for now, I am proud to use the diva cup and thankful for clean periods.

Schwinn

Day 3 Pad

2008-11-28T23:57:00.001-05:00

Ok now I feel somewhat gross. I arrived around 2:00 am…maybe 3:00 am and was staying at my boss’s since we were going to work together the next day. I didn’t want to wake anyone to go to the bathroom and I didn’t have a new rag or time to do anything about it. Therefore, I ragged along another day on the same bloody cloth after 8 long hours of driving. Now I was not only bloody and congested and exhausted, but I was also chilly then sweating then chilly and getting covered in sawdust and the dirt I fondly know as barn scum. (I was building sets for LVP all day). I just wanted to strip naked, shower in the hottest water I could tolerate, inhale the steam to clear my nose and head and dive into bed.

Schwinn

Day 2 Pad

2008-11-27T23:53:00.000-05:00

Today was not much different from yesterday except that I could feel myself starting to get sick. We had to run errands, so I was roaming around in public on the rag and it was no different than using a pad or tampon. Today, however, I refrained from cutting the newest rag-so it was noticeable in my jeans…Comparing the thickness of this rag to pads…ladies, your pads are invisible. But I was wearing a long coat anyway and was unfazed. I basically gave up caring about it except for the notion that it was a white rag that would ultimately be stained for good because I only had time to soak it (not fully wash it until I reached home). Since I had to be at work Saturday morning, I rushed home to pack and leave in the evening. I had planned on changing the rag for the trip, but realized I had used the last of them. Fortunately it was thick and wrapped many times…perhaps it wouldn’t be a big deal. Regardless, I wasn’t giving in and buying a box of tampons or pads. Do you know how many I have now? For once, too many.

I set out for NY from Cleveland (an 8 hour journey) and developed a steady lead footed pace. The weather was much better this time around (I had crawled 20mph in a white out for several treacherous miles only a few days earlier). I was getting sicker and had been exhausted over the last couple days. I knew I was returning home only to work at my job and rush my interviews in (which you will hear about later) since my family did not get together and I lost my voice (and the internet!) and could not talk to anyone. I had a paper to write and the regular load of studying for my exams. My head hurt thinking about it and I pushed the pedal to 80mph, slowing when my extrasensory bells and whistles went off to alert me to a cop’s presence.

Idiot me received a phone call at one point and desperately tried to navigate through it –both of us had laryngitis-he had a Pakistani accent to go along with it. So I concentrated a little harder on the phone and a little less on the cops and suddenly had sped right past one. I know this is now well off topic of my period, however, it is here and now when the officer asked me why I was going 86 mph that I wished I was a bit more worked up to tears…I had the perfect opportunity to attempt the menstrual card.

Officer, I am leaking through my rag and need to get to the nearest bathroom AND store to buy tampons.

Officer, if you are going to pull me over, then you are going to have to let me run into the woods and put in a tampon or something!

Officer, there isn’t an open store for MILES at 11:00pm the day after Thanksgiving in the middle of Pennsylvania!!! I started bleeding through my rag and it’s going to get all over my jeans and car…please!!!!

But I didn’t pull the card. I knew I had been speeding. I didn’t think he’d care…I know doctors who haven’t been pardoned when truthfully rushing to emergencies. No one gives two shits about the bathroom card…so my only hope was that this man was the most close-minded conservative Pennsylvanian cop this side of the Poconos…and I didn’t think he’d buy it. Besides, I had no tears. I was so ill and dehydrated and congested that I couldn’t cry anything out. But could you imagine? I am thinking of writing to the clerk with a note that says “please only let a female clerk/officer read this”-and then confiding “embarrassingly” to them:

I am writing to apologize for speeding –the officer asked me and I didn’t know what to say-he was a man –how am I supposed to explain THIS to him? I had been using the same rag since early that morning. He would have been MORTIFIED! I’m so sorry, I just don’t know what to do. I felt so gross and wanted to just get it over with and get on so I could find a store before I practically bled out.

I imagine a male reading it anyway-and laughing or being grossed out. He will either buy it or not, but maybe I can save $167.00 that I don’t have. Think of it as a “get out of jail free card”- every game of Monopoly gets two right?

Day 1 Pads

2008-11-26T23:48:00.000-05:00

Yes, my plan was to make cloth pads from a pattern on a website discussed in class. No, my plan was not to forget my diva cup in NY. Yes, my plan was to have the pad(s) ready and waiting for me. No, I’m not one for going according to plan…no, I did not think I would get my period on Thanksgiving, although recounting- that’s 34 days, and that has been my cycle for the last year, give or take the month where I tend to skip forward or backward an entire week. So here we are, Thanksgiving…what are YOU thankful for, honey? Well, I am thankful for my menstrual cycle, that it has come to visit me for Thanksgiving and spend the week…and I have nothing at the moment save for mom’s cheap (read: $.99/roll, not plush and comfy) toilet paper to catch it.

My next instinct was to connect to my surrogate brain, the internet, which is a wealth of knowledge, random facts and a lot of useless information that I like to keep close to me in the event my own knowledge falls short and hits a brick wall. Alas, my mother has no internet, but she does know best and handed me several of her rags. By this point, I didn’t really want to deal so much with it, so I sat on the toilet and began playing origami games with the rags.

I settled upon an S-folded formation that was eventually wrapped around several times and tucked. That way, if one portion became soiled, I could stick it into the middle of the folds and rewrap to a clean spot. Aren’t you going to cut that? –my mom asked- Please. I’m so over this. (Did I mention, I don’t really like pads?) For once, I appreciated my mom’s lonely Thanksgiving. Over the years, as my siblings married and moved out and my mom became more of a social avoider, holidays gradually quieted beyond my liking. Once my dad passed away, the sparkle of holidays diminished beyond my sense of understanding that it isn’t the glitter and gold that makes the holiday, it’s the company you keep and the traditions you share. For me, the glitter and gold was my family…but everyone’s in their own world. This year, I tried to prepare myself to enjoy sitting at home over a meal with just my mom as she had already provided plenty of reasons to my aunt and brother why we wouldn’t be celebrating with them. But now as I was sitting there, on the rag- literally-and not quite comfortable with it, I was glad I didn’t have to go anywhere.

Having rapidly grown accustomed to toileting without seeing an accumulation of old blood thanks to the cup, I was once again annoyed with going to the bathroom and seeing a bloody rag। Though, the rag was surprisingly absorbent. Unlike a pad, which can only lay against you, the rag had also somewhat conformed to my figure. With less space between the rag and me, I didn’t feel myself bleeding. Another thing I hate about pads is that I will sit a certain way or get up after sitting and feel blood pass through me. I know it’s such a minute amount, but it feels like I have just peed a little or have reached the threshold of my pad and am now bleeding into my pants. I was convinced that it would smell, but it really didn’t until later in the evening when it began to smell like wet rag. (You may disagree with me on this, but I think all cloth items get an odor to them when they’ve been wet for more than an hour). I changed to a new rag over night and soaked the other.

Schwinn

What a cycle!

2008-11-01T23:39:00.002-04:00

The downside to ending this cycle is that next month I have endeavored to try making my own cloth pads. I hate pads and only envision this piece of juvenile pink and valentine red fleece with cheesy hearts on it- a jam sandwich between vulva and hipster or string bikini (black to hide blood stains) – smeared with remnants of lining clotted atop the weave, unable to seep into super absorbency; a reminder of why periods can be annoying.

At the same time, VyNL is on her own adventure – to try the jam sponge- which is just a bit too alternative for me। A cloth pad seems tame compared to the spongy unknown. I can’t see it being promising. Though for her sake, I imagine it being less painful?

Schwinn

Day 7

2008-10-30T22:09:00.000-04:00

On the last day, it is the same only less emptying and more washing. It’s time to go back in the bag for a month – but this isn’t farewell. I’ve got a month to celebrate that I no longer have to buy products; that my C-Town might not have the ones I want because all women of Bushwick and Ridgewood seem to bleed light to medium on wingless kotex and scented medium tampax cardboard…que lastima! I have a month to celebrate clean underwear and a few extra dollars in my pocket – green for me. And hey world, here’s some green for you too. If it weren’t for my professor and her quest to educate us about the “social constructs and images of menstruation”, I might have never come to love the cup.

Schwinn

Day 6

2008-10-29T22:09:00.000-04:00

I can tell that it’s coming to an end by the color, consistency and amount of blood that is left in the cup by the end of the day. Really, I have begun to luck out. Knock on wood. I used to bleed for 8 days, heavily the entire span…but today the cup filled only after the majority of the day passed. I made it through class and work without worrying so much about changing it. It’s funny to think that just a few days ago, I was lamenting over the toilet while my cup bobbed bloodily in it’s failed debut. I appreciate the new sense of curiosity that comes with a cup full of my own blood…and the fact that it is so well contained. Perhaps it is good to become more connected this way.

Schwinn

Day 5

2008-10-28T22:06:00.001-04:00

Ahh it’s been a crazy day of class and rehearsal. I managed to change it during school. Still haven’t faced the public bathrooms, but I didn’t intentionally seek out a private stall either. It happens that I choose this bathroom on the way to anatomy every Monday and Wednesday – so the Diva Cup was no exception for this manic Monday. VyNL has been having difficulty with the cup due to some vagina-eating-creature or just your average infection. VyNL, maybe you pee too much and your vagina is starting to get pissed off...or maybe it IS the tab portion of the cup. Hopefully it will get better. I’ve been glad that for me, I don’t even feel it. Even the cramps that I (jokingly) linked to the cup subsided after that first day…granted, that’s what my cramps typically do.

Schwinn

Day 4

2008-10-27T22:06:00.000-04:00

It’s only been four days, but by this point, it seems pretty natural. I’m a diva cup super pro, yeah! Halloween is coming up and I have no costume. Maybe I can be that. A diva cup. Or a diva cup super hero. I’ve fallen in love with this thing. I just started to laugh because I recalled moments from the weekend of parties. VyNL and I had taken to discussing our cups to the other party guests while laughing about emptying it in the bathroom or the thought of it coming out. I’d better be careful or I might end up guilty of laughing by myself in a public place…one day people will think I am crazy.

Schwinn

Day 7

2008-10-26T22:31:00.002-04:00

Today is my last full day of my period.. i guess you could say it like that. tomorrow it will be over for the most part.. it will just be brown nasty instead of cool red! it was a very interesting experience... i like being able to sleep in it and i really feel clean and i don't worry about anything that i would normally worry out (leaks, smell, slide-age). i don't feel gross when i pull it out and i am going to miss it. i enjoyed the connection and the examination. and i really liked to see how much i bled in different time periods and different days. with a tampon it just soaks it up and i never knew but now i do. it's cool. i suggest trying it.

VyNL

Day 3

2008-10-26T22:05:00.000-04:00

Third time is a charm. I’ve figured out that either my periods have lightened in flow considerably over the last couple years or the diva cup is large enough to accommodate my needs and overnight pads are deceiving. I’ve survived by emptying the cup twice today without much disaster. Basically, that just means that I love the cup even more. Regardless of what has been discussed in class in light of odors and scented products, I’m convinced that there is an odor about bloody pads, especially if they linger too long. The cup seems to prevent this. The blood is a different consistency and color since the lining sheds and settles in the cup as opposed to smeared in and about a pad or tampon. Strangely enough, I just feel more connected to it – though more like a scientist. Pads, no matter how friendly and comforting the advertisement, gross me out with the sight of stale blood, while the cup incites a curiosity about what’s in there. If I were a bit crazier, I’d probably toss a sample on a slide and analyze it under a microscope. Ok, maybe not. After all, blood is blood, no? But really –it’s wholly different when it is presented in one neat little cup.

Schwinn

Day 2

2008-10-25T22:04:00.000-04:00

I guess I had cheated by the end of Day 1 as I worried I would not be in the proper state of mind to change the cup a second time. During that special time of night where jello shots, cider and spiked hookah pass quickly and time beings to pass much more slowly, the last thing a woman might want to do is stumble to the bathroom in a conflict of euphoria and drowsiness and attempt to empty her menstrual cup, knowing that her first try was a bust. Double-lining seemed to be the way to go, but just this once.

After settling in on my round chair and taking in an excess of marijuana, I wasn’t moving from my spot…not for McDonald’s trip number one nor number two (made by some friends desperately seeking what are fondly known as “nugs”). Several times I thought about the filling cup and the 12 hour caveat – “don’t wear the cup longer than that or it turns into a bloody pumpkin in your vag”, but I was fused to the chair and comfortable. In the morning I somewhat waddled to the bathroom. When I stood still, I was certain it gurgled at me – queefing against the sides of my vaginal wall, “Let me out! I’m a bloody mess!” It was rather amusing.

I began somewhat of a wrestle to pull the cup out. I couldn’t break the seal, pull the tab or get it to slide down. Sure, for one moment I thought “this is what happens when you leave it in longer than 12 hours – it fills so much that the seal vacuums!” Then I even momentarily worried: what if after all of these years of laughing about tampon emergency stories, I went to the ER with this diva cup trapped against my body – for some reason, I felt like the hospital down the street wouldn’t know what to do except speak a lot of Spanish while wheeling me around on a gurney. ¡Que horror! La pobre chica con su taza sangre…no podemos ayudarla. Que malo. A couple more splurging attempts and it came out and remained in my control. Once again, not for crowded bathrooms…it seems high maintenance.

But I can tell I like it and it works….or will work when I get the hang of it. I want to tell my mom to use this – or ask her what she was thinking…but she is beyond menopause now. I think she had used a cup before though. In any case, she cannot use it now, but I feel like she missed out something good.

Schwinn

Day 6

2008-10-25T21:48:00.005-04:00

so look at the link i found... (Click "Day 6") very interesting. this woman tried the cup and she really liked it... she used a pad one of the nights and after called her self a diva cup user... but it was a disposable pad instead of a cloth one like she has used before (she talks about it in the post) so i feel like it went against the point of the cup. i know i gave up after one night and used a tampon but i actually didn't have my period and i was going to resort to one again but i didn't. so i don't know. i guess she was trying to win a contest but she failed... well i can see why.. i would have failed the contest too. she should have used a cloth pad instead of a disposable one. but it is interesting that she blogged about it like me! it sounds like we had some of the same issues. she actually cut her tab but i am scared too.

VyNL

Day 1

2008-10-24T22:02:00.000-04:00

I had every intention of trying this thing out prior to having my period this month. It seemed challenging enough to merit some getting used to – but it was now or never as I had pushed my wait to the max and had no choice…no surprise there. Alas, I was spotting. Quickly, I boiled it, washed my hands like a surgeon and folded it once, twice maybe. Popped it in with remarkable ease and no bother. Suddenly I had this hollow feeling inside. For much of the day, my cramps were intense – reminding me of the cup’s presence...as if they somehow were related. Silly, of course. Several hours passed and I decided to empty the cup before a swinging party was about to ensue. Positioned over a toilet, I tried for the tip, the bottom, felt it slide somewhat and pulled it out oh so successfully, about to watch the first cup-full of blood…dark mucosal blood…spill out until PLOP – it slipped out of my hand and fell into the toilet.

Now as I grabbed it and ran it under hot water for several minutes before deciding to boil it again, I could only envision that I was in a crowded bathroom at any number of places beginning with Coney Island, NYU medical center, the mall, MMC…women are standing in line and hogging sinks and here I am with this bloody mess of a cup that has now fallen into the toilet. Smooth. Herein I decided without reservation that every woman needs two of these...one for emergency back up. Can you tell? I’ve been sold.

Schwinn

Day 5

2008-10-24T19:30:00.001-04:00

So today was good. i really enjoy using the cup. i know i have said it before but i really like it. the tab is, again, bothering me and i am really worried. i did remember that my gyno said that i have a very short vaginal canal so i guess that has something to do with it. I am afraid to cut the tab because i don't want to mess up the cup. It doesn't hurt to pull it out or put it in. just the tab is uncomfortable. i wonder what it will feel like when i can start to wear thongs again. the doctor said another week and i can but i wont have my period anymore. i guess i will just have to wait until i get my period in december when i will use the cup again. (november is the sponge). the tab is causing a bump and i am really worried because i already have an infection (not and STI/STD.. i got a cut and it got infected... its gross and painful..) and i don't want the infection to get worse. and the bump also causes more pain and discomfort.

Seeing the blood at the bottom of the cup is like the most amazing thing to me. i like to look at it. i know that sounds weird but try the cup and you will understand (i hope).

i also really like the security of the cup. i know that it isn't leaking or slipping out. which is amazing because when i would wear tampons that was always a worry! also i love the "environmentally friendly" aspect of using the cup. especially after watching the video in class where these two women went to a sewage plant and there were so many pads, tampons and applicators that couldn't be broken down! it was insane! so i am glad to know i am doing my part now.

I will figure out some way for it to not be uncomfortable. i tried to twist the tab but it didn't work.. maybe i should file down the ridges... hmm... i'll look into that.

VyNL

दक Inspiration

2008-10-23T23:43:00.000-04:00

She had recently gained my full respect and was now before us, passing around a sizeable silicone cup and its junior. Soon a satin blue bag reached me complete with a mini pamphlet on its purpose and directions of use – without more advertisements aimed at making me feel embarrassed or proud about my period. Though, I tend to be pretty neutral on these things. Here I am, an avid tampon user (I prefer the Tampax Pearl WMD wicked menstrual device), a masturbator, a sexually active (though on an extended voluntary hiatus) woman and an irregular visitor of the gynecologist. I have no qualms about putting useful and helpful objects in my vagina and have so far enjoyed decent outcomes barring momentary discomfort…but until now, I’ve not considered being a menstrual cup user long enough to try it.

Tampons and the issue of the “bleach leech” never quite worried me, nor did the threat of TSS despite my mother’s warnings and my sister’s recent admonition that “I better never sleep with a tampon”. Even flushing has rarely been an issue – after all, the single experience I have with a clogged toilet will forever be questionably the fault of my tampon, my distressing bowel movement or the crossed Q-tips that managed their way down there by the owner of the toilet. I can’t say I am green enough to consider the environmental effects without stumbling upon stray applicators on beaches, in bathrooms and curbside.

I’ve regretfully lined or double-bagged, flooded thin maxis and worried when overnights were overloaded in under the time limit noted on the package. I’m not a fan of anything lingering where I can feel it, leaking when I don’t have time to change it or shifting to a chafe. But given the options, that’s what I’ve used…and have seldom complained.

But there was something there – was it a freeing feeling associated with the blue in the bag? Was this a blue period, the kind Always says I should be happy about? Was it the smoothness of the curious cloudy silicone, a refreshing vacation from cotton and gauzy gluey (bloody) catch-all? Was it my own intrigue in a self-constructed taboo? I would never catch my blood in a cup…I mean, what do you DO with that after? Suddenly I was enchanted with this chalice। It was worth a try as I’d have nothing to lose but a week…and that is to say only if it were a nightmare. Imagine if it were better than the rest?

Schwinn

Day 4

2008-10-23T22:52:00.004-04:00

I had no problem with sleeping in it. I did get quezy at the sight of the blood this morning when I pulled it out which is weird for me but maybe it’s because its 7:30am. It hurt pulling it out but I was fine putting it back in. On to school!

Ok so at school I could feel the tab all day and I would try to rotate the cup or push it up but that didn’t work. I was really surprised with the amount of blood I would get.

another weird thing i noticed is that when i pull out the cup there is excess blood that tends to leak out of me. it is as if it was in the cup or about to be in the cup but then just came out instead.

i still feel the tab and it is starting to get painful but i think i will try to cut it so i wont have the discomfort. sometimes i dont feel it but i usually do. even though i am having this discomfort i really like the cup. it does get me more in touch with my menstrual cycle. i also really like that i dont have to change it very often. i was getting scared that it may be filled with blood but it never was. i could have kept it in longer but since it is my first full day using it i was scared. what does scare me is that i can feel the tab and it feels like a tampon sliding out so i am constantly scared the cup is sliding out. it hasnt yet so i am slowly becoming less neurotic about it.

i was worried about the community bathroom issue for when i do change it but so far it hasnt been that bad. i am able to rinse it out and go back into the stall to put it back in. when i take it out, i pour the blood into the toilet and wipe it out with toilet paper. then i use toilet paper to contain the blood so i wont bleed onto my underwear while i rinse out the cup then i go back into the stall and insert the cup. it seems like a long process but it only is if both of the stalls are occupied.

today went a lot better than i thought it would.

VyNL

Day 3

2008-10-22T23:30:00.002-04:00

So I got my period today and I didn’t have the cup with me at school so I used a tampon. When I got home and showered I put in the cup. It was a little hard to do it but I finally got it in and secure. The only thing that bothers me is the little tab that extends from the bottom. It pinches and is uncomfortable. But other than that the cup is fine. I am going to sleep in it now and I hope I don’t wake up with a blood puddle cause that would be gross. I am a little worried about taking it out tomorrow morning. How will I rinse it when I have a community bathroom? Ugh.. I hope I can do it without problems!

VyNL

Day 2

2008-10-20T13:49:00.003-04:00

False alarm.. I don’t have my period. Something must have caused spontaneous bleeding when I tried the cup. I hope this doesn’t happen when I really do get my period

VyNL

Day 1

2008-10-19T22:45:00.006-04:00

so i thought i was going to get my period on wednesday but i think i just got it. i took out my NuvaRing and wanted to try out the cup to see how it felt. when i first put it in it felt weird so i pulled it out to try and readjust it, there was no blood. the second time i put it in and pulled it out there was blood and it scared me because I know I’m not supposed to have my period for a few more days. So I wonder if somehow the suction from the cup caused an early onset of bleeding or if the antibiotics I have been taking really did “decrease the effectiveness” of my birth control. Either way… I have my period now and the alternative menstrual product journey has begun!

So I can feel the cup inside of me and it’s a little annoying. But as I am getting used to it, I am slowly starting to feel it less but I am still aware of it being there. It is actually really cool because I have already pulled it out once and saw the blood collecting on the bottom. It will be really interesting to see how much I actually bleed a month. I know that I am not going to keep a record of how many ml I bleed because I just don’t have that kind of time and I don’t have the brain power/memory to try to remember. I will also remember to keep the cup away from animals especially rodents… so I guess I won’t be lying naked in the subways. So I just sneezed and it moved the cup a little and now it is pinching me or something... Ahh! Pain! I am afraid to take it out or move it around because I don’t want to have problems putting it back in. what sucks is that my bathroom is public and I can’t just clean it out in the sink and put it back in. I would have to walk over to the sink rinse it and then go back into a stall and put it back in. What a hassle. I know at school it wont be so bad because I can just use a single person stall. Ugh.. it really hurts so I am going to go fix it because I don’t want another freak infection!

i posted the lunette cup website incase you want to check it out... just click on "Day 1" at the top and it will direct you there.

Ok so pulling it out was so painful!! I am wearing a tampon tonight. I’ll try again in the morning. This is a lot harder than I thought.

Well even the tampon is hurting.. so I guess I hurt myself trying to use the cup. I think I may have done something when I was trying out the cup. OUCH!

VyNL

Hello

2008-10-18T01:36:00.001-04:00

Hello,

i'm Vynl. I'm a 20-year-old college student and my friend Schwinn and i are doing a project for our Social Constructs and Images of Menstruation class. we are going to be trying out different alternative menstrual products. I will be using the cup and the sponge. I have been interested in these products since i was 15 and saw them in a magazine. i didn't know anything about them, what they were or how they were used. i am really excited to have this opportunity to learn about these products! I hope they work out for me so i can continue to use them for the rest of my menstruating years.

Also i would like to thank the people at Lunette for the menstrual cup!

VyNL

P.S. i hope this blog will open your eyes to alternative menstrual products...