My best friend and I decided to try tampons when we were in high school, since we both hated bulky pads and had heard other girls talk about how much easier tampons were to use.
At that time, we were both nevermos.
My mother - a nevermo registered nurse - had a hissy fit when I told her I was using tampons. She said I wasn't a virgin any more. I told her that was nonsense and made her look up the definition of "virgin" in the dictionary. Since it said, of course, someone who had not experienced sexual intercourse, I asked her if she thought using a tampon could be considered having intercourse. She turned purple and stomped out of the room, but never brought up the subject again.
No, I reached tampon age right around the time when Playtex or Tampax or whoever was running an ad that addressed that very concern: "Will I still be a virgin?" So I was educated enough on that matter that I knew tampons had no effect on virginity. I wasn't Mormon then either.
I lived with my dad at the time and I requested he buy me the petal-soft gentle-glide playtex ones with the soft, round plastic applicators. I suppose he had some sort of mental shutdown over the matter because he came home from the store with tampax cardboard stiff, angular applicators and I was too uncomfortable to correct him or discuss it further, but all I know is my virgin vagina burned so bad trying to get those dry, stiff, cottony things in. I couldn't get it in all the way and I cried from the dry, tight, burning feeling. It took me months before I finally got it right and finally made it through that first package.
From then on I bought my own playtex petal-soft gentle glide tampons with my babysitting money.
Playtex was like trying to get an open umbrella out of your vagina.
If you had read the instructions on the Tampax junior kit, you would have known you're supposed to put a bit of Vaseline on the tip of the tampon, it goes right in--important for a newbie.
Plus, Playtex was plastic and harmed the environment and Tampax just broke down into paper in the toilet.
This was back in the days when gasping-for-breath Brenda Vacarro sold Playtex.
the plastic may be harmful to the environment, but have you ever tried one of the non-applicator tampons? I did not have a good experience with those. Also the diva cup...NOPE!
Johnson & Johnson made the non-applicator tampon. I never relished the idea of shoving my index finger up my vagina just to get the tampon in place.
No on the Diva cup--the fringe (raw foodist) website women swear by this. I'll save the environment some other way, thank you.
Eventually, I realized that tampons gave me intestinal gas pains really bad and since I was really light my whole life, I just switched over to panty liners--and was much happier for it.
I love, love, love the cup. I always used tampons and they caused cramping. Never had it with the cup. Also, don't have to worry about clogging the pipes; if hiking can easily empty and keep going.
Before I got a cup, I used non-applicator tampons, so learning to insert the cup was easy. I have ALWAYS used non-applicator tampons (OB brand) and find them easier to use than awkward applicators. But, I never had a hymen in the way. (Skiing accident at age five.)
My favorite things about the cup are that I never have to buy tampons, and I never have to carry tampons around. The cup is cheaper and easier.
I can see how it's not for everyone, but it's definitely worth working through the learning curve. I do a lot of travel to remote locations - Don't have to pack boxes of tampons. Also don't have to worry about changing them in porta potties. Or dealing with things every four hours instead of 12. I'm a diva cup missionary. More passionate about that than I ever was about sharing the "gospel".
Onlinemoniker, these tampax's that my DAD brought home for the store were not junior. And believe me I am one to read all instructions very thoroughly over & over before using anything. This was around 1988, m'kay? No mention of vaseline in the instructions.
And don't anyone fekkin' guilt me about wanting to use the plastic playtex gentle glides. Once I got those, life was better. I soon graduated to applicator-free OB's which were simply the tampon guided in place with a finger. The last 15 years I've been using the DivaCup.
So on the topic of being environmentally-friendly, I recycle everything that can be recycled and I am fairly confident that if you check my recycling output on any given day, I'd win a competition of recycling-awesomeness against any of you :-)
*edited to mention correct year of my first tampon use in 1988...not 1998
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2014 08:09AM by lenina.
I know a tbm girl whose mother refuses to allow her to use tampons because of this and because she thinks it is not appropriate for girls to touch their own genitals as it would encourage masterbation (in the mothers opinion).
My wife had a talk with our daughter about the subject, I was in the room. It was a normal conversation with a child that had questions. Yes she was encouraged to use a tampon. She was told it was perfectly fine. I loved the open matter of fact attitude that my wife brought into our home. Our children were not haunted by strange taboo subjects.
the only time I ever heard of it was also in teen magazines and stuff like that. But I was also told that if you shaved your upper legs, you could get cancer lol Thanks 1980's!
No, but I do remember a young- young women leader act disgusted about tampons. Turns out one time she got one stuck. The thought of putting her hand inside to get it out disgusted her so she went to the doctor instead. I do not under stand how having someone else do it would be any better. What a weird-o.
Omg In my early years of sexual intercourse I had to go to the doctor twice to have tampons removed because I forgot it was in there when boyfriend went in. Doctors call this a "retained tampon." Nothing that a speculum & tongs can't fix!
Well that really is ridiculous. It may destroy the proof of virginity, but not the virginity itself. Sounds like she grew up with very little discussion concerning sex.
Same here, lenina. I always used the soft rounded plastic. Anything else hurt too much.
tapirsaddle said, "It terrifies me that your mom was a NURSE and told you that." Same here!
I've never heard of this either. My dad was an OB/GYN and there were plenty of medical books at home so we knew everything before middle school. He asked us for the signs and symptoms so when the time came there were plenty of tampons on hand.
most women I know, once they use a tampon, regardless of what kind, never go back to pads unless there's a medical reason why. They are just so much more efficient
I don't know if I could have used something like the cup. Heavy doesn't begin to describe what I went through, but I'll spare you the details.
I'm just grateful that I haven't needed to use anything for 11 years now. Between ovarian cysts, endometriosis, fibroids, a benign tumour the size of a grapefruit and developing uterine cancer, I paid my dues where that part of womanhood is concerned. Four or five surgeries later, it was finally all done with.
Now the memory of all I endured is fading, gratefully. Whether or not I still had any proof of virginity was the least of my problems after all of that. LOL
But it did used to bother me in that I wondered how I would prove to my husband that I was indeed a virgin. He'd just have to know me and trust me, I guess.
Of course, I never got married, so it was a worry I needn't have had.
that's terrible, I'm sorry you went through that. If I ever get cancer I hope it's in my lungs, brain, whatever..I don't think I could handle having it in my uterus. I passed out when I got my IUD. I passed out again when I got it taken out and replaced. I still have one that needs to be replaced again but the thought of doing so makes me want to vomit the pain was so bad.
I was 12 when this whole mess started, and when I found out what a hysterectomy was, I begged for one...Had to wait 30 years for one, but my wish finally came true, and I am soooo glad I don't have to mess with that yucky smelly junk anymore...PS, everyone thought I was weird cause I did NOT want nor ever had kids. I just couldn't see giving up MY free time for a kid.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2014 08:55AM by utahmonomore.
good for you for knowing your limits! I don't think it's weird, I think it's called being responsible. One of my bff's who is my same age has never wanted kids either. She told me that when we were in jr. high and she is single, no kids, traveling the world having a great life
I never had that problem with my mom. Actually she was the one who suggested it in the first place and started me off with the junior ones about six months after I started having my periods. Those things came in handy when I took a swimming class in college and for the heavier days when I needed the extra protection of wearing both a pad and the biggest tampon I could buy.
Wow. I'm surprised that a nevermo RN would think tampon use makes you a non-virgin. What year was that? I do know that in some countries that belief was prevalent and you couldn't even buy tampons there. My dad warned me before my mission in Argentina that I would have to pack what I would need for the entire 18 months.
I have recently stopped having to worry about periods, but I have to admit that I never heard of a diva cup until I read this thread. How long have they been around? It sounds interesting. I don't know if I would've used one. I remember trying the OB tampons and wondering how anybody could get them in right. None of my friends liked them either.
they came out in the early 2000's. It's funny to read how some things work for some people, and others not so much. Hurray for choices! Oh and I have to add, I'm SO glad I'm not a pioneer on her period. Can you imagine?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2014 11:51AM by Tupperwhere.
I think I heard of this, but didn't ever consider it a valid point. Never had any problems with my extremely tbm mom (also a nurse) taking issue with tampon use.
There were actually cups around when I was a kid, before I ever had a period. I used to see ads for them in magazines.
But by the time I started, they'd disappeared and then they came back again once I was done with periods. So I never got to try that option.
It's funny. You can go through hell with your periods, as I did. After you stop having them, for about the first 6 months you're always running to the washroom, thinking a period is starting and then going, "Oh, yeah. Don't have that anymore." LOL
But after a while, you begin to forget that you even had them at all. A younger woman will remark that she's on her period and you're like, "Oh yeah. I remember those. Poor girl. I've forgotten about them." It's weird.