hi.

[22by7.livejournal.com]

i'm not sure this is the right place to ask this question, but it is related, and i'd appreciate any thoughts. nobody i know seems to be able to help.

i'm eighteen and started swimming regularly since early may, after a very long gap. now it's Period Time, and my mum says i should simply not go the five or six days i'm menstruating. i don't really want to miss swimming for almost a whole week, but the very real problem here is that i cannot bleed into the pool. i was wondering if there's any kind of protection i could avail of that'd be 100% safe. (someone suggested tampons, which i find beastly and refuse to use...)

what should i do?

Comments

[puttysan.livejournal.com]

Do you have something against internal products, or just tampons? You can use a menstrual cup; you can pick up Insteads at many stores. Otherwise, tampons are about it.

[22by7.livejournal.com]

internal products in general, really.
thanks, though :]

[puttysan.livejournal.com]

Well, anything not internal allows blood to flow out of the body.

[stratyllis.livejournal.com]

You could try an Instead, a type of menstrual cup. But if you don't like tampons you probably won't like Insteads either, because you also have to insert them into you vagina.

I would agree with your mother that you cannot go swimming if you are on your period. A pad would simply get soaked and would still allow blood to get into the water.

May I ask why you hate tampons so much?

[22by7.livejournal.com]

A pad would simply get soaked and would still allow blood to get into the water.
exactly.

i'm not happy about the stuff they use in tampons. and it feels icky. maybe that sounds silly, but, well. heh.

[stratyllis.livejournal.com]

It doesn't sound silly at all. Looks like it's dry dock for you.

[22by7.livejournal.com]

yeah. *sigh*

[lindsey-nichole.livejournal.com]

Menstrual cups are definitely much better than tampons in my opinion. And there is no risk of TSS and they are more vagina friendly. They don't soak up natural lube like tampons do.

[darksparkles.livejournal.com]

i'm not happy about the stuff they use in tampons.

You can buy bleach-free, pesticide-free, organic tampons - it's what I use most of the time. That, or you can use sea sponges, which are reusable.

[uozlulu.livejournal.com]

I know where you're coming from on the tampons front. I think though that, they're your only clear option.

I hope that you find something that works though <3

Maybe a cup? I tried them though and it really didn't work for me. I'd suggest you not try it if your periods are insanely heavy like mine.

Good luck!

~ Uozumi

[22by7.livejournal.com]

well, ok, i guess i have normal flow most of the time, so it might work for me. then again, i don't think i can get hold of cups where i live. i'll look, though.

[uozlulu.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they're not everywhere. I got one sent to me as a sample in the mail.

~ Uozumi

[imdrkangel.livejournal.com]

If you don't like the material that tampons are made from, try sea sponges. They are very absorbent and natural.

[onabun.livejournal.com]

Birth Control maybe? I mean that'd probably reduce the length of your periods and you can time it so that they more or less fall when you don't need to swim.

I don't know what your opinions are on BC but it's always an option. But like everyone else said, you really need to use a tampon or abstain from swimming.

It's a bitch being a lady!

xx

[kuangning]

Just a note that I actually founds tampons easier while I was swimming than I did at any other time, possibly because they will absorb some water from the pool while you're swimming -- they'll block your blood from going into the pool, for the most part, but they won't be horribly dry and painful to remove when you've done your hour or two hours and are ready to get out. I haven't tried my Mooncup while swimming, mostly because I haven't been swimming much, but I doubt I'd have a problem with that method either.

[kwokj.livejournal.com]

While you're in the pool, you'll hardly leak any blood because of the water pressure. if you put a thin panty liner in your bathing suit, thin enough that it won't get bloated in the water, that will do for when you get out of the pool, except maybe on your heaviest day or two.

So go ahead and swim except maybe on your heaviest days, just you'll have to put in a fresh liner right before you get in, and get to the bathroom very shortly after you get out of the pool.

[jaipur.livejournal.com]

If you can wear them, Insteads are better than tampons (IMHO). They don't get all dry and sticky.

[stripling.livejournal.com]

http://www.thedivacup.com

i swear by it. SERIOUSLY, save yourself craploads of money, discomfort, waste, and risk of tss, etc. The diva cup, RULES- i can't even feel I'm wearing it most of the time, and it lets my vag have normal discharge in the lower half instead of soaking everything up and drying you out like a tampon does.

it's made of hospital grade silicone- super easy to clean, and one of the best investments i've ever made.

Plus you could definitely wear it to the pool :)

[tiffiny-.livejournal.com]

I cannot recommend this enough. My periods have gotten lighter, less cramping, less worrying about leaks, and environmentally friendly (and cheaper than buying a bunch of stuff for every month).