New year.
New resolutions.
New opportunities.
New vision.
New growth.
New you.
As you look toward embracing the new year, consider resolving one (or more) of the following:
I asked a young friend why she used scented pads.
She replied: so no one knows I’m on my period.
Before you use scented menstrual products think critically:
1) Think – they can cause irritation.
2) Think – when’s the last time I could tell someone was menstruating because of objectionable menstrual odor?
3) Think – do I really want those chemicals and “perfumes” rubbing my body throughout the day?
Yes, I know, the Stayfree ad is outdated. But, their message is still common. “Feel fresh.” “Odor control.” “Neutralizes odor.” “Feel cleaner.” And, Always recommends “advanced odor neutralizers for lasting freshness.”
So, who told us we smell bad when menstruating? Oh, yeah, companies that make disposable menstrual products. Products that make us smell anything but natural.
“Keep in mind that not all menstrual symptoms are negative ones.” *
That’s great advice – and something to remember when we are talking to girls about periods.
The negative seems to always be at the forefront of any discussion of menstruation:
cramps
bloating
leaks . . .
We seem to forget that not all menstrual symptoms are negative. Often when menstruating, girls and women feel more
feminine
creative
open
eager for a challenge . . .
Ads for menstrual products push the negative and ignore the positive. They play to our fears and our ignorance. And we buy
Take a look at the ad to the right. What is it telling you about your period? About you when you are menstrual? About how you should feel about yourself and your period?
If our periods are natural, not dirty – why do we need a special scented cleansing wipe when we are menstruating?
Why do we allow the media to tell us how to think and feel about our periods? About ourselves?
It’s time we become period wise, embrace the positive side of menstruation and mentor others to be period wise, too.
* With thanks to Jennifer O’Donnell for her piece – Menstrual Symptoms Your Tween Should Know.
With Christmas a week away, I’m making my list and checking it twice.
If your list is anything like mine, there’s one person missing – YOU!
Take a moment and look at the gift ideas below and see if any are on your wish list. Maybe it’s time for your wish to come true.
Gift yourself this holiday season! You and your period deserve it!
“Ultra is back. Let the celebration begin.” 
An email from o.b tampons said: “o.b. ultra tampons are back and we couldn’t be happier. We’re so overjoyed by the triumphant return of our product that we can’t stop celebrating! We even decided to throw a party in your honor. Check out your endless celebration here. And, hey, even if you’ve never used Ultras before, your name is always on our guest list. Enjoy! Roof-raisingly yours, The o.b. tampon team.”
As a former devoted user of their ultra absorbent tampons (note I said former), I find myself a bit confused by the celebratory email – and even more so by the fact that ultra o.b. tampons disappeared from the shelves in the first place.
I’ve heard no explanation as to why they were pulled – or if they have been changed in any way before their reintroduction.
Ultra tampons pose a greater risk of TSS than any other tampon the company makes and I know from personal experience that o.b. tampons have, in the past, left a large number of fibers within me when they were removed.
If there was an issue with ultra o.b.that prompted Johnson & Johnson to pull them from the shelves, I hope (and pray) they corrected it before re-releasing it.
We cannot depend on companies to make period wise decisions. It’s up to us to be period wise and protect ourselves.
The more absorbent the tampon, the greater risk of developing TSS.
I’ll be honest – o.b. ultra scares me.
I wore a pad today.
A huge overnight pad that reached well up my front and quite high up my rear. It filled the crotch of my panty and bunched between my legs.
You can see in the picture how huge it is compared to my hand. Imagine how huge it felt in my size 6 panty!
I placed the pad this morning and wore it until early evening. When I check the mirror, from the rear the pad was quite evident and in the front it made a bulge in my jeans.
It was over-sized, bulky, uncomfortable, ill-fitting and touched me in places I preferred a pad not touch me. My hands continually went to my waistband to pull up my panty, to adjust the fit, to shift the pad – and to my rear to pull the pad away from my upper hip. When I sat, it bunched in the front and when I stood it sagged in the seat.
My day found me at a local hospital, in physical therapy, shopping, driving, sitting, standing, walking – and never once did I NOT feel the pad.
It was present with me physically – and mentally as well.
I felt like a girl wearing her mother’s pad.
Yesterday, at the grocery I stopped on the feminine hygiene isle and stood looking at the many options women have for managing menstruation. The huge 15 inch long purple pad I wore today was only one. There were pads of various shapes, sizes, absorbances and colors – all meant to meet the needs of women.
But, not all who menstruate are women. Many girls are entering puberty early and it’s not unusual to hear of a girl who has begun by age 7, or start menstruating by age 9 (or even earlier).
Just as I need a pad designed for my body that meets my menstrual needs, tweens and girls need products designed for their bodies, that meet their menstrual needs. Kotex recognizes this need, and now sells U Tween – especially marketed to girls ages 7 to 12. 
The next time you place a pad – or whatever menstrual product you prefer – consider for a moment who you were at age 8 and if your product of choice would have worked for you at that age. And, consider also that there are many girls who experience periods just as heavy as yours but who do not have product choices equal to their physical and menstrual needs.
What do you do when you wake to find your period’s started? You do what many do and reach for your supplies.
And, if you forgot to purchase more, you look around and find a pad or tampon in your purse or backpack, knowing it will hold you long enough to get to the store where you can buy more.
But what if you don’t have easy access to a store? What if you don’t have transportation? What if you don’t have $$ to purchase what you need? What if you’re homeless? What if you’re dependent on others to provide for your menstrual needs and you’re too embarrassed to ask? What if there are no menstrual supplies available – at all? What if your clothing is limited and you are unable to wash out your clothes each day?
What would your first day of menstruation be like? How would you cope with the next 7 or so days of menstruation? Would you be able to attend school? Would you be able to work? What would you do?
Millions of girls and women find themselves in this situation period after period, month after month, year after year, using leaves, moss, paper and old rags to absorb their flow.
Girls can’t can’t attend school on the days they are menstrual if they don’t have adequate menstrual supplies. It’s true here in the U.S. and it’s true in developing countries as well. Imagine yourself as girl who wakes up excited about the school day only to realize that she won’t be able to attend ALL WEEK because the newspaper or toilet paper she lines her panties with isn’t sufficient to prevent her from leaking through to her clothes. And, then imagine how far behind the others you would become if you missed a week of school EVERY month. What’s a girl to do?
I recently heard from an advocate for homeless women who said homeless shelters for women must ration what meager supplies they have.
Imagine being given two pads or two tampons each day, knowing they won’t last more than a couple of hours…knowing that you have a job interview…knowing that when you bleed on your clothes you will be unable to wash them for a week…knowing that you will bleed all over your cot that night, and yourself…knowing that there’s no $$ to purchase what you need…knowing that everyone will be aware that you are on your period because it will be visually obvious to everyone…knowing that whatever you find to line your panty with will most likely be less than sanitary and certainly will not be sufficient for your needs…and, knowing homeless shelters usually require that you are outside during the daytime and inside only for sleep. What’s a woman to do?
For those interested in making a difference in the menstrual lives of others:
