Let's Start a Bloody Revolution!

O.K. guys, this post is about menstruation.  If vaginas and blood make you squeamish then you probably want to pass on this one.  If you are interested, then respect dude, you are a real ladies man!

Recently my daughter asked me what homeless women do when they have their menstrual cycles.  I assumed they are given feminine hygiene products at the shelters.  After some research I realized that is partly true.  They are given very limited access to such products.  I started to think about the financial and ecological expenses of having a cycle.

After I had my children I began to experience really heavy flows.  Having your cycle is Hell enough without having to stay home because you bleed through a tampon in less than an hour.  I was using OB Ultra tampons and they worked ok but I still had way more leaks than I would have liked.  A couple of years ago Johnson and Johnson stopped making the Ultra.  I was pretty devastated.  On the rare occasions I come across one in an old purse or whatever, I get excited, sad but true.  I began to look for solutions.....

A friend of mine told me that in her college days she and her roomates used cloth, reusable pads.  They would throw them in a bucket until someone would wash them and, needless to say, they got a little gamey.  It also made male visitors a little grossed out and I don't blame them.  Still, the idea of having something available that was reusable, effective and inexpensive was very attractive to me.  I started to think like a woman who lived hundreds of years ago.  What the hell did they do?  Cloth rags, no doubt, were the fashion, hence the term "being on the rag."  Again, not a real attractive idea.  And then I thought about sea sponges and that one little thought opened the doors wide open.

Turns out I'm not alone.  There are women out there equally pissed at Johnson and Johnson for discontinuing the "Ultra".  In fact some women assert that tampons have actually gotten smaller on purpose.  I have been using tampons for a lot of years and I have to say that I agree with them.  These women have started a "girlcott" of all Johnson and Johnson products.  I'm sure Tampax is just a guilty.  Their tampons look like they have shrunk too.  More importantly these women have looked at the sea sponge as a viable option.  You can check out the blog at http://obultratampons.com/alternatives-ob-ultra-tampons/sea-sponge-tampons/
She has done a good job of weighing the pros and cons of sea sponges.  I decided that I was sold.

Sea sponges can be purchased at art supply stores, cermamic supply stores, some community markets and online.  They are actually really cool.  They are little, soft, cheap, natural and they work like a charm.

I began using them and I don't think that I am going to miss the "Ultra" at all (miss me Johnson and Johnson.)  The only drawback is that it can be a little daunting to pull it out and rinse it off.  But then again, blood leaking down my leg in public is far more embarassing and inconvenient.  You can weigh the positives and negatives for yourself at the above-cited blog.  Another helpful site also, although a little less enthusiastic about the prospect http://www.foodrevolution.org/askjohn/49.htm.  Those sources should provide you with a fair assessment of both sides.

Some of my favorite things about sea sponges: I don't get a string dirty when I use the toilet; there is absolutely no waste; no corporation is making money off of me; they are comfortable and absorbant; they clean very easily; AND you can have sex when you are using a sponge.  There are also menstrual cups that look like a good option and I may explore that later.  But for now I just want to get it out there that women have options.  Healtier, inexpensive and environmentally sound options but we just need to break free and explore viable alternatives to the status quo.....and it is liberating!