Product Review: Lunapads Cloth Menstrual Pads

[thenakedcat]

WARNING NOTE: In this post, I discuss a female bodily function and the products associated with it in more detail than some people are comfortable with. If this is likely to bother you, DO NOT READ THE POST. I am not interested in OMG UR SO GROSS comments. THANK YOU.

Comments

[gishkishenh]

You know- the first perosn who told me about Lunapads was a guy. Yes, I might surround myself with "odd" men, but hey, those are the kind I like. Big on being an environmentalist [both he and I], we were discussing the concept of multiple modern-day things that just kill in the long run. I remember a fellow friend bringing up diapers, and my friend brought up the pads. I looked into them, but admit was skeptical about the whole issue- the hygiene, the wahsing.. the entire affair. But as time is passing by- and I read comments like these- I'm beginning to be VERY convinced about them. Specifically since my period is no-where as heavy as yours, and added the bonus that I don't get the chafing or rash (ouch man, that had to SUCK)- something like this is very doable and very tempting.
I'm seriously switching over.
Thanks for the input! Very few women actually want to share about this sort of thing (again, maybe it's me and my "odd men", but the guys seem to want to know more and *do* no more than some women I know!)

[thenakedcat]

Huh, wow! That's actually kind of awesome that you heard about it from a guy! The only guys I can say for sure know about cloth pads are A) the ones who were in that women's health course and B) my dad because Mom would have told him what was in that very carefully sealed present. I've always been rather appalled at the immature OMGWTFBBQ way men react to menstruation, because it didn't bode well for living together later in life. It's very cool to hear about men who are informed on menstruation issues, and also cool that you're considering making the switch! Hooray!

[addicted2crafts]

yeah, I never cared for the idea that some men have that a woman who's menstruating is dirty, or unclean, or somehow less ok to be with or around during that time, who refuse to hug, or kiss, or cuddle or touch them.

Viewing sex at that time of the month as undesirable, ok I get, but the entire woman? No, I don't get it.

[hidden_gems]

I remember your other post about this, and I'm still tempted. I started menstruating when I was 15 (late for everything XD) and so I've had over 10 years of disposable pads and nothing else (because they were what my mother gave me and we never really talked about it anyway), and especially in the last few years it's become more and more uncomfortable. I recently decided to act on it and am now partially using tampons, which I consider a lifesaver even if it's still pretty awkward at times.

But I will definitely bookmark all those links and remember this for the future, because my period is very heavy as well and it's still a major pain in the ass every time and gosh, I don't want it to be that way forever, no way!

[thenakedcat]

There's a lot of unnecessary shaming and silence around menstruation, and I think it's such a waste because it keeps women tied to uncomfortable, unhappy habits. It's great that you're considering switching!

[hidden_gems]

It wasn't necessarily to do with shaming and all, just that we've had this unfortunate habit of... well, not talking about a lot of things. But I'm happy that I've partially switched to tampons. I'm still stupidly happy every time, it's quite sad XD I'm sure the novelty will so soon, but at the moment it's still "OMG I forgot how different it was!!"

[quakey]

At some point I'll be posting about this as well. (Possibly with a free trial offer, since I sew and am having fun trying different patterns and options.) I definitely second Kim's suggestion to try them, although the decision is ultimately up to you. =)

[laurabryannan]

What a great post! I've been fortunate to be able to use tampons for my childbearing years, but I can imagine this information would be a godsend for many struggling with the hassles of disposable pads.

I'd like to link to it as a resource for others, if that's okay. Thanks for doing all this wonderful research!

[thenakedcat]

Tampons definitely have their own advantages, but even for women who use them almost exclusively, cloth pads can be very useful for overnights and such.

Feel free to link wherever! I deliberately made this a public post so that it could be shared.

[3_jane]

Five years?!?? Holy moly! That would be ... actually, you could probably build a small fort out of the equivalent number of disposables. (And, having said that, I don't know if that's a fun mental image to carry with me, or just a creepy one. Stupid brain.) I might have to try these out. 8D

[thenakedcat]

Five years is actually only the median--some women have been using the same pads for up to ten years. It isn't so odd if you think about it: assuming you are using your pads about 12 times a year, surely a good piece of flannel can stand up to at least sixty washings.

Also, the image of a castle built out of disposable pads is awesome! Especially those huge boxy pads that come from restroom vending machines.

[7owti5]

Odd men are all around us.... Like Gish, I was talking to this guy 2 weeks ago and not 5 words left my mouth after "period" before he cut in and said, "oh yeah, Glad Rags!"

He gets a gold star for that.

[thenakedcat]

Indeed he does! It's so awesome to find guys who don't react stupidly to women's bleeding.