For those that have stayed for the bloody blog, welcome.
I hate getting my period. I really do. Before kids, it wasn't too bad, after kids and heading towards menopause? Oh just knock me out once a month because that's about as good as it gets.
But I have a secret to make it less horrifying. Years ago, I had terribly painful periods about right after I had my 8yo. I ended up having surgery for an endometrial mass wrapped around my ovary, la ouch. I went to a homeopath and started researching ways to fix what had seemed so suddenly awful. It isn't really all that common to develop endometriosis in your early 30's. You usually have it your whole life. So what went wrong?
I started using Grapefruit Seed extract, about 8 drops a day in orange juice. I did that for 3 months with some probiotics. I went gluten free after finding I had Celiac. I started feeling amazing. I also did another thing, I stopped using tampons and disposable pads. I read that they are bleached with dioxin which is hormonal interrupter to put in mildly.
I bought cloth pads and started using a reusable Diva Cup. The Diva didn't really work for me and someone suggested Instead Cups--magic! So at night, I'd use these cloth pads and during the day I'd use Instead. I will never go back to paper. All my female issues have completely disappeared. I no longer follow my Celiac diet rigidly and I no longer do the Grapefruit Seed Extract. So it has to be the feminine protection sans bleach and polyacrylate. It really isn't as gross as it sounds, trust me! The pads I use have snaps with wings, just like the paper ones. It protects my panties way better than the paper ever did. I throw it in a cold wash with no detergent and then a sanitary/hot wash with a little bit of detergent and dry in a dryer. I throw mine in with the cloth diapers I use for the babies, so it's not a big deal for me. If I didn't have a diaper pail, I'd put them in a small wetbag. It feels like I'm wearing a little thicker underwear it is so soft. I used paper after Cooper's birth and never used paper after Gryffins, it was so nice. What a comfort, what a difference.
Now the Instead Cup is probably one of my most favorite things in life. It allows me to pretend I'm not having a period at all--talk about the "have a happy period" slogan. It takes a few months to really get it adjusted correctly and *ahem* feel your way in the dark, but it's so worth it.
My favorite cloth pads are from Fresh Moon and they are bamboo/velour. So soft, so absorbent and yes, I carry them at www.diaper-dash.com. I carry others too, but those are the Fan Favorites and I highly suggest them. I won't give out names, but most everyone I've given a sample to has ordered more and one particular person close to me in my family who is the anti-crunchy female in my life loves hers and she is post menopausal. I have so many converts.
They are expensive at about $8-$12 depending on size, but they will last you the rest of your fertile life and beyond. I still have the pads I bought back in 2004 and they look exactly the same as the day I first bought them.
If you want more info, just contact me at diaperdash@gmail.com and I'll give you a special coupon code and answer any questions you have. And yes, you truly can "have a happy period" I promise.
No comments:
Post a Comment