A Female Menses Question Thread (You've Been Warned)!

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Just read this article and realized that I have a vague memory of hearing about such products years ago, but nothing recently. Anybody use them? Have good or bad experiences? Any thoughts? Is everyone wincing at my choice of topic?

Here it is:
February 4, 2003
Menstrual Cups, at Age 66, Begin to Make Up for Lost Time
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.

[T] he first reaction from their best friends, users say, is almost always: "Ewwww."

Then, slowly, some come around. A few even become imbued with a missionary zeal to spread the word.

"I love it," said Rachel Jenkins-Stevens, 25. "I bought one in 1998, and I've only used about five tampons since."

Menstrual cups ? soft, flexible cups inserted to catch menses flows ? were first patented in this country in the 1930's, but never became popular. They are still hardly the rage, but use of them is growing, especially at women's colleges and through alternative health Web sites.

Safety questions have been raised, but so far the cups have not been linked to toxic shock syndrome or any other medical problem.

Two brands are sold in the United States: the Keeper, released in 1987, which is made of latex rubber and is reusable, and Instead, released in 1997, which is made of soft polyethylene and is disposable.

Some women choose them because they fear that tampons raise the risk of toxic shock or that the fibers or bleaches in them may cause harm. Some like the savings: a $35 Keeper is supposed to last a decade, while a 10-year supply of tampons may cost about $650. (Instead is pricier: a 10-year supply would be about $400.)

Some like the convenience, an end to purses full of bent applicators and crumpled pads. Some appreciate that many women can wear them without leakage for up to 12 hours, even swimming, exercising or sleeping. Some like the fact that Instead can be worn during sex.

Some feel better about not adding tampons to landfills. (Scientists in Biosphere 2 wore the Keeper.) Some celebrate "moon flows" and want a closer connection to their own menses as a symbol of womanhood. And some mistrust the conglomerates that make tampons and want something "sort of antiestablishment," said Ms. Jenkins-Stevens.

As Harry Finley, the founder of the online Museum of Menstruation and Women's Health, which covers the history and culture of menses, put it: "It'll never become mainstream in America. It involves too much contact with the body, and I think most women are squeamish about that."

Even the president of Instead Inc. agreed: "This product isn't for everybody."

The cups for the two brands, one ounce each, are folded and inserted into the vagina with the fingers.

The Keeper is longer, sits lower and has a stem on the bottom that makes it relatively easy to pull out, empty, rinse and replace. Instead sits just under the cervix and is somewhat harder to hook a finger under. It is removed every 12 hours and thrown away.

Mary F. Frost, the president of Instead, says her company sells 12 million to 15 million cups a year, enough for about 150,000 women. Most are sold in pharmacy chains.

The president of Keeper Inc., Lou Crawford, refused to give exact sales figures, but she said the business sold "tens of thousands per year."

Francine Chambers, who runs one of the largest Keeper distributorships at the Internet site www.keeper.com, said the cup "was finally catching on in the last three to four years" and estimated that perhaps 100,000 women used them. Brenda Mallory, president of GladRags, a washable pads company that also sells Keepers, said her sales, mostly wholesale to health-food stores, had tripled in the last three years to 2,424.

Mr. Finley, whose museum is in his Washington area house but can be seen only online, has no data, he said, but many letters from happy cup users and a few dissatisfied ones are posted on his semi-humorous, semi-scientific Web site, www.mum.org.

The first cup in this country was patented in 1937 by Leona W. Chalmers, an actress, who in her promotional pamphlets referred to earlier European designs. Wartime rubber shortages put her company out of business, but she later teamed with a venture capitalist to market two successors, the Tassette and the disposable Tassaway. A quaintly discreet 1961 Times Square billboard for one displayed only a tulip and this description: "Not a tampon, not a napkin. Now, a better way."

The company collapsed, but 20years later, the Keeper was developed by Ms. Crawford, who had owned a Tassette.

Dr. Armand P. Lione, an independent toxicologist in Washington, recently raised safety questions about menstrual cups, saying he thought they might increase the risk of toxic shock syndrome because they hold blood in the vagina. The syndrome is caused by toxins from staph or strep bacteria; an outbreak in the early 1980's that killed about 35 women was linked to superabsorbent tampons, prompting tampon makers to change the materials they used.

Dr. Lione argued that cups might also raise the risk of endometriosis, a condition in which cells of the uterine lining sloughed off at menses flow backward up the fallopian tubes, escape into the abdomen and adhere there.

He contacted the National Women's Health Network and the Endometriosis Association, but they declined to ask the Food and Drug Administration for safety reviews.

Amy Allina, the network's policy director, said she thought Dr. Lione's concerns were "plausible, but fairly hypothetical," but she said she did not find alarming patterns. The F.D.A. database of complaints contains one about the Keeper and 13 about Instead.

Mary Lou Ballweg, president of the Endometriosis Association, wrote that it was normal for women to have backward flow into their abdomens, but that was not the apparent cause of endometriosis.

The Keeper was never rigorously tested before the F.D.A. accepted it in 1987; rather, the agency ruled it "substantially equivalent" to the Tassette, which was on the market decades before the agency began to regulate medical devices.

Dr. Philip M. Tierno Jr., director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University Medical Center, whose research led to many changes in tampons, said he gave the Keeper a simple test. He dipped it in a broth of staphylococcus bacteria, incubated it in a warm, moist atmosphere and checked its surfaces. "Minuscule quantities" of bacteria adhered, he said. "I don't think it would be a significant problem."

Dr. Tierno never tested Instead, but said he would be "be uncomfortable" with a cup worn so high up because it could create an environment like that of a cervical cap. Caps ? small birth control diaphragms that fit closely over the cervical opening ? are not supposed to be worn during menstruation, but when they are, he said, "they have given rise to episodes of toxic shock syndrome ? although it's rare."

But Dr. Barbara B. North, the medical director for Instead, said its cup passed an "extensive" set of laboratory and human tests before the F.D.A. approved it. They included tests like Dr. Tierno's, tests on human skin cells and live rabbits for allergies and toxicity, and finally tests on 300 women in seven cities who wore it for three to nine months.

"We looked for any changes in the microbial flora ? staph, the normal lactobacillus and other pathogens," she said. "There was nothing." Ms. Crawford said half of her Keeper sales came from women telling one another about the product.

Isadora Forman, a 21-year-old classics and religion major at Mount Holyoke College, said she was one of 11 students she knew who used it. She just helped buy one for a friend's 16-year-old sister. "Oh, she was totally excited," she said. "She's worried about dioxin and bleach in tampons."

(The F.D.A. says "unfounded rumors" are posted on the Internet, claiming that that tampons contain dioxins from chlorine bleaches or asbestos added by manufacturers to encourage bleeding. The agency says that it has never found any asbestos, that tampon makers now use chlorine-free bleach and that dioxins are "at or below detectable limits" and present no health risk.)

Ms. Forman first heard of the cup, she said, from a boyfriend who learned of it in an environmental science class.

Then another woman gave her a lecture "about getting in touch with my moon flows, giving me this hippie stuff, and I thought `oh . . .' "

"But, when I got back to school," she added, "it seemed like everybody else was using it."

Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company | Permissions | Privacy Policy

I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 04:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I've used the disposable ones, "instead", but haven't bought a keeper yet. Mainly a money issue. When I was on the pill I just skipped my periods (see my 'missing periods' thread, too lazy to search it) so menstrual products haven't been as large of a concern till the past few months.

That Girl (thatgirl), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 04:48 (twenty-two years ago)

okay wait, here's the thread:

/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?thread.php?msgid=1710123#1711882

in which the cup is also discussed.

That Girl (thatgirl), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 04:52 (twenty-two years ago)

*smile* Many thanks - is it Samantha? I am drawing a blank here, which I'll attribute to the late hour.

I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 05:01 (twenty-two years ago)

si, soy Samantha.

That Girl (thatgirl), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 05:02 (twenty-two years ago)

oh duh, Laura to answer yr original question:

Instead was great b/c it allowed for mess-free sex and you only had to change out twice a day. It's basically like a Today sponge but meant for contraception. I think I'm usually too broke to buy them now (although long term cost is cheaper shelling out the intial $12 for a box compared to a $3 box of tampons, when I rarely need that many, is too much)

That Girl (thatgirl), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 05:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Hola, Samamtha. And that is the extent of my Spanish these days. The other thread was interesting - thanks for directing me to it - I keep forgetting to search topics before starting threads. Oh well *grin*

I am thinking more and more of giving the Keeper a shot - I hate the whole tampon/pad routine and have icky cramps (which I am assured will go away if I just have a child or two, accoring to an idiotic male physician, who I never saw again). I am hoping that the Keeper will alleviate some of the cramping. It's only about $30.00 now, according to the website. And I go through that much in pads and tampons in a couple of months - I guess I'm hoping it's worth the shot.

Mess-free sex would be good - though I understand that's a perk of Instead but not Keeper. Maybe I'll just have to stick with the dark towel and condom routine when the hormones go haywire.

I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 05:30 (twenty-two years ago)

i havent heard of these before, but i have my doubts as to whether the use of 'keeper' might alleviate cramps. try eliminating dairy products and salt from your diet ( gradually, and yoghurt is ok, replace salt with vegetable salt which can be purchased at either your supermarket or healthstore ), that simple step often halts not only menstrual cramps but the hormonal swings that torment us sometimes.
yeah having a baby does seem to get rid of a whole heap of menstrual problems, stangely enough. but obviously not a reason to go have one !
keep us posted on the things if you dont mind?

donna (donna), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 06:07 (twenty-two years ago)

I have not read this thread, I have no intention of doing so, I just want to post here to prove how I'm so brave and man enough to do so

Vic (Vic), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 06:46 (twenty-two years ago)

"Mommy where did I come from?"
"Well Tommy I had these awful cramps..."

nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 07:22 (twenty-two years ago)

"Too Young to Date" to thread.

Amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 07:30 (twenty-two years ago)

is this stuff even available in new zealand?

di smith (lucylurex), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 09:30 (twenty-two years ago)

They sound kinda icky to me but I'm gonna have a look at the websites mentioned.

btw Depo = evil. My sister and I are both still suffering side effects from getting those injections, years later. They use it to chemically castrate male prisoners in Amuurika you know.

smee (smee), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 09:53 (twenty-two years ago)

You can get ones called Moon Cups in the UK I think and they have a definite hippy association. I am not tempted. Especially by the idea of using the same one for *10 years*.

Best bit of that article:
Even the president of Instead Inc. agreed: "This product isn't for everybody."

Archel (Archel), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 10:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I think you can order them in NZ, I saw a pamphlet at a bookshop. I'd be pretty annoyed if I shelled out $35 for one and it turned out to not work for me. You probably couldn't return it.

Elisabeth (Elisabeth), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 10:32 (twenty-two years ago)

You could always sell it on eBay.

JS Williams (js williams), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 10:48 (twenty-two years ago)

was that at the women's bookshop, elisabeth? $35 for one that may or may not be yr thing seems worth the try, if you think how much money one spends on fucking tampons.

di smith (lucylurex), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 10:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Yep the women's bookshop, actually I think it was a bit more being in NZ currency and all. If it worked it'd be pretty damn good I must say.

Elisabeth (Elisabeth), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 13:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Still think it sounds a bit gross and unhygienic, but then I suppose that's what they said about tampons at first eh?

smee (smee), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 13:50 (twenty-two years ago)

And menstruation over all, probably

Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 13:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Typical!

smee (smee), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 13:53 (twenty-two years ago)

I think they're ok as long as you disinfect them every time or something. They give you cleaning instructions and stuff

Elisabeth (Elisabeth), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 13:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Well swap "gross" for "not fun". I've got no problem w/it, I talk about it a lot. Hey, isn't THIS making me look better!

Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 13:57 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought the real OG hunter gatherer way was to use sea sponges?

(Let's give it up for Harry Finley, btw!)

g.cannon (gcannon), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 14:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Sea sponges? You so obviously don't have a vagina.

smee (smee), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 14:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Sex with a Keeper isn't fool proof.

Chris H. (chrisherbert), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 15:09 (twenty-two years ago)

quite right I am sans vagine, but I have heard of it, all natural etc.

g.cannon (gcannon), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 15:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Ew! The discomfort, ew!

smee (smee), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

tried it once...couldn't get over the fact that i wasn't sure where the thing was going/what position it was in/if i was doing it right/how much i could trust it. sounds and seems like a smashing idea, i guess i'm just not patient enough, and perhaps a little too anxious about the whole thing.

megan p, Wednesday, 5 February 2003 19:20 (twenty-two years ago)

btw Depo = evil. My sister and I are both still suffering side effects from getting those injections, years later. They use it to chemically castrate male prisoners in Amuurika you know.

i agree that depo is evil. i remember when it first became readily available; all my friends got on it and then gained tens of pounds and went nuts and had lots of other medical troubles. but "chemically castrating male prisoners in Amuurika?" i live in amuurika and had no idea. wow, we really are a developed nation! :)

megan p, Wednesday, 5 February 2003 19:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah sea sponges I've heard of that. I assume it's not like those rock hard sea sponges you find in the sea.

Elisabeth (Elisabeth), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 23:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay, I am unconvinced by this article as to why I should make an antiestablishment stand with my vagina.

Seriously, um, great, mess free sex, whatever - WHAT ABOUT CLEANING IT UP? Am I wrong in imagining a massive mess in wriggling out a cup filled with blood from your body? It's enough of a pain in the ass to pull out a tampon and that's got a string AND no spillage option.

Ally (mlescaut), Thursday, 6 February 2003 03:45 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't mind spillage. I don't mind blood on my fingers. I use applicator-free OBs for god sake. After all, why should you mind your own stuff? That's what soap is for. ..

I'm totally pro-Keeper, I'm just one po' bitch with a really light period so that's why I don't own one yet.

What I *don't* get are the glad rags (recyclable pads) or even pads in general. You want to talk unhygenic? How about keeping your blood hanging around in yr pants for a couple of hours? bleeech.

That Girl (thatgirl), Thursday, 6 February 2003 07:04 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.s-t.com/daily/04-97/04-27-97/a09wn032.htm

smee (smee), Thursday, 6 February 2003 11:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh yeah and this one too. I'm not a one woman crusade or anything just think there's not enough info available on what we use as birth control sometimes...

http://www.abcinternetmarketing.com/depo-provera/

smee (smee), Thursday, 6 February 2003 11:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I never really understood why the pro-tampon crowd were sometimes really grossed out by pads.

You want to talk unhygenic? How about keeping your blood hanging around in yr pants for a couple of hours? bleeech.

I never heard of any nasty health side effects from pads. Are bandages unhygenic as well?

marianna, Thursday, 6 February 2003 12:26 (twenty-two years ago)

marianna I think it's just a personal choice thing, every womans period is different and every woman has different views on personal hygiene. Personally I hate pads, I just don't like the feeling, the awareness. I feel cleaner with a tampon but that's just me. Your body shape, your flow etc are different from mine.

smee (smee), Thursday, 6 February 2003 12:36 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah, i know it's a personal choice thing. i don't find any of the options listed as 'gross', so i just find it funny when people are really opposed to one way over another.

marianna, Thursday, 6 February 2003 12:41 (twenty-two years ago)

One of the great mysteries of life, it's like applicator v non-applicator, you get extreme opinions on that one too.

smee (smee), Thursday, 6 February 2003 12:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I keep having psychotic visions of women developing the Keeper so that they could have an even more disgusting way of throwing menses at people.

Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 6 February 2003 15:12 (twenty-two years ago)

(haha MENSES FIGHT! ew)

Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 6 February 2003 15:12 (twenty-two years ago)

You are truly a sick man Perry

smee (smee), Thursday, 6 February 2003 15:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Hands up who has ever thrown their menses at someone (deliberately)?

Archel (Archel), Thursday, 6 February 2003 15:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Erm, can't say I’ve had the pleasure, not even accidentally - is this some other new craze I've missed out on? Damn!

smee (smee), Thursday, 6 February 2003 15:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Waitwaitwait- Archel, you've ACCIDENTALLY thrown your menses at someone?

Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 6 February 2003 15:45 (twenty-two years ago)

ENOUGH!

smee (smee), Thursday, 6 February 2003 15:46 (twenty-two years ago)

(My work here is done.)

Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 6 February 2003 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)

I do agree it's silly when some women are totally anti-pad or anti-tampon. Never-the-less, I've never been v. interested in tampons. I don't like sticking things up there. Plus, I've heard that tampons tend to be over-absorbant and this is bad for the bod... Or maybe I'm just talking shit...?

Sarah McLusky (coco), Thursday, 6 February 2003 15:58 (twenty-two years ago)

higher absorbancy tampons put you at a higher risk for toxic shock syndrome, tho TSS seems to be a pretty rare thing.

JuliaA (j_bdules), Thursday, 6 February 2003 16:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Not THROWN, Dan, no.

Archel (Archel), Thursday, 6 February 2003 16:27 (twenty-two years ago)

A Female Menses...

Is there a hint of redundancy here, or have I just discovered the reason for all that blood I've been noticing every month or so for years but never knew the reason for............

Skottie, Sunday, 30 March 2003 06:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Insertion is a cinch - no trouble there. Removal is a bit more dificult, as a vacuum is created and breaking that seal can be uncomfortable - there seems to be a technique of squeezing the base of the cup to break the seal, but I'm not having much luck with that process. It is kind of tricky--you have to push on the "bell" part to break the seal. Or just leave it in 'til it fills, and the seal will break on its own (mess will ensue, though).

The Keeper is definitely really easy/useful for lots of ladies, but I like to wash it out every time I empty it, and that's not always easy in public restrooms. Sea sponges are okay, too, but one of the benefits of synthetics (tampons) is that they can absorb lots of blood, even when they're 'full', whereas sea sponges once they're full are full, and you better get to a bathroom quick!

miriam (serrano), Monday, 31 March 2003 00:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Crap - so where did I read that great line about "Don't trust anything that bleeds for seven days and still lives"?

Miriam - I was thinking about purchasing a second Keeper to carry as a spare - so if I can't wash the original out in public I can wrap it in paper and store it in a ziplock until I can get to a less public venue.

I've never done the sea sponge thing, but it sounds interesting.

And I think I have finally learned the "breaking the seal" technique - but I'll be damned if I can put the process into words. The boys both say that it makes a funny sound when the vacuum releases, though (they're oddly intrigued by this process).

And to those of you grousing about the thread title. Well, you're right that it is redundant in the "Female" and "Menses" part, and yeah, maybe the warning was a bit of an overkill, but still, I was hoping that it led one to see that it was a serious topic (though I have not the faintest idea as to why I thought that a warning would convey that message in the first place).

I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Monday, 31 March 2003 01:41 (twenty-two years ago)

What a goose! There I was thinking this thread was going to be something about female Mensa members!!

Fred Nerk, Monday, 31 March 2003 01:44 (twenty-two years ago)

*laughing* You silly, silly man!

I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Monday, 31 March 2003 01:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Fred's on the pull!

electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 31 March 2003 01:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Jim, for the benefit of all those poor benighted sods on the forum who don't have the blessed good fortune to be Australian, you might need to translate your last post.

Fred Nerk, Monday, 31 March 2003 01:55 (twenty-two years ago)

aka Fred likes brainy ladeez

electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 31 March 2003 02:07 (twenty-two years ago)

That's better......Mate.

Fred Nerk, Monday, 31 March 2003 02:10 (twenty-two years ago)

The Ally line and Danfight on this thread absolutely rule

gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 31 March 2003 02:17 (twenty-two years ago)

does anyone know when in human history menstruation became a chiXor feature? is there any reason to think that the "average" cycle might ever have been of different length than 28 days? jus' curious

mookieproof (mookieproof), Monday, 31 March 2003 02:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Where I live, the sea sponges are sold only at a local hippie/vegetarian food store, but no even my hippie friends use them (I guess because of what Miriam said). I have some friends who use the re-washable pads, because they're way more ecological. Still, I guess it's the question of whether you like any more contact with your blood than what is absolutely necessary.

Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 31 March 2003 06:05 (twenty-two years ago)

i've used a keeper now for about a year and a half. as far as disinfecting it. ummm why? isn't the whole point of the keeper not to put fucked up chemicals in yer snatch? i find occasional soap and water sufficient.

best part- ecologically sound. i'm sure most of us could stand to consume less. never buying another tampon is a great way to start.

n not to be all hippie-ish er nothin' but one of the great things about the keeper is that you can easily save the blood. if you have plants that are heavy feeders just mix in yer blood with a little water and it'll make them uber happy. you know unless you need it fer radical perfomance art or kink or something...

sebastian, Monday, 31 March 2003 22:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Wow, sebastian. You've now given me some very interesting creative ideas. Thank you *grin*

And I am doing the soap and water thing every time I empty it - the blood doens't bother me, but I like the thought of putting something clean back in the tunnel.

Mookieproof, I am not certain of the exact timelines for development of the 28-day cycle, though I am guessing that it's about when the pill developed. BUT, you can check-out the all-so-delightful (and entertaining, though I am a bit concerned about the mental stability of the curator, who has put his cats on the advisory board and dedicated the collection to his mother) Museum of Menstruation at: http://www.mum.org I am sure that this site has some information along the lines of your inquiry.

Tuomas - do the reusable pads get washed in hot water and such everytime to sterilize the fabric or are they washed by hand or...? (I can't believe that I've gone this long and not know about the reusable pads - I thought they were a thing of the past, for some reason.) And about the sea sponges - is there some sort of conflict with using a once living thing to absorb the flow (because it's environmentally responsible) when many hippies/vegetarians are the people purchasing and using them?

I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 02:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Ya know, the more and more I think about it, the more I want to try that whole "Hut" thing (NO! Not Jabba the Hut! Sheesh. [My attempt to prevent quips from DP and NR]). Seems to me to be a fairly healthy way, especially emotionally, to deal with that time of the month. I'd be very happy going off and being on my own, to renew and relax and such. I don't think my neighbors would appreciate it, though. I need to move.

I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 03:24 (twenty-two years ago)

do the reusable pads get washed in hot water and such everytime to sterilize the fabric or are they washed by hand or...?

I believe they're first rinsed by hand and the machine washed. This site has more about ecologically sound alternatives: http://www.lunapads.com/

is there some sort of conflict with using a once living thing to absorb the flow (because it's environmentally responsible) when many hippies/vegetarians are the people purchasing and using them?

Well, being a vegan myself I find nothing wrong with this. Of course there are vegans, and then there are vegans... Some people hold all animal life sacred; me, I just want to prevent unnecessary suffering. Since sea sponges are almost like plants, harvesting them is not against my ethics.

Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 08:58 (twenty-two years ago)

nine years pass...

A Jam Sponge is a natural sea sponge that you can use instead of a tampon.

Women have used sponges as tampons for years but a Jam Sponge has attitude!

http://www.jamsponge.co.uk

wtf where's my chapbook (DJP), Monday, 17 September 2012 16:39 (thirteen years ago)

are women actually looking for attitude from their menstrual products?

wtf where's my chapbook (DJP), Monday, 17 September 2012 16:43 (thirteen years ago)

bombaclaatitude

Randy Carol (darraghmac), Monday, 17 September 2012 16:45 (thirteen years ago)

I've been seriously considering sponges lately, what with the IUD and how that's changed things. It would be good to have something that's lighter than a tampon and not disposable, for spotting.

purveyor of generations (in orbit), Monday, 17 September 2012 16:48 (thirteen years ago)

I hope it's obvious that, some initial quibbles aside because menstruating isn't anything I have first-hand experience with, the thing really making me giggle here is the branding

wtf where's my chapbook (DJP), Monday, 17 September 2012 16:55 (thirteen years ago)

I know. I can't think of anything to say about that, though. I wonder why I never noticed this thread before.

purveyor of generations (in orbit), Monday, 17 September 2012 16:59 (thirteen years ago)

Thread from a land before sub-boards

obliquity of the ecliptic (rrrobyn), Monday, 17 September 2012 18:05 (thirteen years ago)

does jamsponge have cool rap song promoting its merits

obliquity of the ecliptic (rrrobyn), Monday, 17 September 2012 18:07 (thirteen years ago)

displaying the product against a cartoon cum splat background was a questionable marketing decision

obliquity of the ecliptic (rrrobyn), Monday, 17 September 2012 18:11 (thirteen years ago)

"How does a Jam Sponge work?"

You simply squash it into your vagina and it soaks up the blood.

pet carrier (Crabbits), Tuesday, 18 September 2012 02:21 (thirteen years ago)

SOLD

pet carrier (Crabbits), Tuesday, 18 September 2012 02:21 (thirteen years ago)

This kind of marketing will surely keep them on the porifera-y (periphery) of alternative menstrual aids

pet carrier (Crabbits), Tuesday, 18 September 2012 02:23 (thirteen years ago)

God the whole FAQ is a meltdoen

"Will I still be able to swim and play tennis?"

If you must, you can do anything you could do with a tampon in. Personally when I am on the blob I would rather sit hugging a hot water bottle, eating biscuits and snarling at people but each to their own. Allegedly you can have sex with a Jam Sponge in, but I have yet to try it, I will let you know when I do!

pet carrier (Crabbits), Tuesday, 18 September 2012 02:24 (thirteen years ago)

porifera-y (periphery)

I enjoyed this. TY.

(✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Tuesday, 18 September 2012 02:25 (thirteen years ago)

Man, now I'll never be able to eat trifle again in good conscience :/

frances boredom coconut (Trayce), Tuesday, 18 September 2012 02:32 (thirteen years ago)

isn't the cancerous tampon thing a myth anyway?

cherry (soda), Tuesday, 18 September 2012 02:52 (thirteen years ago)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rely_%28brand%29

pet carrier (Crabbits), Tuesday, 18 September 2012 03:41 (thirteen years ago)

Yeah consiering tampons are just cotton im not sure why a sea sponge is somehow more "natural" (has it been sterilized?)

frances boredom coconut (Trayce), Tuesday, 18 September 2012 03:51 (thirteen years ago)

And yeah I always wondered about TSS. I dont know anyone, whatsoever, who has had it or knows anyone who has.

frances boredom coconut (Trayce), Tuesday, 18 September 2012 03:52 (thirteen years ago)

The tampons cause cancer thing is a myth, yes:

http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/PatientAlerts/ucm070003.htm

I know two people who have self-diagnosed themselves as having TSS.

(✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Tuesday, 18 September 2012 11:16 (thirteen years ago)

pump up the jam (sponge)

ɥɯ ︵ (°□°) (mh), Tuesday, 18 September 2012 14:44 (thirteen years ago)

You simply squash it into your vagina and it soaks up the blood.

I am certain these are Consolidated lyrics

wtf where's my chapbook (DJP), Tuesday, 18 September 2012 14:46 (thirteen years ago)

Allegedly you can have sex with a Jam Sponge in, but I have yet to try it, I will let you know when I do

thomp, Tuesday, 18 September 2012 14:54 (thirteen years ago)

is it a worthy sponge

ɥɯ ︵ (°□°) (mh), Tuesday, 18 September 2012 15:01 (thirteen years ago)

a jam roly-poly oi mates etc

kinder, Tuesday, 18 September 2012 15:09 (thirteen years ago)

gold from passive aggressive notes

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5075/5838333208_f2d5031746_o.jpg

:O

The Most Typical and Popular Girl Rider (Crabbits), Wednesday, 19 September 2012 04:35 (thirteen years ago)

A few women I know swear by their Mooncup and wouldn't go back to disposable options.

Chewshabadoo, Wednesday, 19 September 2012 10:16 (thirteen years ago)

Yeah, they're supposed to be great but they're not recommended for ppl with IUDs because the suction seal can mean that the IUD gets yanked out during cup removal.

(✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Wednesday, 19 September 2012 11:24 (thirteen years ago)

There are ladies who have used both successfully but I was never comfortable enough with the idea to give it a shot.

(✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Wednesday, 19 September 2012 11:25 (thirteen years ago)

Thx, ENBB, but I consider that one of the luxuries of modernity is never having to use a menstrual option that is applied outside my body. TSS can bite me, this is non-negotiable.

purveyor of generations (in orbit), Wednesday, 19 September 2012 14:06 (thirteen years ago)

hahaha fair enough. I haven't used disposable pads since HS but I do have a couple of the fabric ones that I only use around the house and at nighttime and I actually really love them. I guess I wouldn't really want to rely on them for outside the house/bed wear either though.

(✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Wednesday, 19 September 2012 14:19 (thirteen years ago)

This thread brings back memories, it was the first place I ever heard about menstrual cups. Back in 2003 I tried to explain them to my female friends, but they were like, "What the fuck are you talking about, there's no such thing!". However, they gradually started to become more and more popular among green-thinking women, and now I think the majority of my friends use them.

Tuomas, Wednesday, 19 September 2012 14:51 (thirteen years ago)

four months pass...

http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/01/28/rap-battle-between-teams-mooncup-and-tampon-latest-campaign-feminine-hygiene-brand

Bel-Air the Fresh Prince, sitting in a chair (DJP), Monday, 28 January 2013 16:50 (twelve years ago)


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