In which I am skeptical once again

FACT: The insides of your vagina are a chemically delicate ecosystem. It's no big though, because mostly, your body regulates this itself.

FACT: If this pH balance gets messed up, you may get a yeast infection.

FACT: One of the ways your pH balance can get thrown out of whack is by using tampons. Tampons are up in there indiscriminately absorbing not only blood, but your other lady-fluids as well.

Okay, so. It seems to me that if using tampons is messing up your insides, the most straightforward/logical solution is to stop using tampons.

But I guess in our wacky medicalization society, another viable option is to just treat tampons with even more chemicals to help "regulate" your vaginal pH balance. Introducing RepHresh, "the first and only tampon clinically shown to reduce the usual vaginal pH increase during your period."

I get that yeast infections are annoying. And that tampons are convenient. And so if there's a way you can have your convenience and not be itchy, that sounds great. But is it really so smart to keep absorbing more and more chemicals into our bodies? My complaints are along the exact same lines as Aana's when she writes about scented tampons. To me, this is just another quick fix that treats the symptoms of a larger problem without even recognizing that there is a larger problem. 

Thoughts?

h/t to EmpowHER

Big deal or no?

Lots of blogging about Always' new ad campaign that actually portrays a red dot on one of their maxi pads, replacing the notorious/sanitized/confusing blue liquid.

image from adweek.com

Is this really that big of a deal?

Diva cup experiences

I adore my Diva cup. It is one of my favorite inventions. Every month, I'm so thankful I have it. It's comfortable and clean (aside from the obvious insertion messiness). Actually, I usually forget I even have my period at all until it's time to dump it out. But I even enjoy dumping it out!! (TMI?)

I think more women would use Diva cups (or Keepers, or Mooncups, or any type of menstrual cup... I just refer to them all as Diva cups cuz it's easier) if they knew about how awesome they are. Probably most women don't even know about them, then when they learn, their first reaction is "omg, gross/weird." I know that's how I was.

Every so often I come across accounts of women's first impressions of using the Diva cup, so I thought it might be beneficial to group them all together in a post here, so you all can see I'm not the only one in love with my cup!

• The Diva Cup Review (Mom, Dad this is all about my menstruation please don't read it) at jessicagottlieb.com: I was walking through Whole Foods, spotted the Diva Cup, and thought, “Why not? It’s only $30, I’m going to waste more than that on snooty cheeses this week.” ...It’s become one of those things that I want to shout from the rooftops. YOU NEED A DIVA CUP.
• Would You Use a Menstrual Cup? at No More Dirty Looks: The cup is not gross in the slightest (and I’m squeamish). In fact it feels far “cleaner” than tampons or pads—sterile almost. ...Application and removal were easy, and it felt more comfortable to me than a tampon. In fact, it almost felt like I didn’t even have my period. My only regret was that I hadn’t tried it sooner.
• The Diva Cup: A New Trend: "With all the state-of-the-art conveniences western society has developed, it baffles us why outdated feminine products are still being used. We believe that reusable menstrual cups are the next generation of feminine hygiene because they are the most environmentally responsible choice. They are also the most convenient and reliable option available and are not linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome."
• My First Experience With A Menstrual Cup at Mamas and Babies: I had NO LEAKING the entire time I used the cup. I had been cautioned to use pads the first few days or so just in case, but I didn't need them. I was very impressed, especially because even tampons leak when they get full.

Real quick round-up

• Video: How to make a vagina cupcake. [Insert pussy-eating joke here]
• My Little Red Book--stories about people's first periods! I'm adding it to my want list.
• From Jezebel: How to Menstruate Politely. This is actually practical advice! I love Jezebel more and more lately.
• From Huffington Post: "A new study suggests that depending on where they are in their menstrual cycles, women have very different reactions towards strange men."
• A woman is donating her uterus to her 25-year-old daughter! Isn't that an interesting thought?--The place where you came from is now inside you! At least you'd know you were getting quality equipment. :)

Mother Nature is pretty weird/awesome

Check out this picture of Blood Falls in Antarctica.

The scientific explanation is less depressing than you might imagine.

h/t to Atlas Obscura

Scented Tampons

So I accidentally bought a box of scented tampons yesterday, and didn't realize it until after I had broken into the box and opened the first one already. There goes exchanging them for non-scented tampons...  Unfortunately for me, I bought a huge box, and am now going to have to use them for probably 4 or 5 months. Lame. I hate scented tampons for 2 reasons.

Reason #1: I can't imagine that having the kind of chemicals that make tampons smell "fresh" have any business being anywhere near the inside of my vagina. Frankly I have the same issue with feminine sprays as well. I would just rather not put a bunch of chemicals inside my body, especially not attached to a tampon that has the possibility of tearing open some skin. On a more personal note, I have mild allergies to many soaps and lotions, and have a concern that this might translate to the "fresh" scent on/in the tampon.

Reason #2: I don't like the whole idea that my vagina, whether menstruating or not, smells bad. I don't mind or even notice most of the time what my vagina smells like. The fact that there is an idea that a woman's vagina inherently smells bad is just ridiculous. Just like any other part of a person's body the vagina does have the possibility of having a smell, even a distinctive one. Even one that others might find offensive, but it is ultimately a personal choice whether you want to cover that smell or just accept it. There are options for either, I just always find it frustrating that the scented tampons are not labeled better. This is not the first time I have accidentally bought scented tampons because it only says scented in little tiny letters, and I have a 4 year old and am often in a hurry.

I guess ultimately what I am saying is that tampon companies need to label their scented tampons better so my vagina doesn't smell like some combination of flowers and vagina...which is a much more unpleasant smell than either one by itself.