Periods: if you’re an owner of a uterus, it’s likely you will have to experience them in your lifetime.
For so long, people have placed themselves into categories based on their preference for dealing with them.
You can either choose to wear a dry cylinder inside of you or sit in your own blood all day.
Of course, there’s always the option of free bleeding, but for some of us, that’s not a socially acceptable option.
The trend of using menstrual cups has been on the rise as of recent, but the hefty price tag and foreign idea of it makes it difficult to make the switch.
As a transitional step, consider menstrual discs. For one week, I tried Softdisc, a menstrual disc brand, and am here to answer the frequently asked questions about using a menstrual disc.
How does it feel? Honestly, a little weird, at first.
When I took it out of its packaging, I immediately noticed how big it was.
It was big enough to comfortably hold a peach, which intimidated me.
However, once I read the instructions and put it in, it didn’t feel as big.
It felt similar to a tampon in that it’s a foreign object inside your vagina, but it feels smooth compared to the dry, cotton tampons I had become accustomed to.
After around twenty minutes, it felt like nothing was there, though I could feel it any time I would shift, get up or sit down. It wasn’t painful at all, but it was definitely an odd sensation.
How does it hold up to blood? Pretty well, actually.
Although it is advertised to work for 12 hours, I ended up having to change mine about every eight: twice during the day and once before I went to bed.
And although I was worried that, since my blood wouldn’t be absorbed by the product, it would leak, everything held up. And after a couple of days, I wasn’t worried about accidental spills.
Can you have sex with it? Yes… apparently. Although I wasn’t able to try it myself, the disc advertises itself as the mess-free way to stay intimate while on your period.
How much does it cost? I paid $13 for a pack of fourteen discs at CVS, but they can be found on Amazon for cheaper.
Coming out to a little under a dollar per disc, it is a bit more expensive than the unit price of a tampon, even when considering the longer lifespan.
Unlike menstrual cups, the discs are not reusable, so you’d have to purchase a new pack each cycle.
I found that one pack was enough for one menstrual cycle, although everyone is different.
What’s important is exploring all of the options available and finding what works best for you.
Keep calm, and bleed on.