response 25 of 53:

Dec 13 07:34 UTC 1997

The Playtex Slimfits are very unobtrusive and comfy.

As for Toxic Shock, that isn't too much of a risk anymore. Back in the early
1980s many tampons were majorly absorbent and contained rayon. It would absorb
so much that it could irritate or even tear the vaginal walls. And since women
would wear them all day, the irritation was a perfect means of transferring
this into the body.

Just get the least absorbent, like regular. And change them every 4 hours or
so. If you are unable to change it, it will likely leak, so you won't have that
buildup. I always use a thin pad for backup.

response 27 of 53:

Dec 13 21:02 UTC 1997

   I was thumbing through a magazine and I saw an ad for something called 
Kotex personals, which as the ad said were panties made of paper that are used
to back up pads and tampons. Maybe that would help. Has onyone tried these?

response 29 of 53:

Dec 14 08:10 UTC 1997

  This item is making me glad that I was born male.

 However, I do feel for you. Everything you described is horrible and
sounds disgusting to go through, but I guess its something I guess you
eventually get used to. Then again, maybe not.

response 31 of 53:

Dec 15 04:19 UTC 1997

  I have found it! At least I think I have. I was in the store shopping, and
I asked my mother about this problem, and we found Stayfree Classic extra long
pads designed for overnite. This was found at Busch's at Plymouth and Green
Rd. They look like what you need, although you're the only one that can
actually say that this is the solution.
  I truly hope this works.

response 33 of 53:

Dec 17 07:32 UTC 1997

Gross!  :)

response 35 of 53:

Dec 17 15:26 UTC 1997

I worked out that I spend three months a year menstruating if I'm doing
it normally. Blah. For nearly thirty years now. Extra blah.

response 37 of 53:

Dec 17 21:54 UTC 1997

Well, problem is that I have extra-long ones, and that makes a big 
difference.

response 39 of 53:

Dec 19 17:13 UTC 1997

my first period hit when i was in 6th grade. very unexpected for
me. i think i had just turned 11.
i noticed it on a trip to the bathroom during lunch-hour.
my friend's mother told me it was because i tried to do the
splits earlier that morning and broke my 'cherry' thus letting
all the fluid out.

hahaha--- what a silly thing to say! looking back now. 
at the time i believed her.

response 41 of 53:

Dec 20 15:47 UTC 1997

Yep, Valerie. My mom didn't tell me much either. I think she just assumed
school took care of it. Ya, all the education we got was a stupid Disney (not
with Mickey Mouse and such) film that was so old, it showed the pads with the
belt thingy that was used in the 1970s. Plus the sound was so muffled you
couldn't hear anything. This was in 5th grade. The school nurse was about 125
years old and didn't really answer any questions thoroughly. 

And what is worse, the teacher said this was a very private subject and told us
that if she overheard us talking about it to boys, we would be sent to the
principal's office. Nice way to make a girl feel ashamed of something very
normal and natural. 

I didn't go hysterical when I finally got it. Was just like "whatever".
I was just happy I was not at school at the time. My mom actually told me I
should go tell the teacher if I thought I was starting at school! Ha! As if
anyone in junior high would do such a thing! Sheez, you'd think it was some
horrible injury.

response 43 of 53:

Dec 22 05:51 UTC 1997

Yeah it would be cool if you could shut it off at will. Like tell your
uterus/ovaries that you don't want to be pregnant right now... could they
please regain function in a few years? Thanks.

response 45 of 53:

Dec 25 08:02 UTC 1997

LOL - oh that would be *too* easy.  =)  After starting birth control pills, my
PMS lasts one day, and my period is only three days long.  Ah...blessed relief.
 To make you even more jealous, it's Tuesday through Thursday...no weekends! 
<eg>

I still hate the thing because it *is* a nuisance.  Yeah yeah - it reminds me
of my female lot in life, blah blah blah...it's still a pain.  I guess the one
consolation is that for three days a month I can put up with the food at
Denny's.  ;-)

1st period story:  I was in gym class (13 years old), and we were having a
pizza party.  I went to the bathroom and noticed the blood, so I put some
toilet paper in my underwear and went out to get my friend Angela.  She didn't
have any pads, so we told my gym teacher who was really cool about it.  She
gave me enough to last the day and didn't make a deal of it at all.  When I got
home, I hesitated telling my mother because I knew she'd be a weeping
sentimental mess.  She was.  =)  I didn't start using tampons until I was 16
because I was nervous about them hurting.  The reason I did was because I was
on a Color Guard trip and it came a week early.  That's all my friend had.  I
figured it out pretty well but was blushing all day.

response 47 of 53:

Dec 25 18:57 UTC 1997

Well, the first couple of months is an adjustment period, so some people *do*
get what seems like constant PMS.  It took me about three months to finally
reap the benefits.  For the first three months I was on it I felt like I was
pregnant...headaches, nausea, dry heaves, cravings...the whole nine yards. 
Maybe that's why they're called birth control pills...  ;-)

response 49 of 53:

Jan 8 22:58 UTC 1998

Re resp:22  Jim, Always is my favorite brand and they do indeed work better
for me than any other.  But I still need to use two oftem overnight and they
still miss a lot.  I think the problem might be that pads are made for slender
women who have less "area" to cover than I do.