Tampons

Body: 

Sorry this is not a particularly nice subject but I have to ask.

My periods are very heavy for a couple of days and I always have to use the largest tampon plus sanitry towel. My worry is when changing a tampon after my period slows down even when changing to a smaller one they can drag and feel like they are pulling my insides out. I am worried about what effect this might have on prolapses.

Does anybody use Sea Sponges which I have seen mentioned a few times on this forum and do they work as well as tampons?

Again sorry about the topic but you don't know unless you ask!

Many thanks.

A

I know exactly what you mean; the friction and "vacuum" created by a dry tampon is very uncomfortable to remove. I agree that just yanking and pulling cannot be good for you. I don't know if it further worsens prolapse but it certainly doesn't help. You can break the "stuck" effect by running your finger around the tampon itself and grabbing and removing rather than pulling with the string, much as you must do to remove a pessary. I have thought that a lubricant could help get out a dry tampon but haven't tried that yet myself.

yes I much prefer these to tampons because you don't get that pulling, dragging thing as your period gets lighter because you put them in damp.

They work fine, the only thing with them is they need rinsing between wears so you need to either find a bathroom stall with a sink or bring a spare one to swop with and a bag for the one you have removed so that you can clean it later.

To be honest I've found it so liberating not having to worry about whether I have brought out enough san pro to see me through the day that I notice my period far less than I used to.

I tried sponges last month and found they were great for lighter flow days, but not for heavy flow. They were however a bit tricky to get out sometimes as they needed to fit behind the prolapses so they don't fall out, but definately didn't create that pulling sensation, and they were very comfortable.

They are pricey, but apparently last 6 months +, so in the long run aren't that expensive.

I haven't cycled in over 5 years but when I finally do I am going with one of those