Menstruation is not something I am embarrassed about, nor do I get squeamish about the topic. Hence the candidness of this discussion I am about to start.

I feel this is an important discussion to have because women can’t be empowered in their choices if they don’t know what their choices are. So here’s my story of why I started using cloth pads.

I hate having a period. It is the most uncomfortable, painful, and annoying thing that I could ever possibly experience. I fully believe that I have experienced what childbirth feels like because there is no way possible that it could hurt worse than my cramps. (Yes, mark that down and in 10 years ask me if I wish to retract that statement.)

After years and years of suffering I started to become bitter. I was angry at all the mess, angry at all the pain, and I really wanted to have a face to face conversation with God. I knew something had to change because I don’t like it when I start to turn my anger towards God.

I’d previously started using Instead Cups because tampons just weren’t absorbant enough and I got sick of changing them every 45 minutes. But I still always use backup and I was sick of wearing those big and bulky pads.

I’d heard of cloth pads before, but I never considered using them because I thought it was gross and that it set women back 70 years. I remember my great grandmother telling me how lucky I was that we had Kotex because when she was younger they had to use old rags and she had to wash her old rags in the sink. When she would tell me this story, she’d always scrunch up her face when she got to the washing part.

One day I didn’t want anything bothering me down there so I had to settle for using a huge pad. It was so bulky and I was so uncomfortable because it felt like I was wearing a wet diaper all day. Then there was something about throwing it in the garbage that bothered me. I can’t quite explain it, but it just didn’t feel right to throw away all of my DNA like that. I hated having this big bulky pad, but for some reason I really didn’t want to throw it in the garbage because I thought that it was some sort of privacy issue or something; and I didn’t want my DNA being in a dumpster.

I was confused and in a really bad mood so I told myself that maybe if I could change my negative attitude about menstruation, it would benefit me in the long run.

I thought about my future children and how I planned to use cloth diapers so they would be more comfortable. Then I thought, “Well if you plan on cloth diapering, why don’t you look into cloth pads, maybe it’s not as gross as you think”.

So I looked around at the commercial brands like Lunapads but I decided I wanted to buy from a work at home mom so I went to Etsy and picked out some.

When the pads arrived I was so excited because they were so pretty. But I started to wonder how I was going to keep them clean. I decided that when the time came I’d keep a bucket of cold water in the bathroom and soak them in there until I wanted to wash them. If I was going to be out, I’d most likely wear a cup, but I’d still keep a small sandwich bag in my purse in case I needed to change.

The Results

I found that the cloth pads are so much more comfortable than disposables. It feels just like wearing clothes. I have different ones with different levels of absorbency and it’s not gross at all. It’s my body, what is there to be grossed out about? Just soak it in some cold water and then throw it in the wash.

Other than being more comfortable then disposable pads, they are more economical in the long run, better for the environment, and some women say they help to decrease the cramping. Personally, not wearing tampons decreases my cramping but I’ll save that story for when I write about why I switched from disposable Instead Cups to a reusable Lady Cup.