ligonpix/getty images
page 7
page 8
page 4
read more
issue
the
july 2023
page 2
page 6
Carol Yepes/getty images
itsaugustco
After Carrie performed her one-woman show entitled: “How to Put in a Tampon,” I was ready. I went into her bathroom and closed the door while she sat on the other side cheering me on. I tried 100 times—it just wouldn’t go in! I was tense and scared! Maybe I should just use pads. My mom said I wasn’t ready, what if she was right?! After an hour or so, Carrie got so fed up she marched right in and stuck the tampon in herself. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a true friend. I instantly felt like I could walk on air, so much lighter! No blood-soaked pad weighing me down. I wore tampons now! When you’re a tampon girl, the possibilities are endless. Was I a cardboard applicator type of gal? No, too rough! Was I more of an OB type of woman? No applicator, just brute force?! No, way—I would NEVER get that close to my own vagina! Was I a Tampax Pearl plastic applicator girlie? Ding ding ding! I felt so cool sneaking my brightly colored oh-so chic Pearl up into my sleeve as I casually walked to the bathroom to change. Now, if you are not a millennial and reading this, you might ask yourself, “What the hell is a Tampax Pearl?” If you are a millennial, you’re probably wearing a Tampax Pearl as we speak, because I am convinced that tampons (and my beloved Pearls) were a millennial milestone. I spoke with six of my fellow millennial period-havers about their experiences. Five of the six had pad pushers as moms and learned how to use tampons from a friend (guess everyone has a Carrie). And we all agreed that the one who’s mom taught her how to use a tampon was always “the most progressive mom.” What the heck?! Why were tampons so taboo?! Were the majority of parents simply terrified of us tweens all dying from toxic shock syndrome? Actually…yes. TSS panic was a real thing after the Centers for Disease Control issued a 1980 report linking super-absorbent tampons made with modified cellulose to TSS. And while there’s truth to the TSS panic of the ‘80s making tampons scary, there’s more to it in a generational sense. My education about menstruation and products came from a boomer. And how boomers discussed
“What if it got stuck up there? Was I still a virgin after using a tampon? And most importantly– was I going to die of toxic shock syndrome?!”
After giving birth, I wore pads again for the first time in a really long time, and it brought me back to my first period, just before my 13th birthday. It happened at night, and I woke up in a bed that looked like something out of a Netflix true crime series. My younger sister stood in my doorway horrified as I screamed for my mom, “I’m DYING!” Once we all accepted that I was not, in fact, dying, my mother returned with a handful of menstrual pads. “These are pads, you put them in your underwear and always make sure to change them when they are full.” I remember there also being some vague dialogue about how I shouldn’t have sex because I can get pregnant and, oh yeah, this will happen every single month for the rest of my life. My mom quickly left to call every person she knew to tell them the news, and I was stuck with a handful of pads and the murder scene that was my bed. The next month, my period coincided with a pool party. My mom said I wasn’t ready for tampons, so I sat on the sidelines in shorts. It sucked. Thankfully my best friend Carrie had two older sisters, and they insisted I was indeed READY for the tampon experience. I was excited and scared—my mom said these were forbidden! What if it got stuck up there? Was I still a virgin after using a tampon? And most importantly–was I going to die of toxic shock syndrome?!
with additional reporting from Dara Katz
by Anna Callegari
Moyo Studio/getty images
Blanchi Costela/getty images
Hispanolistic/getty images
And those conversations might be way less cringe than when your mom threw a box of pads at your head and wished you luck. (We kid, but you get it…) As Olivia Galli reports for the New York Times, “Members of Gen Z and beyond are more forthcoming about their periods than generations past, and they are more likely to care whether the products they use are environmentally sustainable.” The next generation is proving that, indeed, the personal is political, opting for reusable products that are not only supposedly gentler on our bodies, but on the planet as well. At a postpartum checkup, my OB finally cleared me for tampon use, and I literally squealed with excitement. Tampons, my old friends, how I have missed you! I had purchased some of this “period underwear” the kids are wearing these days to see what the fuss is about, but they don’t hold a candle to my tried and true. When it comes time to educate my daughter about menstruation, I’ll make sure she knows that the Tampax Pearl is a fabulously chic option. She’ll probably think I’m completely old-school and out of touch. But hey, at least we’ll be able to talk about it.
***
experience real grief when witnessing the transition from little kid to tween to teen. Yes, unpleasant mood swings can certainly play a role in that grief; but so too does the mourning that they’re not our babies anymore.” Pulling on my heartstrings, the authors remind me that in spite of this transition, menstruating doesn’t make a kid any less in need of the love and care of a trusted adult. So how can we better guide kids today through their first period without relying on a Carrie and her older sisters to show up and save the day (God bless them, honestly)? “Our advice,” say Natterson and Bennett, “is to prepare, prepare, prepare.” Have conversations with kids about what periods are (kids love the actual science!) and how to manage them. While no one can perfectly predict when a first period will come, there are all sorts of ways to prepare by giving kids information and showing them how different products work. “Pack a period pack with pads of different sizes and show your kid how to unwrap, stick them in underwear and dispose of them.” Why must the mystery of used a tampon applicator won’t make anyone break out in a cold sweat? Finally, familiarize yourself with menstrual cups and period underwear—the products of choice for many millennials and Gen-Zers—so that you can have real conversations about how to use them.
“The elephant in the room is that what we’re actually uncomfortable with is the meaning behind the first period: a girl’s budding sexuality and her ability to reproduce.”
I remember harboring so much shame when I got my period before my friends, waiting until my pad was completely soaked before changing it, trying to coordinate the best time to go to the bathroom without anyone noticing.The elephant in the room, as Natterson and Bennett tell me, is that what we’re actually uncomfortable with is the meaning behind the first period: a girl’s budding sexuality and her ability to reproduce. “Some people
periods was, well, they didn’t. Dr. Cara Natterson and Vanessa Kroll Bennett, authors of This Is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained, tell me that the biggest generational difference is that people talk about all of this a whole lot more, from body changes to periods. “Some families celebrate a first period, but even for those who don’t, it’s an acceptable—even expected—topic of conversation at the dinner table or in the hallway at school,” the authors share. Talking about menstruation might not seem groundbreaking, but just for reference, the first time the word “period” was mentioned on TV was in 1985 by Courtney Cox in a Tampax commercial. The Pearl, the sleek, “cool” option, was only brought to market in 2002—which explains the millennial affinity.
page 3
Igor Alecsander/getty images
For the next year, I was a hormonal disaster, horrible heavy periods, really bad cystic acne. As soon as my son weaned I went back on the pill.
My period came back heavier and with more symptoms too. It took over a year, probably because I was breastfeeding so much.
I just had light spotting! I actually thought I was pregnant. But after that first light cycle, they got more “normal.”
My period changed color and consistency. I’ve noticed more clots than it seemed like ever before in my life. And debilitating cramps and a lot of hormonal migraines. My GYN didn’t seem concerned.
I was just at the gyno last week cause I’m a mess hormonally. I get my period every three weeks now.
I was so surprised to have the worst PMS I have ever experienced! I didn’t know why I was so emotional for a week until my period started.
I remember it like it was yesterday: Nine months postpartum, I was pumping (because I was always pumping), when I felt a familiar twinge in my stomach, near my hip. The next day, my back (and oddly, my butt?) started to ache. Then the cystic acne appeared. For days, my face broke out with a ferocity I hadn’t experienced since middle school. I raced to the store to buy tampons. It was back. After 19 glorious period-free months, my menstrual cycle was back. But even then, I didn’t anticipate what would happen next. For ten long days, I had marble-sized blood clots, severe cramps and mood swings that would make Mommie Dearest raise her overdrawn brows. I lived with heating pads on my back and stomach and fired up the TENS machine I’d originally bought to use in labor in the hopes of some relief. This all might have been more manageable if my baby wasn’t attached like a barnacle to my boob, cluster feeding for hours after what I guessed was a hormone-related drop in my milk supply. I called out sick from work. That night, despite doubling up on pads, I leaked all over my bed. “I think something is wrong,” I remember telling my husband when we woke up. “Should I be bleeding this much?” He encouraged me to call my OB/GYN, who explained that it was completely normal for a birthing person’s menstrual period to get heavier after childbirth, then hung up. “Oh, OK,” I said, while soaking my sheets with vinegar in the bathtub. So I did what I always do when I’m unsure about something postpartum-related: I texted my group of mom friends. Their responses were about a million times more comforting and reassuring than my doctor.
by Lindsay Champion
Yes, Pregnancy Changes Your Period. No, Nobody Tells You That
Tanja Ivanova/getty images
Peter Cade/getty images
“The first postpartum menstrual cycle is like a hormonal reset,” adds Nikki Greenaway, a family nurse practitioner and lactation consultant who is also the Director of Clinical Services at Major Care. “Think of it as puberty 2.0. Your breasts are different. Your body is different. Your hormones are out of balance and recalibrating as you recover. There is a very good chance your period will be different.” And oh boy, was it. And what’s the deal with the drop in my milk supply that felt so surprising and scary at the time? Greenaway helped me understand that as estrogen increases with menstruation, it affects the way prolactin works in the body. So this inverse hormonal relationship may cause a (usually temporary, phew) drop in milk supply. “The best thing parents can do is keep removing milk whether by nursing their baby or pumping,” she explains. “Once the estrogen levels decline towards the end or after your cycle, the prolactin is allowed to resurface and produce milk more efficiently. Be patient. This is the natural process of these hormones.” Greenaway also assured me that her patients also tend to be surprised by these sudden changes just like I was. “They are equally surprised when their period returns and the fact that it is different than before,” she says, adding that this is why she believes it’s so important to educate parents about their postpartum hormones and how they can affect a pregnant person’s recovery. So…what helps? “Hydrate and nourish your body to keep your energy up,” Greenaway advises. “Check in on your mental health. You may feel that your PMS was more intense. Continue your prenatal vitamins or switch to [postnatal supplements].” Taking ibuprofen, lying on the couch to my heart’s content and eating lots of good fats, like avocado, almonds and olive oil, seemed to make a difference for me. And, of course, talking to my mom friends. Like so many of the things that happen to our bodies postpartum, the more we talk about this stuff with each other, the more prepared new parents will be, and the less alone we’ll all feel.
Like me, none of my friends saw this coming, and also like me, when they talked to their OB/GYNs about it, they were told it was normal, and that’s about it. (I was in such a sleep-deprived blur during my six-week postpartum check-up that my doctor may very well have explained to me in great detail about what to expect when my menstrual period returns. Who knows?!) But like a host of so many other pregnancy after-effects like hair loss and pelvic floor issues, “normal” doesn’t make it any less surprising when it’s happening to you. So, what’s really going on in a person’s body when the menstrual cycle returns after pregnancy? I reached out to Dr. Jill Purdie, board-certified OB/GYN and medical director at Pediatrix Medical Group in Atlanta, Georgia, for more details. “During breastfeeding, the brain makes prolactin,” she explains. “This hormone interferes with ovulations, which in turn causes people to not have a period. This effect is not consistent, which is why people who are breastfeeding see varying returns to normal periods.” OK, that all makes sense. And according to Dr. Purdie, the drop in prolactin can lead to many of the symptoms my friends and I experienced. “The first menstrual period after giving birth is often heavier than a person’s typical period. The vast majority of my patients experience this. After the first menstrual cycle, most people’s periods will be the same or very similar to before childbirth.” But, Dr. Purdie explains that after the first cycle, your mileage may vary. “I have had patients who report their periods are better (lighter, less cramps) and worse (heavier, more cramps) after giving birth, but this is not consistent.” Luckily, my periods did seem to settle down as the months went on, but that isn’t the case for everyone.
page 5
It takes a bit of patience, folks.
How to Use Menstrual Cups: My Journey into the Great Unknown
Anna Efetova/getty images
There’s nothing more annoying than being caught off guard by Aunt Flo.
“Why Did My Period Come Early?” Here Are 7 Reasons for Menstrual Irregularity
Basak Gurbuz Derman/getty images
For decades, my period was an impending disaster on the horizon.
The Long Goodbye: Parting Ways with My Period Is Not as Easy as I Thought
ASHLEY ARMITAGE
Good riddance to the days when sneaking a tampon to the bathroom was a covert mission.
It’s Time to Consider Mindful Menstruation
ashley armitage
From perimenopause to certain medications.
Why Is My Period Late? 6 Possible Reasons (Besides the Obvious One)
Maryna Terletska/getty images
Ragdolls, chair twists and more.
5 Yoga Poses That Could Help Relieve Cramps
anon-tae/getty images
“Every four to eight hours, [but] try not to leave one in more than eight hours.” – Dr. Sophocles
A:
How Often Do I Really Need to Change My Tampon?
Q:
“This is because substances called prostaglandins are released by the smooth muscle of the uterus, and these cause many reactions in the body, including the relaxation of the smooth muscle of the bowels, causing more bowel movements and even diarrhea.” – Dr. Sophocles
Why Do I Poop More When I Have My Period?
“Fibroids cause heavier periods because they press against the uterine lining and this causes more bleeding than would usually occur, and this bleeding doesn’t stop since the uterus won’t contract normally. Fibroids also cause the growth of blood vessels, which will contribute to heavy bleeding as well.” – Dr. Swarup
Why Do Fibroids Cause Heavier Periods?
“No. A woman was attacked by a bear in 1967, and, because she was approaching her period, a myth began that this is why the bear attacked her. [But] absolutely you can camp on your period.” – Dr. Sophocles
How About Bears? Should I Postpone a Camping Trip if I’m Menstruating?
“Sharks have a powerful sense of smell and can smell [significant amounts of] blood from hundreds of yards. Still, there’s no reason or evidence that going in the ocean while on your period leads to shark bites.” – Dr. Swarup
Can Sharks Really Smell Period Blood? Should I Not Go in the Ocean During My Period?
You know those slightly uncomfy period questions you’ve always been too shy to ask? We got you. We asked two OB/GYNs, Maria Sophocles, M.D., a gynecologist and sexual medicine specialist at Women’s Healthcare of Princeton and Monte Swarup, MD, FACOG, a board-certified OB/GYN and founder of the leading vaginal health information site Vaginal Health Hub, for the deets on period poops, tampon lifespans and whether or not you should avoid the ocean while menstruating (because, sharks).
We Asked 2 Gynecologists Our Most Embarrassing Period Questions
buy now
Made from an ultra-soft nylon-elastane blend, each pair holds up to two regular tampons’ worth of blood.
Thinx Hiphugger
Best Period Underwear
That time of the month isn’t exactly fun, but these period products—from tampons and menstrual cups to heating pads and pain-relieving balms—will make it as painless as possible.
PureWow Editor Must-Haves For Surviving Your Period
Use this mess-free roller stick to apply a blend of essential oils to your lower abdomen to ease period discomfort.
Cora The Period Balm
Best Period Balm
This menstrual cup is great for first-time users, as the slightly firmer silicone lets it open easily when inserted.
Saalt Cup
Best Menstrual Cup
Each 18-pack of LOLA tampons is customizable: Choose a combination of light, regular, super and super+ tampons.
Lola Plastic Applicator Tampons
Best Classic Tampons
Crafted with an organic cotton cover and a super-absorbent core, Rael’s pads are available in three absorbencies.
Rael Organic Cotton Cover Pads
Best Organic Pads
Their first period shouldn’t be stressful. This kit with pads, liners and wipes will get them started on the right foot.
The Honey Pot Company First Period Ritual
Best First Period Kit
Customize a box with tampons, pads and liners to be delivered to your door monthly (or every three months).
August Build-a-Box Subscription
Best Subscription Service
A drugstore staple, Midol gel caps contain acetaminophen for cramp relief and caffeine to fight fatigue.
Midol Pain Relief Gel Caps
Best Pain Reliever
hese biodegradable and flushable cleansing wipes are great for your period, after sex or for a midday pick-me-up.
Athena Club TLC Wipes
Best Flushable Wipes
This electric heating pad has three temperatures and three massage modes so you can choose the right setting for you.
Yeamon Heating Pad
Best Heating Pad
