A Long Waiting Period

My first journal here was reviewing my period cup. I was bright eyed and optimistic, and looked forward to documenting my first time, and then returning some months later, having mastered the art of the cup and giving you an honest glimpse into the newbie’s experience and some well-tried tips.

In that journal, I documented my first usage, but my period was not strong. And if I’m being completely candid, that was the last relatively proper period I had for about 5 months or so…
I wore so many pads in those months ‘just incase’ my period decided to return, but alas, it was just wasteful.

Of course my immediate response was…Shit I’m pregnant. Which, after many anxiety induced pregnancy tests over the course of many months - I was definitely not. My Dr. said it was stress and psychology was the blame, as nothing dietary had changed for me in ages, and other tests came back all clear.

I felt strangely shameful about my lack of a period, and at a loss. I felt stressed that it wasn’t showing up - there’s something reassuring about it’s timely presence.

I also felt a sense of guilt, as I had first shared my cup debut here, only to have it disappear immediately afterward, so I couldn't follow up or share more with you. I felt like I had done you a disservice, even though this was out of my control.

Although I know I’m not the only person who has lost their period at some point in their lives (this is the second time its happened to me) - that sense of shame was still strong. And although I know I shouldn’t have been ashamed, I had a lot going on in my world - I started to really miss aunt flow.

If you’re reading this, and you’ve lost your period for what ever reason - please know you’re not alone, and it is ok. It happens. You are ok. If a period is something you usually have, and all of a sudden it’s gone - this does not reflect who you are or anything about you. Your period or lack thereof does not define you.

This may sound a little much, but if you needed to hear that from someone - I hope you’re reading this <3

 

A loss of period can come down to so many things and factors. It can be helpful to see a doctor - only as I do not recommend sitting on google to investigate where Ms. Menstruation has gone on vacation. Google can be much more stress inducing than talking to a professional - which only makes matters worse.

For me, it was all stress and anxiety. In those 8+ months, I had recently moved out of home for the first time; and was wading through a lot of dormant traumas and triggers that were unearthed when going through this rite of passage. After many months and with the help of my psychologist, my nerves did calm, and I got into my own rhythm - and slowly my period did return.

I wrote the following blog back in January this year, just as the new year rolled into town; It captures a mixture of joy and pain with the return of my period after such a long wait. I was quickly shown how much I had romanticised my period whilst hunched over cramping - but I was so happy; I cannot lie.

I’m so happy to finally share a blog of my first true experience with trying out a cup, with a period that was healthy. I’m also happy to share my first experience in using Thinx period panties. I hope you enjoy <3

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Day 1:

Today is my first day back at work, and my period decided to roll into town yesterday. She is a thunderstorm, bucketing down and angry.
I haven’t had much practice with my cup, and it really showed today.

Today at work was a staff-bonding day / year planning. So all the staff sat around a table for the day and we chatted all. day. long. This was good, as it wasn’t a hectic day, but bad because long hours of sitting.

I opted to use my cup and Boy Leg Thinx panties. MY GOD - i’m so glad I opted to use Thinx. They did all the heavy lifting today as my Cup placement was amateur at best.

It hit Midday, and as I got up for lunch, I could feel liquids hit my panties. I winced and went to the bathroom promptly.

I checked on the cup - it hadn’t caught much (a few drops). I emptied it, rinsed it, and attempted to give better positioning. My Thinx took the brunt of the period.

At this point, there was a sizeable patch of blood on my panties that I could vaguely spot (as the panties are deep-black)

As I pulled my panties back on, I did notice a bit of cold / wet of the period on the underwear. It wasn’t the worst - but certainly noticeable.

-

It hit 5pm, and the day was wrapping up. I stood up to start gathering my things, and…I spotted a small patch of blood where I had been sitting… I felt like I was 12.

I subtly power walked to the bathroom and ended up taking out my cup and sadly putting in a backup tampon - I figured my Thinx had carried the team as much as they could, and I hadn’t mastered my cup enough to justify trying to change its positioning again.

My Thinx were well and truly full, and I could see the entire base had a wet patch outline. At this point in the day, and after pushing Thinx pretty hard with my heaviest flow day, I could smell the old blood faintly in the fibres.

As I pulled my panties back on, I winced with how wet the garment was. I actually ended up pulling them back down and laying down some toilet paper on the base / crotch to minimise the wetness a tad.

The boyleg panties are designed to absorb x2 tampons, and should be used in conjunction with a cup or tampon if it’s your heaviest day. I tried lol.

I hopped in my car and drove home. I’m currently on my couch, exhausted and drained from Ms. Menstruation testing me today and reminding me just how challenging periods can be.

After months of not having to deal with a period, I had forgotten the woes of cramps, moodiness, irritability and brain-fog.
Though, I’m so happy she’s back.

 

Day Two:

Today I worked from home, so I was lazy and used an overnight pad for half the day…don’t judge me ok lol

 

Day Three:

I FUCKING NAILED THE CUP TODAY!
Omg - this is so exciting. I hope I can replicate this tomorrow. I checked my underwear a few times today whilst at work - and no red splotches were present, so I was quite excited to get home and see if i’d A) nailed it, or B) my period had left town suddenly lol.

Option A prevailed. It was immensely satisfying to swirl the cup around and see the blood that had pooled, and then pour it out. Surprisingly, there wasn’t as much as I expected.

The cup i’ve been using has been hailed as the ‘beginners cup’ - and is quite small and non-intimidating, so i’ve been worried about overflow. Those worries are now at bay. I know now on heavier days just to check it sporadically - simple as that.

 

Day Four:

Ya’ll I nailed it again - this is wild.
I was exhausted and didn’t log Day Four after the fact. But! What I do recall is how I tried to get the cup into place effectively.

So, I’ve been opting to insert with a ‘C Fold’ - where you basically just fold it in half. After doing this, I place it just inside, and with a single finger I push it up and along my vaginal canal - i’ve found this helps keep the cup folded a bit longer instead of opening immediately.
I typically stand / squat for this - i’ve found that works best for me, but i’m not everyone.
When i’ve tried to place it far enough and as comfortably as I can, it then springs open. At this point, I insert my finger and try to reach the brim of the cup to push the lip up higher. Do this from the side that’s closest to your spine, not the belly button side.
This almost straightens/levels the cup. Alternatively, I take the bottom of the cup, and try angle it to achieve this levelling.
After this, pull the base a touch, to vacuum the cup in place.

Now, this is what has worked for me, but may not work for you. Everyone is very different, especially when it comes to using a menstrual cup. Everyone has got to go through this vague guessing and experimenting time with the cup.

By Day Five to Seven, there isn’t much to report. My period generally lightens up, so Thinx were good for this and meant I didn’t have to stress about using any other products.

If you decide to buy a set of period panties, I would strongly recommend checking their sizing charts. To make sure the blood stays put and doesn’t leak, they’re designed to fit a bit tighter than general underwear.

Thanks for reading my loves, I appreciate it <3 

Much love,
Christine x

 

Transparency:
- This blog has not been sponsored in any way.
- The period cup used was a gift in 2018 from Intimina.
- The period panties were a gift from Thinx in 2018 - they were gift to me as a thank you for our collaboration work on a T-shirt / pop up event in Sydney. You can read about that Here if you like