WEEK 5 - MID WEEK BLOG FOR THE LADIES ONLY (WE ARE SERIOUS)

WARNING: THIS POST IS FOR OUR FEMALE FOLLOWERS (ONLY).  MATERIAL IN THIS BLOG IS UNSUITABLE FOR OUR MALE READERS AND IS LIKELY TO CAUSE DISTRESS TO THOSE SILLY ENOUGH TO READ ON.  SERIOUSLY GUYS, PLEASE DON'T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT FEMALE SANITARY PRODUCTS.

DON'T SAY WE DIDN'T WARN YOU!!!

As women, there are some things we love to change & experiment with.  Examples include: nail polish, breakfast cereals & hairstyles. 

However, there are also some things where we prefer to stick with what we know, and what we are comfortable & familiar with.  Examples include: tried & tested skincare products, our favourite brand of jeans & ....................................................

Much to our dismay, the range of female sanitary products in the United States are not the same as Australia.  Pads appear to be much the same, albeit with a larger range to choose from.  Unfortunately the compact & discrete tampons that Aussie women know & love ARE NOT READILY AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED STATES.

Same same

After frantically checking the selection at multiple corner stores, Wholefoods & Duane Reade, we discovered that the only types of tampons available included "applicators".  For those who don't remember "applicators", they were the first type of tampons Mum bought you.  They were most likely Tampax brand, & work on the premise that we need a little more guidance when you first start out navigating that area.  After some time, most of us feel confident with the process & then change to the traditional tampon (with no applicator).

Sanitary products aisle at Duane Reade

Turns out American women always need that guidance because all tampons here come with applicators.



Oh no!

It can't be!

They all have applicators!

Here is a little comparison of the difference in size between the two types:

US standard - Tampon with applicator

AUS standard - tampon without applicator

Distressed at the thought of reverting to "applicators", we started to panic.  How would we inconspicuously carry around what essentially was the size of a packet of crayola texta pens in our evening bags? 

Then we saw something we had never seen before......  another alternative.  Not a pad, nor a tampon, it's something different, something..... instead.

Website: http://www.softcup.com/

Now we will be completely honest.  The first time you open one of these babies, you will be fairly overwhelmed by the size, shape, and how to use it.  Essentially it works the same as a diaphragm.  However upon testing, both females in the house can highly endorse this product.  Checkout the official website for all the details. Note the most impressive feature is the frequency, or infrequency in which you need to change this item - only once every 12 hours.

Looks and works much like a diaphragm

But be warned, this thing ain't small

We were even toying with the idea of importing these suckers into Australia until Mel B advised that we have a similar product already available in Australia.  Ladies, here is the Aussie alternative if you are curious.  Freakishly this one is re-usable (I don't know how I feel about that concept).  http://www.thekeeper.com.au/

Hmmm, just doesn't seem super hygienic

Funnily enough, after candidly discussing our woes with our new American girlfriends, we have since found out that there is one brand of non-applicator tampons available here.  They are called "ob", but there was a shortage of this product recently which sent menstruating women into a frenzy.  Said shortage even led to a so-called black market for non-applicator tampons.   Special shout out to Carly for this very useful information. 

Check out the link: http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/02/pf/o.b._tampons/index.htm

Now for all those disobedient boys who read this post after our warning, please don't be discouraged from further blogs.  We promise to never talk about this again online.  We just couldn't resist sharing the word with the ladies.