Sunday, April 29, 2001

Dear Kate,

I got my first period when I was in 8th grade. It was Christmas Eve.

Back then, pads were superthick, though not as thick as my mom reports that they used to be. And tampons...I forget when I tried them for the first time. It was definitely a summer month, because I wanted to go swimming.

I remember I had trouble inserting the thing, and I so badly wanted to go in my friend's pool that I asked my mom if she'd help me. She said no. (I remember another friend who needed special ones for some reason or another, and her mom had to help her, which is what prompted me to ask my mom in the first place.) Anyway, I finally got it on my own, and I've hated pads ever since.

Today, pads are superthin, except for the ones you resort to from machines in public rest rooms in an emergency. Tampons are tampons--the technology, for lack of a better word--hasn't changed much despite what the manufacturers would like you to think. But the newest big thing for a woman's menstrual cycle is the soft cup.

I heard about it for the first time about three years ago, thought it sounded pretty gross, and never saw it in stores--until a few days ago. I was out of tampons, and there they were: Instead soft cups. I figured, what the heck!

The manufacturer claims these things take a little getting used to, too. They ain't kidding.

I was immediately intimidated by the Dixee-cup-sized circumference of the thing. You're supposed to squeeze the sides together and insert it "back and down." Yeah, OK.

I swear I thought the first one was going to blow up inside me. It wasn't there very long when I opted for the last tampon I could find. But by nighttime (it was late), it was either throw on some shoes and trek out to the 24-hour drugstore for tampons, or give Instead another shot.

I have to say, they're pretty comfortable. They say one of the advantages is that you don't have to change them as frequently as a tampon. I went through two that first day. But I also bought more tampons.

The biggest drawback is removing them. There are no strings, like tampons. You have to go in there, manually--for lack of a better word--and get it! The manufacturer says to use your finger and hook the rim from the bottom. Well, I can't seem to do it without making a mess. (And that's all I'll say about that!) But there's something to be said for going up to 12 hours without having to change it, so I'm gonna keep trying it.

I'm not about to throw away the tampons just yet, though.

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