Ep 23 • My Journey from Pads to Free Bleeding and Everything In Between | A Naturopath’s Insights on Period Products & Menstrual Hygiene
Let’s explore the too-many-options-to-choose world that is period products... and their impact on your menstrual experience. I share my personal journey with various period products, from using conventional pads, being scared of tampons to transitioning to more sustainable options like reusable cloth pads, period underwear, eventually discovering the power of… free bleeding. I also touch on the environmental AND health impacts of conventional menstrual products (there’s so much emerging research that I do NOT cover). Mostly, I invite you to tune into what feels right for your body. Whether you’re new to cycle tracking or looking for ways to make your period more comfortable and eco-friendly, this episode is packed with insights, personal stories, and practical tips to help you on your menstrual journey.
Happy bleeding, however you choose to do it!
🩸🖤🩸
MENTIONED IN THIS EP:
TIMESTAMPS:
00:33 Cycle Check-In: Understanding Your Menstrual Cycle
02:21 Connecting with the Moon and Life Seasons
03:56 Free Cycle Tracking Guide and Personal Insights
04:56 Karinda's Personal Cycle Check-In
06:58 Exploring Menstrual Products: Pads and Personal Experiences
11:58 Transition to Reusable Cloth Pads
19:19 Menstrual Cups: Trials and Tribulations
26:29 Exploring Menstrual Cups and Cervix Awareness
28:51 Challenges with Menstrual Cups
32:53 Period Undies: A Comfortable Alternative
37:18 The Benefits of Free Bleeding
45:36 Considering Toxin-Free Period Products
47:40 Invitations to Explore Alternative Period Practices
52:35 Final Thoughts and Encouragement
🩸🖤🩸
FREE DOWNLOAD ↓
GET MY HOLISTIC CYCLE TRACKING GUIDE HERE
I WANT MORE CYCLE LOVING GOODNESS:
Explore the CYCLE POWER BUNDLE here!
REACH OUT!
Email me here or drop me a line on Instagram @karinda.wholistix
INTERESTED IN WORKING TOGETHER?
You can book a free connection call here to map out what working together would look like for you to achieve your health & hormone goals.
🩸🖤🩸
SHOP & DISCOUNTS:
Shop mine & Maddie's CYCLE TEAS here
I use TEMPDROP for reliable basal body temperature & ovulation tracking!
I use MODIBODI for the best reusable period undies!
SPLASH BLANKET my favourite blanket for free bleeding
The root of so many hormone imbalances is a poor circadian rhythm. Optimise your rhythm, protect your body from artificial light & harness the power of red light therapy at Block Blue Light. Use code KARINDA at checkout
Podcast recording & editing software I use: Descript - use my referral link to get 50% off for 2 months of the Creator Plan!
*I may make a small commission if you purchase from any of the below links. This helps me support myself & my business and I'm grateful if you're happy to use these links/codes and share them if you love the products.*
Everything else at: karindawholistix.com.au
TRANSCRIPT:
[00:00:08] Welcome back to another episode of Oh My Menses. I am Karinda, your host. I'm a naturopath. I'm a menstrual cycle educator. I love periods, I love hormones. They are some of the things I'm most passionate about. Bleeding bodies and how we can have better periods is one of my favorite pastimes and conversations to engage with.
[00:00:32] So there you go.
[00:00:33] Let's start off as we usually do with a cycle check-in. If you're not familiar with the cycle check-in, pretty much all it is is taking a moment, taking a mindful moment to observe where you are at in the spectrum of your menstrual cycle. This is one of the first things that I start to teach patients who are returning to their natural cycles after coming off hormonal birth control, for example.
[00:00:59] Or [00:01:00] even if they just have other menstrual cycle issues, they have natural cycles but they're not keeping track of what cycle day they're on. It can be an absolute game changer in terms of understanding how long your whole cycle is. That is from the start of one period until the day before your next period starts.
[00:01:18] That cycle length in and of itself tells us so much, but also when you can start to notice what days, what cycle days, certain symptoms or imbalances start to arise, it can be so helpful and so directive in terms of natural treatments and strategies that we can apply to you. So we take a moment to observe what cycle day we're on.
[00:01:42] We're not worried about the day of the week or the date in the calendar month. We are concerned with where we are at in our own cyclical landscape. That is if you have a menstrual cycle. Now, you may also not know there are four phases of the menstrual cycle, so it can also be good to tune into just more, [00:02:00] more broader than the specific cycle day you're on.
[00:02:03] What season of your cycle are you in? Are you menstruating? That's like inner winter. Are you in your follicular phase? Like inner spring. Are you ovulating? Are you round ovulation, that's inner summer, or are you premenstrual? That's in your luteal phase. If you don't have menstrual cycles, I invite you to do one of two things, or you can do both of them.
[00:02:27] One, you can look to the moon. The moon is such a guiding force, I think for humans in general, but especially for those of us in female bodies, it's no coincidence that the moon cycle is about 29 and a half days. And our average menstrual cycle is also around 29 days. And has kind of four main phases, much like our own menstrual cycles.
[00:02:50] Look to the moon, see where she's at. You can just look this up on Google or you might like to download a moon app or may maybe your weather app includes that [00:03:00] information. See what day it's on. Is it waxing? Is it waning? Are we close to a full moon? Are we close to a new moon? And just tune into like how your energy is feeling in relation to that.
[00:03:10] In addition to, or as an alternative to looking at the moon, if you don't have menstrual cycles, you can also just tune into what era, what season you are in of your life. Now we can look to the kind of feminine rites of passage, seasons: maiden, mother, maga, crone; the four major seasons of any woman's life.
[00:03:31] Or you might just to like, to tune into the energy using your own words. Like what phase are you in right now? Are you in a motherly phase? Are you in a blossoming phase? Are you in a, you know, even relate it back to the seasons. Are you in a more winter phase, that's slow and calmer and more inward, or are you in a more bold, expressive phase like summer?
[00:03:54] Just take a moment to tune in with where you're at.
[00:03:56] And if you'd like to learn the basics of the menstrual cycle, you can [00:04:00] download my free cycle tracking guide. It is it like a 25 page PDF packed full of amazing, amazing info. Whether you are new to tracking your menstrual cycles or whether you're looking to deepen the journey or just get your head around some more nitty gritty of it, it is a great resource, totally free to get.
[00:04:19] And if you download that PDF, you also get access to my Karinda's Corner emails, which are my kind of personal, exclusive blogs. I'm always talking about some insight that I'm having about hormones, lots of stories, lots of personal stories about my own life, and lots of insights that I have that can help you via my own way of living as a bit of an alternative hippie person living in a modern culture in a westernized country.
[00:04:50] You might enjoy the words I have to say. Links to those in the show notes.
[00:04:56] My cycle check-in is that I am on [00:05:00] cycle day one. And if you are familiar around these parts, around these, oh my menses parts, you'll know that it's very rare for me to record on cycle day one. I love to record more in my follicular phase or around ovulation, just 'cause I'm feeling a lot more confident and bold.
[00:05:20] Estrogen is higher around those times, and we have estrogen receptors in our brain that can literally support our cognition. So you might find in your own life that you feel more mentally sharper, clear, more verbose. You, you might even notice your handwriting change, uh, uh, as your estrogen gets higher as you approach ovulation.
[00:05:42] I certainly do. So it's rare for me to record, but I'm gonna talk about something menstrual related and I've written no notes. I just, I had the urge to create a podcast and, and here I am following that urge because it's been about, [00:06:00] again, uh, depending on whether you follow me on Instagram or not, it has been a while since I've like posted.
[00:06:05] It has been a while since I've sent an email. Admittedly, I have been in a very spring bubble phase of my life. I have been spending a lot of time with my partner. I have been laying the foundations of a really strong relationship. I also just coincidentally had four weeks planned off of, off of all work, that I planned like months and months ago.
[00:06:29] So those two things beautifully coincided. And now the journey for me is about, uh, gently, maybe with a little bit of oof, returning my focus and returning my energy to my business, because ultimately I do wanna create, I do wanna share these stories. I do have a lot of things to say. I have people asking for my opinion on certain things.
[00:06:52] And so here I am sharing it. Welcome back, me, to the internet.
[00:06:58] Today I wanna talk to you [00:07:00] about the menstrual products that I use. Admittedly, this is something that isn't the first thing that I cover with my patients who are having menstrual problems. It's definitely a question that I ask in my like questioning my case, taking template when it comes to the female reproductive system, the menstrual cycle part, period talk,
[00:07:23] one of my, one of my prefilled questions there is like, "what sort of period products is the patient using?" Because it can absolutely alter your menstrual experience. I'll share a bit about my journey. When I first got my period at 12 years old, just shy of 13, 'twas the winter of 2008 late winter 2008, just shy of 13.
[00:07:57] I had no interest in using tampons [00:08:00] at that point in time. Uh, rightfully so. I guess I couldn't conceive how I, I couldn't comprehend the idea of how anything could come out of my vagina or go into my vagina; had no idea, had not explored that part of myself yet. So, tampons, uh, like I, I guess I had seen references to them in media or through friends, through older women in my life.
[00:08:26] Had no interest in using them. Felt a bit scared, a bit. Had heard of, or maybe eventually later on, I heard of things like toxic shock syndrome. Only associated that with tampons. Have since learned a lot more about that. I didn't wanna use tampons. Uh, also my mum just used pads and let me know if you can relate to that as well.
[00:08:48] I feel like a lot of us follow on from what our mums or our aunties or our older sisters used. Just because that's the thing, I guess, that we are introduced to, depending what age we are at, when we get [00:09:00] our first bleed. Also, depending on what, how, how our independence is at that time. Maybe later in your teen years you're like buying your own products, but maybe from a very early age, you know, like your parents are buying those products for you or a family member is.
[00:09:15] So I just started using my mom's pads and then she started buying me my own. And my dad did as well. And I was comfortable with that. I, you know, it's the classic thing of like, do you remember like that inner cringe or like inner "Oh," like gut drop feeling when you'd be like in a quiet public restroom, and maybe it was just you and like one or two other people in there, and you're changing your pad and like you can hear the wrapper and the crinkling and, and you know, and the, the peeling of like taking an old pad off.
[00:09:50] I don't know how you guys feel about that. Please, if you've had any experiences and you're like, "oh my God, I absolutely know what you're talking about", let me know. That was certainly a point for me of like, trying to [00:10:00] do it as quietly as possible, which is a very minute example of this like, overarching culture of, you know, menstrual shame; periods being taboo and like to keep it harsh, to keep it quiet, keep it suppressed.
[00:10:16] Like, clean up your blood, don't let other people know that you're bleeding. Keep it hidden. And obviously in my journey now I'm, I'm very much for working through and out of menstrual shame, liberating ourselves from menstrual shame, because it only has a negative effect on the rest of our lives and our own self-esteem and our own bodily empowerment.
[00:10:42] But that's something I experienced when I was younger, you know, feeling like I had to keep it quiet and just hating how much noise the pads made. But other than that, I, I got used to them and it was just the thing that was easiest. And I, I went through phases of having really heavy periods, but thankfully it was nothing [00:11:00] that was like beyond what pads could control.
[00:11:03] Sometimes needing to use like the heavy or overnight pads, like during the day, depending how heavy the bleed was, depending on what cycle day I was on. And so I used pads from, yeah, 12 from my first period, gosh, all the way until at least 2015. 2015 hits and in 2015 I would have been 20 years old, 19, 20 years old, and that was my second year at uni or like studying health science, studying naturopathy.
[00:11:40] So I was learning a lot more about the body and through being in that community and also being vegan at the time, you just start to, well, certainly for me, I just started to like dabble in other like eco-conscious alternative hippie spaces. And there was this [00:12:00] talk about reusable pads and like washable pads.
[00:12:04] And at first, again, because of my own menstrual shame that I had embedded deep, deep within that, that I was, that was ingrained in me totally subconsciously, I thought, "ooh, that's a bit like, huh? Like, is that what we wanna be doing? Do we want to have pads that we have to rewash?" And I, it took me a while to get my head around that and to get my head around the idea of being confronted with, like washing my own menstrual blood.
[00:12:32] This thing that I was so used to throwing in the bin and like, keeping as hidden as possible. You know, even when you took a pad off and put it in a, a sanitary disposal bin, you didn't just put the pad in the bin, you had to roll it up nice and tightly, and then you had to use the wrapper of the new pad that you're putting on, and you'd have to wrap the wrapper around the old pad, you know, keep it nice, nice hidden.
[00:12:56] So this concept of like, oh, I could [00:13:00] wear like a cotton pad that has like inbuilt, like absorbent layers. And I would have, I would like take that off and then I'd have to store it somewhere. Like if I was out during the day, I would have to like, have fresh ones on me, store the old ones, like somewhere secure until I got home, until I got the chance to like soak them or rinse them in the shower and then just be in more contact with my blood.
[00:13:24] Now I will say that has been one of my favorite thing, like, it's such a blessing in disguise. Originally, I moved to reusable, cotton cloth pads from a, wanting to reduce my waste output. I wasn't happy with the amount of plastic waste that was going to landfill associated with using pads.
[00:13:50] And Oh, I think before I went to cloth pads, by the way, I did eventually make the switch from like standard like Libra pads or like whatever brand I was using at the time. I'm sure I went through a [00:14:00] phase of just using like cheap ALDI ones. But I remember Libra was my favorite and you know, it had all the fun questions on the back of the wrapper, if, you know, you know, it's just one of those things.
[00:14:10] There was a time where again, from learning what I was learning about just yeah, environmental consciousness and the toxicity of conventional period products, unfortunately, I made the switch to like organic cotton pads, uh, which yeah, were more expensive, but it was a, it was something I was happy to invest in 'cause I understood the impact that it was having on my body and I understood the benefit and it was in line with my values.
[00:14:39] But then finding the cloth pads, I was like, oh, that's even better, i'm not just throwing away. Yes, it's organic cotton, but I'm still throwing it away and it's still going to landfill. So these reusable cloth pads, I was like, oh, that's great, that's reducing my, my waste footprint, like so much. And I think originally there was like a, an Australian website I found [00:15:00] called like cloth pad shop and it was, there were just like a few different creators on there who like handmade their own cloth pads.
[00:15:07] So I even loved that, that it was like handmade locally made no, you know, no fast fashion esque kind of production factory production. Mass production. And I was really pleased with the ones I got. So let me show you some of the earliest ones I've got that I, it's actually, God, it's a bit wild that I still use them.
[00:15:29] This is one of my favorites and Oh, okay. So also I'm recording this on video, so I'll try to make this as audio based as possible for anyone who doesn't have access to the video. But you can watch this on my website. I'm on YouTube. Or if you use Spotify, the video will also be on Spotify. So this is like quite a long pad 'cause it was the one I used for like heavy days or overnight.
[00:15:51] It's got this beautiful like turquoise and dark blue like gradient ish, ocean vibe, fabric. A nice purple back and you can [00:16:00] see the easy buttons there. So you just put that on your underwear and then snap the buttons closed underneath. So there's kind of like wings to it that connects to where,
[00:16:09] where the buttons are. And this was by a creator called Noone Wilga. And I, I'm not sure if she's still creating, but I really, really loved her products. You feel the thickness a bit. I'm trying to like demonstrate the thickness there, but, and certainly over time it has got an a bit, maybe less pliable, those absorbent layers inside feel a bit more dense.
[00:16:32] But gosh, I would've bought that in 2015, maybe 2016. And I still use it. It's still good. It hasn't worn out. It doesn't, it doesn't have any weird smell or anything. This is another one. I have this beautiful like, kind of new agey bohemian pattern in red and black. And this is by a creator called Scarlet Eve.
[00:16:57] Again, just from this beautiful local [00:17:00] website I happen to find called Cloth Pad Shop, I'm, I'm not sure if it even still exists. I need to look that up. If it does still exist, I'll link it below. And that was just like a regular kind of pad, again, nicely, like tapered shorter than the other one. And so what I would do is if I had to be out during the day, I would, you know, depending on how long I was gonna be out for, depending on what cycle day I was on, how heavy my flow was, I would kind of guesstimate in my head how, you know, what, how many products I would need.
[00:17:32] Usually no more than like two or three pads, and I would keep this bag on me. This is just a small, maybe like 12 centimeter by five centimeter bag with a little zip at the top, again, made by Scarlet Eve. And I would keep fresh pads in here. Uh, I think for a period of time I even kept some organic liners in there just as like a little bit of a backup.
[00:17:55] And so when I, I had access to a toilet, I [00:18:00] would take the new pad outta the bag and put the used pad in the bag, zip it up. There was never been an issue with smell or leaks. Everything was pretty well contained to these reusable cloth pads. And then, uh, as soon as I could at home, I would rinse them. Uh, so the best way I, I find it just easier now.
[00:18:19] 'cause these are still my main thing that I use, I rinse them in the shower as best as I can. Sometimes they may need a little bit of like a pre-soak and then I just like put them in a wash. You can just totally wash them by hand, rinse them cold and then hang them to air dry. I do put them in a hand wash cycle in a washing machine, but certainly when I haven't had access to a washing machine, it's been totally fine to hand wash.
[00:18:43] There just might be more staining, but again, that's not an issue for me. 'cause menstrual blood is no longer a visual issue for me. It's a part of life and it's okay if it's there and stained on some things. So yeah, there are a couple of examples of the pads that I have been [00:19:00] using since 2015. I don't know if that's gross, but they have, there's been no issue and I wash them regularly.
[00:19:06] So there you go. And then, and then we get into the territory of like, period undies. But before I get into period undies, I'll show you the next thing I explored, which was menstrual cups. Now, menstrual cups, I learned about, actually from one of my sister's girlfriends at the time. Again, this is back in 2016, maybe 2017.
[00:19:27] And I keep all of these in my, I kind of have a menstrual drawer in my bedroom where I keep all of my, uh, period undies and cloth pads and like these bags and things nicely folded. I've also got a couple bags of menstrual cups. Uh, I have one bag full of like alcohol wipes, which I would use to, to wipe the menstrual cups.
[00:19:48] I think all up I have five menstrual cups. And unfortunately that's not because I just used them so much and I loved having them. It's because I struggled to find [00:20:00] one that worked for me. And in the end I gave up. This is probably, yeah, more 20 17, 20 18 now. And I was like, oh yeah, I could use a menstrual cup.
[00:20:09] That seems like really convenient. Bought from a few different brands. This is one that I have from Lunette. This is probably the one I use the most in the end, I think. And so the idea is if you've never like seen this before, I mean it's 2025, so I'm sure you have, but I guess I shouldn't assume you would like squeeze this in.
[00:20:30] And I, let's see, if I remember, I would do like a punch down fold, which is like you get a bottom, like one end of the circle, squeeze that in, and then fold the two edges together. And then I would put some like lubrication on that and then insert that into my vagina and then. It pops open inside the vagina and there's a suction there so it doesn't fall out.
[00:20:52] And the idea is that this is meant to create a seal around your cervix. Your cervical opening is where the blood is coming out [00:21:00] from. And the idea is that this fills with blood and you just need to change it. I mean, again, depending on the heaviness of your flow, change it a couple of times a day. The issue with me and menstrual cups is that no matter what, I just always had leaks, so I always needed a backup method anyway.
[00:21:17] I usually used these with cloth pads. I specifically remember this time at work, it became so frustrating. I specifically remember this time at work where I just felt myself leaking and I knew I had a pad on, but it was just pissing me off that I had this thing in me. Now, when I couldn't feel it, which is what the, all the manufacturers that I bought from one of the marketing points was that you can't feel it when it's in you.
[00:21:49] And I have a few thoughts about that now. And now I'm just playing with menstrual cup. The idea is, is that you can't feel it. When I feel like I had a comfortable fit and there was good suction and I couldn't feel it, [00:22:00] that is when I leaked more. When I could feel it more, and maybe it felt like it was lower down and it was doing a better job at capturing all my blood,
[00:22:09] I had issues urinating like it was pressing too much on my, a part of it was press pressing too much, I guess, I guess close to my urethra maybe. But yeah, so there would be times where it was improperly, it was getting all the blood and then I would have to go pee and. I was busting. And then I would go to pee.
[00:22:32] And if you've had UTIs, you probably know this feeling, you feel like you need to pee, and then you go to release your urethral sphincter and you can't pee and it hurts. And you're like, what the hell's going on? And then you are working to get this thing out of you, and then you pee all over your hand and it gets messy.
[00:22:52] It gets messy. I also remember, uh, the first time I got this, I was very excited, but very apprehensive. I [00:23:00] mean, you know, certainly by this point I was an adult. I, I had had sex. I, I was very comfortable with that, but still had never used a tampon, still didn't really get the concept of like inserting something in myself and like keeping it there across a day and taking it outta myself.
[00:23:19] And this obviously tampons don't work with suction. This works with suction. So there was a whole strategy to breaking that suction and then removing it safely. And so before I got my first period after buying a menstrual cup, I just had a couple of trials of like, putting it in, felt comfortable enough, and then I'd be like, okay, they recommend like maybe taking it out in the shower or in the bathroom.
[00:23:41] You can put one foot up on a bath, you know, classic tampon stuff, I guess. And so I was like, okay, yeah, I'll take this out in the shower. And so I'm, I'm like grabbing the end of it and I'm like pulling it down. I'm like, and it's just like stuck. And then I'm, and then suddenly like I'm sitting on the shower floor and I'm, I've got like [00:24:00] my knees up, like if you will picture, you know, a classic gynecologist visit where you put your feet up in the stirrups.
[00:24:07] That's never ha uh, maybe that's happened to me before when I've had a pap smear. But you know, just that classic. Media-based, like visual that we get of like women going to the gynecologist. I was like that on the shower floor, shower, running, crying, pushing and squeezing to get this out. And that's actually when I learnt about like, bearing down and what that feeling of bearing down feels like.
[00:24:33] And then getting the sense of like, oh, I have a slight inkling of what it would feel like to like, have to push with contractions during labor. Now, mothers who are seeing this visual right now, or even if you're just picturing a menstrual cup, you, you have full permission to laugh at me because I've just related labor and giving birth to getting a menstrual cup out of me.
[00:24:58] But at the time, it [00:25:00] was, it, it, it felt traumatic. I was scared. I, I didn't know if it was stuck. And even with all the knowledge about the body I had, I still struggled. And that felt like an initiation of sorts for me. And I felt really fulfilled and satisfied when I was able to get it out. But I was just like, "shit, I'm gonna need to practice that.
[00:25:18] If this is something I wanna like use regularly, I need to like get good at putting this in and putting this out." And I did so many folds, like there's just, there was like the C fold where you just kind of like squeeze it like that. The punch down fold did work best for me, but even just like how it like springs back open, I'm just like, oh, I can't imagine putting this in me.
[00:25:40] And, and I haven't, I probably, the last time I've used a menstrual cup was probably 2019, maybe 2020. But I doubt it. And so when one cup didn't fully work as in I was getting leaks. It wasn't like filling up completely, it was just like it was filling, but it was also [00:26:00] leaking at the same time. That's when I started looking into different shapes of menstrual cups.
[00:26:05] So we've got some here, these were by juju, so that pink one I showed you was lunette, uh, which I think I, I think I prefer the silicon texture of these juju ones feel a bit more plasticky. They're all made of medical grade silicon. And so there were different shapes. So they were like, oh, if your cervix naturally sits a little bit higher, you can get this tall and narrower one.
[00:26:29] Or if your cervix sits a bit lower, you know, you can have there were like shorter, like, uh, shorter, wider ones that you could get. And I tried these and I think there was maybe one, I forget which one I had more success with, the taller one or the shorter one, based on uh, doing, manual examinations.
[00:26:52] And, you know, this is a practice that I've been engaging with more for body literacy purposes, but also incidentally, [00:27:00] like spiritual purposes. I've been like connecting directly with my cervix a little bit more. And what this looks like is putting clean a clean finger, like middle or index finger, up into your vagina, usually in a squatting position, but like you can experiment with what feels easiest.
[00:27:17] And then you, with my, the tip of my finger feeling the tip of my cervix and just sitting with that sensation and feeling how open or closed the opening is, how high or low it's sitting. If you're familiar with the fertility awareness method, you'll know that the cervix is used as like an optional third sign for assessing your fertile status on any given day.
[00:27:40] Because your cervix does fluctuate throughout your menstrual cycle. It will change in firmness, it will change in sort of height where it's sitting, depending on where you're at in your cycle based on hormonal changes. Cervix is absolutely incredible. So I'm doing that a lot more lately. But my [00:28:00] introduction to, to feeling my cervix, even outside of fertility awareness method, I was practicing the fertility awareness method but wasn't really manually checking my cervix.
[00:28:09] The first time I checked it was for the sake of seeing how high it was sitting so I could get a better idea of like, which menstrual cup to choose and all the tests I did, it was sitting at like between my second and my like last knuckle. So it was like quite high. Theoretically, the cervix sits lower during menstruation, which I didn't know at the time.
[00:28:34] No, I would've known at the time. See, this is interesting. You learn theory, but then if it comes up in different contexts, you kind of forget the theory. So I don't think I was checking my cervix during my period. I think I was checking it at other times in my cycle when it was sitting up higher. So then, you know, investing in a a taller menstrual cup, but then it would've dropped lower during my bleed and then that would not have been suitable.
[00:28:59] And I [00:29:00] do remember with some of these taller cups, this little nub at the end was, was sitting on the outside and irritating my urethra, irritating my labia minora. So that was not great. And then there was this one that had this kind of like weird reservoir at the end of it. Oh. This was like a prototype that they were like gonna sell at the health food store I worked, and I don't think, I don't even know what the brand was.
[00:29:23] This is 30 mil. I like the menstrual cups for that. Like, you could see, you could easily measure the, the amount of fluid you are using, which isn't like the actual number doesn't matter. Like if you are wondering, "oh, is my period heavy? Like, is my, is the flow of my period normal?" They've actually changed it recently that we are not interested in the mill.
[00:29:44] I think they used to say that heavy periods were anything more than 80 mil over the course of your bleeding time. Now, the focus is quality of life. How much is it affecting your life, how heavy you bleeding, and how is that affecting your day-to-day activities? And there's a lot more [00:30:00] qualitative questioning that we can do around your period to let us know like, is this too heavy?
[00:30:05] There's other things that we can look for to see if it is just heavier bleeding than normal, than optimal. We can correct it from there and look at ways to see how we can balance that out. We don't need to rely on measurements on milliliter measurements. But yeah, the idea of this cup was that you could, it had this like reservoir I guess, and you could like squeeze so without taking it out when you went to the toilet, you could empty it by like squeezing this tip that would sit out of you.
[00:30:32] But it was just so uncomfortable. Look how long that is. Like this is not sitting like super high up. So this was like coming out of your vagina and walking around, walking around with that, sometimes it would just frankly hurt. So not ideal, but I like the little, all the little bags I've collected from my menstrual cup purchasing over the years.
[00:30:56] And I actually was looking for more alcohol wipes, so I'm glad I found [00:31:00] this, uh, old stash in one of these bags. I'm gonna save that for later. So ultimately menstrual cups did not work for me. But they do work well for a lot of people. And I wanna, I wanna validate that. Something else I'll also say about menstrual cups is that, I didn't realize this at the time, but something that I've sort of realized on my, on, you know, later in my journey is that it doesn't feel right for me, in my body,
[00:31:30] it doesn't feel right to put something in that sits in my vagina for the sake of collecting my blood. I mean, it certainly wasn't comfortable for me. It was either mentally frustrating 'cause I could feel myself leaking. I could feel blood coming out of me. And when you feel like you think you've got something in there that's catching the blood and you feel that it's not, it was just so frustrating.
[00:31:54] It was also physically uncomfortable, but, on a more energetic [00:32:00] level, on a more like connecting with your body and like understanding what your body wants, what intuitively feels right or wrong, it intuitively felt wrong for me to have something sitting in there. So that's another reason why I don't use menstrual cups personally. Didn't work for me.
[00:32:16] And also don't wanna put something inside myself during that time. Now I have seen these menstrual discs. I have gotten, gotten these ads for menstrual discs. And let me tell you, because of the design, because they sort of like cup over the cervix and sit in on a different angle compared to a menstrual cup,
[00:32:36] i'm intrigued. Not intrigued enough to invest, but I'm intrigued. And if you have any experience with using a menstrual disc as opposed to a menstrual cup, I would love, love, love to hear your experience. Let me know, email me or message me on Instagram. Then in probably 2020 is when I really started investing in period undies.
[00:32:58] To this day, my favorite [00:33:00] brand is ModiBodi. Their range over the years has just expanded and grown and gotten so much better. Actually, no, I was using period undies earlier in that I was using period undies in 2017 as well. ModiBodi are excellent. I I do full disclosure, have an affiliate code with them, but it's just fully because I, I use the product, I believe in the product.
[00:33:21] I like what the company stands for and I like, I like the products that they offer. So let me show you a ModiBodi one 'cause I have a few different, I, I do use other brands as well. For diversity, is this a ModiBodi one? I believe this is an old ModiBodi design. Yep. So this is like a thin one that I use, and you can see there's like some wear and tear.
[00:33:46] I've had these period undies for years. And they are worn out a bit, but like the gusset is like still quite good. And I like period undies. You know, if, if you're used to using pads or even [00:34:00] tampons, you can select undies by absorbency. So they have ones for, you know, super heavy, heavy or flooding overnight.
[00:34:07] They have ones with longer absorbency, uh, like that goes all the way to like the back top of the underwear and the, and the front, top of the underwear. And then they have ones that just have a smaller absorbency range. These are super, these are super worn out. These are due for chucking out.
[00:34:24] And truth be told, like this is more just for show and tell. I do not use these ones anymore. But originally I loved this fabric because it was like body hugging, super, super thin, super, super thin, if you can see the visual there. So while a lot of these a lot of period undies can feel really bulky, especially the high absorbency ones, which I don't mind for like overnight or if I'm just at home.
[00:34:48] If I, if I'm having a heavy day or if I know I might bleed heavily overnight, I'm not worried about how thick my buttock is looking 'cause the underwear that I'm wearing, I'm really not. But I know that is a concern [00:35:00] and consideration for some people. These were nice just because they were so thin and you can see the absorbency pad goes all the way up to the top and has quite like a wide coverage there.
[00:35:09] So even though the materials super thin, like you could wear this comfortably, aesthetically, pleasingly, in a lot of different outfits. There was still like some really good absorbency and then Boody, one of my other favorite clothing brands who do a lot of bamboo based ones, they came out with period undies,
[00:35:29] so I thought, well, I'll give these a try. These you can see straight away, definitely like a bit thicker. Definitely these are the overnight ones, so they are meant to be thicker. And again, the absorbency pad goes all the way up to the top. If you're listening to the audio, you're probably getting a nice degree of A SMR now.
[00:35:48] Yeah, these are for Mod Moderate or Heavy Flow. So they're those they, they even do like G-string ones now. Like, oh guys, there's so many. Highly recommend you check out [00:36:00] ModiBodi if you are curious, you know, to dabble in the realm of reusable period underwear.
[00:36:07] I'll put the link with my discount code for ModiBodi in the show notes. Now, probably getting some nice or annoying ASMR from this, but one of my other favorite products to use. Is, oh, and I need to see if I can get a, an affiliate code for these guys, actually, because again, it's a product that I just, I recommend so much.
[00:36:27] I love it so much. Oh my gosh. Now you may recognize this. It's a splash blanket. It's a splash blanket. These are the most lush, comfortable blankets with up to, oh God, I'm not gonna quote it guys 'cause I don't know. But they have a really high absorbency level. They absorb water. They are waterproof blankets.
[00:36:58] Some of their marketing now [00:37:00] is more geared towards free bleeding. But just full disclosure, a lot of their marketing is targeted at fun, water based sexual things and sexual activities that can get very wet to the point where you would require waterproof blankets. So as my journey has continued to unfold, as I've had different living situations where I have like varying degrees of privacy, I have learned that my preference for when I'm menstruating is free bleeding as much as possible.
[00:37:37] These splash blankets have been a game changer for me in being able to do more free bleeding, certainly when I go to bed, I will have one splash blanket on the bottom, and then depending on the weather, depending on the temperature, another splash blanket on the top. So I'll have one that's like tucked in and around my legs, and then one that I either have as like base coverage or like over the [00:38:00] top for warmth.
[00:38:01] I have this circular one here. That I keep on my I use, like at my desk chair, I use this, I was on a business Zoom call this morning, I was free bleeding, I was wearing a skirt and I had this circular blanket super soft and comfortable over my office chair. And I was just free bleeding.
[00:38:22] I've also taken this outside today and I free bled on that. Sometimes I'll sit on the couch again, one blanket on the bottom and then another blanket over the top just for coverage. Or sometimes like I'll wear a skirt or just a towel or my dressing gown, depending on the context. The most beautiful feeling and what I did for a lot of today, actually, I was just wearing a skirt,
[00:38:40] i've bought like a red colored, red colored skirt, specifically, like for menstruation, 'cause I also like wearing red things to just, you know, as a little tip of the hat for that time of the month. And to like, you know, acknowledge that and wear my red adornments just to, just to, you [00:39:00] know, subtly let the people know like "I'm menstruatin'."
[00:39:04] So I brought this skirt, I bought this skirt specifically for free bleeding. So it's super it, yeah, easy to lift up. Very lightweight, very comfortable elastic waistband. So, you know, no matter how bloated I'm feeling, or if I wanna shove a, uh, a hot water bottle or heat pack between my belly and the skirt, there's heaps of stretch room for that.
[00:39:27] And my favorite thing to do is just like keeping it as simple as possible. And it's like wearing a skirt like this with no underwear on and sitting outside and like bleeding onto the earth. And. Uh, gosh, I love how I can be so like practical and getting into the nitty gritty of like these period undies, and then just get just like hard left turn and go like super hippie, witch.
[00:39:52] But there is something about returning your blood to the earth and having that grounding [00:40:00] connection with nature that is profound and magical. And if that intrigues you at all, I highly recommend you try it. It's a beautiful experience. And if you hear that and you go, oh, that pushes my edges a bit, that's okay.
[00:40:20] I have felt that way before. That was absolutely my reaction at one point, and I didn't try anything then. And that's okay. 'cause I wasn't ready 'cause I wasn't open to it. So just, you know, do something, if it resonates, follow me up on something, if it resonates. But feel free to leave it if it doesn't.
[00:40:35] Or if you wanna ask me more questions personally, again, feel free to email me or message me on Instagram. Yeah, I'm not gonna say too much more about free bleeding other than the sense of, oh God, maybe I should say more to it.
[00:40:54] It's just a profound sense of liberation and it, it's become one of my menstrual [00:41:00] rituals to like, you know, if I have the house to myself to be wearing like no underwear, especially when I go to have a shower, I put on percussion based music. I do a lot of like belly based, hip based dancing. I'll do some belly dancing usually in the mirror and visualizing like the blood on my thighs or like blood dripping down my legs or, you know, there is such a liberation in that.
[00:41:31] Not just a liberation, but like a power. A power that sometimes I can't even comprehend, but like I'm open to holding it. I'm open to exploring it further. And it's a power that has definitely like kept calling me back. Like it's become a, oh, big bleed. Oh, when you cough and you do a big bleed.[00:42:00]
[00:42:01] Shout out to this girl I went to high school with. She was so weird. She terrified me. And simultaneously I was so curious about her. And I think we were like, so we, I think our humor, no, we had very different senses of humor, but I think we were like equally hilarious. And we were in biology class and we was sitting at the front of the class and it's super quiet and she leans into me and she goes, "you know when you sneeze, when you're on your period and you can feel all the blood come out?"
[00:42:35] And I was like, "yeah." And she's like, "yeah, just wanted to say that." And I was like, "okay, you freaking weirdo."
[00:42:48] But now, every time it happens, every time I cough or sneeze or laugh and I have like a surge of blood or like a clot come out and I can really feel it, I always think of her. So, good job. You, you [00:43:00] were stuck in my head for life.
[00:43:04] Oh my God. I can't believe that came up when I was talking about the profound power that comes from free bleeding. Anyway, I highly recommend that you try it. It's become one of my consistent rituals to do that kind of dancing, free bleeding in the mirror in my bathroom, and it just feels nice to, like you have this innate bodily function that you were born with.
[00:43:26] And just because we are born at a time in the world where like clothes and modesty is like a requirement, you have to like manage your period with like products. You have to buy things to like manage it and be like a functional member of society. And if you were born at any other time in the past, you might not need that.
[00:43:51] And it might be totally normal for you to just have blood between your legs for a few days. And you wash it off, you bathe [00:44:00] yourself and like you sit in the grass and you bleed and you might be like, you know, doing a craft in the grass or like harvesting herbs or something and you'll just be bleeding.
[00:44:09] And that was just totally normal. And, and I can certainly feel a part of myself that like has that yearning and that longing for that like simpler time. So there's something that I found really freeing in not needing any products, but I'm so, so grateful for the products that I do have access to, specifically reusable cloth pads, washable period undies.
[00:44:31] They are what I would recommend to most of my patients. If you were asking me like, what period products do you recommend, it would be reusable undies and reusable cloth pads. There's also menstrual sponges, which I've been very curious about, and they just totally biodegrade. I haven't used one, but I'm certainly interested and I think, I forget what my barrier was to investing in those.
[00:44:59] Uh, maybe it was [00:45:00] about sourcing them in Australia. Maybe I struggled to source them in Australia at the time. But yeah, there's these like, yeah, it's a sea sponge. It's a natural sea sponge. It absorbs your blood, you insert it, it absorbs your blood and it just, you can wash it and squeeze it, squeeze it out, and it will just naturally decompose over time 'cause it's just a totally natural product.
[00:45:20] Again, with anything that is sitting in you and absorbing your blood there, you do need to have that awareness around the risk of toxic shock syndrome TSS, and making sure that those products are being removed and washed, or replaced regularly. Overall, I'm grateful for these products because what we now know is that there is a huge amount of endocrine disruptors or hormone disruptors, different chemicals and or plastics that are found in conventional period products, pads and tampons alike,
[00:45:57] that can unfortunately [00:46:00] leach into your tissues. The good thing to remember about skin and your mucus membranes, your mucus membranes being like the inside lining of your body, so like the inside of your mouth, your cheek, your gums, including the, the, the lining, uh, the internal lining of your anus and the internal lining of your vagina.
[00:46:21] They're mucus membranes, they so easily absorb things. They so easily absorb things. So anything where there is like chemical mixing with liquids of some kind coming into contact with a mucus membrane surface or your skin surface, there is absorption happening. You know, overall tampons and pads are like relatively new.
[00:46:46] Right? And I don't think we are aware to the full extent of how these products are impacting our hormonal health, impacting the quality of our periods, [00:47:00] and certainly impacting our fertility and our general health. You know, these, these chemicals can accumulate in our body and cause issues over time. It's not just like a, you get issues like while you have the product in you, this is a thing that you know is really long-term chronic exposure kind of stuff.
[00:47:19] And if you had any interest or any motivation to reduce your toxin load to, you know, to live a low tox life, maybe you've heard that catch phrase that term. Period products are definitely something that I urge you to like look at and reflect on. Chemical exposure aside, toxin exposure aside,
[00:47:40] I also invite you to just, if you do use products that you insert into yourself, I just invite you the next time before you go to insert check in with like your internal self. And if you've heard me talk at all, I've, I have spoken about this on previous [00:48:00] episodes and other podcast interviews that I've done,
[00:48:04] start a dialogue with your womb. Be creative and bold and brave enough to ask your womb, is this a yes? Is it a yes from my body to insert this product and have it sitting in me for X amount of hours? How does that actually feel to insert it? Is there tension in your vagina, in your pelvic area, in your, does your stomach tighten up when you insert these products?
[00:48:33] Like is your body giving you signals that it's a yes and your body is quite comfortable having that product in? Or is your body giving you these subtle cues that actually, m maybe there is some dissonance. There maybe is, there is some misalignment there and your body is not comfortable having that product sitting, sitting in your pelvic space for however long.
[00:48:54] And maybe, maybe if you do experience any degree of [00:49:00] period pain, menstrual discomfort, heavy bleeding even, any kind of menstrual, cramping or even like bladder or bowel issues that specifically flare up during your period, I invite you to consider how having a product sitting inside you for long periods of time could be possibly exacerbating that issue just as a consideration.
[00:49:27] And maybe you buy one pair of period undies or one cloth pad that you can just put in your normal undies and you can just do a test for a day if, if you like, only use tampons or even if you only use menstrual cups. I just invite you to see how it feels for one day of your next period to see how it feels, not inserting anything.
[00:49:49] And maybe on the other side of that, if you don't insert anything during your bleed and you're already using like period undies or you just use pads, I certainly invite you to see what it feels like to use [00:50:00] non-conventional pads and sort of see if you can graduate from like conventional pads up to organic cotton pads, up to reusable washable pads.
[00:50:10] That's a whole journey. Some people can make the change super quickly for others it takes some time. It took some time for me and I really needed like that young vegan spirit within me to like, who just wanted to like protect the planet so desperately, that actually helped me make the change faster. I knew my why,
[00:50:30] I had a really strong why, but that journey might take longer for you and that's okay. So I invite you to like experiment with that. I invite you to ask yourself how does it feel to use this pad that you know, made of cotton that has been treated with pesticides and there are chemicals in this and this is bleached and you know,
[00:50:48] Just like your underwear, just like we need to consider fabric that our underwear is made of, that our clo that our all our clothes are made of, is coming into contact with your labia and like your anus and your clitoris and your [00:51:00] urethra for long periods of time. And that any, again, there's gonna be moisture there 'cause there's gonna be sweat and friction and stuff.
[00:51:08] Anytime there's moisture, there is opportunity for absorption into the skin. So I would just invite you to consider that. If you are already using like reusable pads and stuff, I invite you. So I have several invitations here for depending on where you're at in your journey. I invite you to explore a relationship with free bleeding, whether that's free bleeding onto a splash blanket,
[00:51:33] in the comfort of your own home or even smaller in the comfort of your own bed, or if you have like a private room that you can use. Beyond that, I invite you to explore free, bre free bleeding out onto the earth and see how that feels. Like it could, it could change your whole menstrual experience. I have less cramps and overall discomfort when I free bleed [00:52:00] and yeah, yeah, when I free bleed, I also have less discomfort if I'm gonna be making a statement like that,
[00:52:06] I also need to say I also have less discomfort generally when I just know that I have no obligations, when I make the space for myself to bleed freely and easefully, and when I don't have to like be out in the world colluding with the men and the standards and the obligations and the responsibilities, blah, blah, blah.
[00:52:31] Not for nothing, just putting it out there. I hope this has been helpful. Have I said everything I need to say? And look, I could share more information on like, why you abs. Like I, I could come at this more dogmatically, like you should absolutely not be using conventional pads or tampons. A part of me believes that... that's not the energy I'm in today.
[00:52:52] But if you have any specific questions about the products that you use, or if you're looking at a brand of period undies or cloth pads, and [00:53:00] you want me, you just want my opinion on them, honestly, yeah, hit me up. Email me, message me on Instagram. Share them with me and go, Hey, what do you think about this product?
[00:53:07] I'm more than happy to like share my opinion. It's not gonna be like a black and white answer. It's not gonna be the right answer. It's just my opinion. But if you care to know it, I'm happy to share it. I hope this episode has been helpful. I hope this episode has offered some inspiration or given you some tips or ideas of how you could explore alternatives on your menstruation journey.
[00:53:31] And the thing I'll say is just an invitation, just a gentle invitation to see how the period products you use could influence your experience of bleeding. And it could be a game changer. It could be the difference between pain or less pain or no pain. It could be the difference between qua cramping or no cramping.
[00:53:55] Could be the difference between heavy bleeding, easeful bleeding. [00:54:00] Just a thought. In any case, happy bleeding from my day one, bleeding womb to your womb, wherever she's at in her cycle. Sending you lots of love, and until next time, take care. Okay.
[00:54:17]
