Scotland to make period products such as tampons and pads free

[Orangesapples 1,954]

2 hours ago, Voice of Reason said:

As always, you are the voice of reason Yuna.

 

Just the other day, we went out.  My wife, who was in-cycle, left the house without any protection.  In a foreign country.  Without a vehicle.  Ermagherd, what to DO?  When she felt that a particular red substance was about to flow, we found a local super Mercado, bought a cheap box for less than $2, and the problem was solved.

Normally, she carries spares in our vehicle, purse, etc.  But we are in hiding in Hispaniola from the pandemic that is about to sweep the rest of you off the face of the earth, so she was without her regular “stash”.  

 

Food and water are NECESSITIES.  Tampons and pads are conveniences (Sorry ladies, I know this won’t wash with most of you, but it’s true).  My MIL still uses cotton cloths and washes them, prefers that over disposables.  To each her own.  But free?  I just don’t see the need.

How old is your MIL that she still has a period? 

[Boiler 47,452]

Toilet Paper strikes me as being pretty essential.

 

And soap.

[arken 4,199]

34 minutes ago, Orangesapples said:

How old is your MIL that she still has a period? 

A 40 year old can be someones’s MIL, doesn’t have to be in 70s. 😁😁

[Orangesapples 1,954]

6 minutes ago, arken said:

A 40 year old can be someones’s MIL, doesn’t have to be in 70s. 😁😁

Of course, it's just highly unusual. 

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

1 hour ago, laylalex said:

As yuna said, they are NOT conveniences. As a man, sorry, you just do not understand. Bully for your MIL, but in America, that's just not how the VAST majority of women manage their period. Would you like me to talk about flow? Would you like me to talk about how heavy it can get? Or when you go out with two tampons in your bag for the day which normally will be just fine, but you use the second one and wow, things just got way more intense than normal. These things happen. You cannot plan for everything -- sure, there are probably women who carry an entire 40 pack of Tampax with them every month, but no, not me.

 

Also, when you are caught out, yes, obviously you go and buy a box. That's super if it's just a tiny amount and you can catch it in time. But that's not how it works for every woman, every time. I agree with yuna that if men experienced even ONE menstrual disaster, they might see this as less of a joke. Dysmenorrhea isn't a laughing matter.

I know far more about all of this than you might guess, in spite of the fact that I am a man.  Even the cramping (i suffered from kidney stones from time to time). I am not one who shies away from the reality of feminine "activities".

 

Maybe convenience is too light of a term, especially in the US.  But let's face it... all women have to deal with it, it's a natural thing. So what if there's an "oops" event.  It's not like you will be a pariah in your town if it happens.  People will understand.  Personally, I don't see it as anything more embarrassing than a fart in public.  Things happen. 

 

It is weird that the machines in ladies restrooms are going away.  Condom machines in men's rooms are as well, and THOSE are not a necessity. 

 

While I feel for ya, and understand not always being prepared, I still don't support them as free items.  Not until all food and drinks are free in every restaurant.  In the meantime, may I suggest NOT buying impractical purses, you only need three total.  And having a couple of sticks in each is imperative.  As well as every glove box in every vehicle you own.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

1 hour ago, Orangesapples said:

How old is your MIL that she still has a period? 

Young enough that I can remember her having them.   And also know that the concept of modern-day feminine napkins never caught on with her, though it was an option for much of her life.

[TBoneTX 47,496]

13 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

may I suggest NOT buying impractical purses, you only need three total.

Every Ecuatoriana, whether in Ecu or the U.S., must own a minimum of 57 purses, I think by law.

[TBoneTX 47,496]

4 hours ago, yuna628 said:

if men were able to experience them in all their messy omg i'm-going-to-pass-out-from-the-blood-loss-and-has-there-been-a-murder-in-here? max flow as they can sometimes be, they might understand it a little better.

Some, many, or even most of us might not think this deeply, no Y ma'am.

 

Perhaps out of self-preservation from the accompanying psychological aspects of this female condition, we stop at the stage of "never trust anything that bleeds for a week yet does not die," and we absent ourselves unless our proximity is unavoidably necessary.  Our self-removal helps negate the "has there been a murder in here" forensic diagnosis that becomes more likely if we stay around.

[TBoneTX 47,496]

Cardiologist's Creed:  When life hands you tampons, make tamponade.

[yuna628 9,873]

26 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

I know far more about all of this than you might guess, in spite of the fact that I am a man.  Even the cramping (i suffered from kidney stones from time to time). I am not one who shies away from the reality of feminine "activities".

 

Maybe convenience is too light of a term, especially in the US.  But let's face it... all women have to deal with it, it's a natural thing. So what if there's an "oops" event.  It's not like you will be a pariah in your town if it happens.  People will understand.  Personally, I don't see it as anything more embarrassing than a fart in public.  Things happen. 

 

It is weird that the machines in ladies restrooms are going away.  Condom machines in men's rooms are as well, and THOSE are not a necessity. 

 

While I feel for ya, and understand not always being prepared, I still don't support them as free items.  Not until all food and drinks are free in every restaurant.  In the meantime, may I suggest NOT buying impractical purses, you only need three total.  And having a couple of sticks in each is imperative.  As well as every glove box in every vehicle you own.

I wouldn't have a problem with a free stash in a woman's room honestly... but when I think about it, the way those bathrooms are these days, someone would just steal them. 

 

I've been through so many drugs to get the dang thing to start and then to stop, because they all keep insisting it's making the anemia worse. So they said let's try the shot, but I couldn't get it until after I had a medical procedure. I thought I'd get lucky and by some fluke it wouldn't 'show up' on the operating table. But no, of course it decided to say 'hello'. I couldn't obviously use my go-to items, so I went looking for tampons. Of course I rarely keep those, as they just don't make them to hold something extreme. Odd that about five different stores were out of stock and didn't know if a 'cup' would be acceptable. I gave up and decided to stop worrying about my embarrassment and that the docs were just going to have to deal with it. I asked the nurses if it was fine, and they were super cool. Then they let him know it was happening, and before they knocked me out he had a funny look..

 

I think for women, we don't really consider it 'like a fart'. Farts are brief, smelly, and kinda funny. Having a period is a deep psychological thing for a woman that's filled with pain and embarrassment. We feel sometimes left at it's mercy, sick from it, sick from medication that tries to control it, and sometimes disgusted at ourselves. We're frustrated when it's 'abnormal' and it's a sinking feeling when it's especially tied to fertility issues. In other countries women are made to feel outcast, dirty, and disgusting and they have even less access to proper hygiene tools. We do appreciate understanding men when we find them.

 

And then you got this weird stuff, like men with very strange ideas that I'm guess they didn't get from their mothers:

 

https://www.distractify.com/p/women-tampons-twitter

 

[Orangesapples 1,954]

41 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

Young enough that I can remember her having them.   And also know that the concept of modern-day feminine napkins never caught on with her, though it was an option for much of her life.

That sounds like my late grandma who was mystified by modern feminine hygiene products and told me horror stories about the old times. She had stopped having periods by the time I was born though. 

[laylalex 7,301]

3 hours ago, Orangesapples said:

Of course, it's just highly unusual. 

My MIL to be is in her mid-50s (53? 54?). According to my SIL-to-be, she has only just entered perimenopause. I... did not want to know this, but she is a chronic oversharer. That is how I also know that my SIL gave my MIL a talk about the importance of using protection when one hasn't hit menopause. 

 

I honestly have no idea when my mom stopped having her period. All I know is I could no longer rely on there being a stash of tampons in the linen cupboard at some point when I would come over to visit.

[Dashinka 25,843]

2 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

Every Ecuatoriana, whether in Ecu or the U.S., must own a minimum of 57 purses, I think by law.

I have no idea where my wife keeps all of them, but I believe there are at least 57.

[laylalex 7,301]

Just now, Bill & Katya said:

I have no idea where my wife keeps all of them, but I believe there are at least 57.

Your wife knows what to do. 

 

Certain bags are appropriate for certain outfits and for certain purposes. There are factors that need to be taken into account. So, I have probably six of what I think of as everyday bags. Nothing fancy, go with everything casual to a little fancy (decent restaurant), usually in neutral colors. They are in different sizes though -- I have a couple of wristlets that are good when I'm running out the door and don't need to bring a bunch of stuff with me. Most are medium sized and can hold the basics, plus a few extra things like a novel or cloth shopping bags, small makeup bag, etc. Then I have one biggish one that my laptop fits in, plus a cardigan, power cables, etc.

 

Then there are all the ones that are in less practical colors, that I do when I feel I need something a little more interesting. These are also in a variety of styles, sizes, levels of fancy, practicality. Match them to the occasion. Life has a ton of different occasions!

 

Then there are the ones that are strictly for weddings, black tie events, etc. These get the least use, for obvious reasons. I probably have about 50 different bags, but those six everyday ones get the most use. Since I have moved to a capsule wardrobe, bags are one way to keep it looking fresh and varied. I'm not really a shoe person, so bags are the way I accessorize. I leave the shoe fetish to my better (?can that be said by a woman about her male partner?) half.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

2 hours ago, yuna628 said:

I wouldn't have a problem with a free stash in a woman's room honestly... but when I think about it, the way those bathrooms are these days, someone would just steal them. 

 

I've been through so many drugs to get the dang thing to start and then to stop, because they all keep insisting it's making the anemia worse. So they said let's try the shot, but I couldn't get it until after I had a medical procedure. I thought I'd get lucky and by some fluke it wouldn't 'show up' on the operating table. But no, of course it decided to say 'hello'. I couldn't obviously use my go-to items, so I went looking for tampons. Of course I rarely keep those, as they just don't make them to hold something extreme. Odd that about five different stores were out of stock and didn't know if a 'cup' would be acceptable. I gave up and decided to stop worrying about my embarrassment and that the docs were just going to have to deal with it. I asked the nurses if it was fine, and they were super cool. Then they let him know it was happening, and before they knocked me out he had a funny look..

 

I think for women, we don't really consider it 'like a fart'. Farts are brief, smelly, and kinda funny. Having a period is a deep psychological thing for a woman that's filled with pain and embarrassment. We feel sometimes left at it's mercy, sick from it, sick from medication that tries to control it, and sometimes disgusted at ourselves. We're frustrated when it's 'abnormal' and it's a sinking feeling when it's especially tied to fertility issues. In other countries women are made to feel outcast, dirty, and disgusting and they have even less access to proper hygiene tools. We do appreciate understanding men when we find them.

 

And then you got this weird stuff, like men with very strange ideas that I'm guess they didn't get from their mothers:

 

https://www.distractify.com/p/women-tampons-twitter

 

I'm sure your medical situation makes it much worse than normal.  Sorry for the added suffering!  I mean, if it WAS a joke from God to "add to a woman's suffering" as I have read before, then your situation must be way past funny.

 

As for the farting in public remark, I was saying that's how I view the cycle thing.  (I know no woman would actually view it so lightly)  Nobody wants it, but it happens.  And when it does, you wrinkle your nose a bit and drive on.  There is no reason for a woman to feel shame or the need to stay at home because of the timing.  Our close friends know "when", because we are open about discussing it.  One dear lass has it almost as bad as my wife, and they usually count down the last 5-7 days together.  Poor girls...

 

Good on you for "getting past the embarrassment" on the table.  I DO understand the psychological distress that it causes, at least as much as any man ever can.  Yeah, I have had to provide "check your six" coverage as we left a place unexpectedly to a particularly heavy hitting bout, which she found mortifying at first, but by the time we got thru the throngs and back to our car, she was like "oh well, it happens!", and thanked me for the cover as well as verbal and emotional support.  She also suffers from dysmenorrhea that I suspect would put most men in the hospital, and it happens almost every month.  It reminds me of women who have severe migraines; she huddles under the covers on her knees in the sitting fetal position, covers herself with the bed covers, and my job is to prepare a hot water bottle for her to hug to her tummy.  Silence is a must along with a lack of light (hence the reference to migraines).  She suffers badly, and it kills me to watch over and over.  After an hour or so, she is able to stand, and we have to change the bedding because it is soaked from sweat.  But she's tough.  I think I'd have my insides cut out after a month or two of such pain.

 

Yeah, that link to the article is pretty silly.  Sadly, some people are living in the dark ages on certain topics.