Things I Wish I Knew Part Two

WARNING: This post is one for the ladies and may contain material that can be seen as sensitive.

Alright, lets get real everyone. I have been writing this blog for a while and have constantly written and rewritten this post and toyed with the idea of posting it. However since you are reading it, I guess I published it!


Today I wanted to extend the Things I wish I knew series and talk about something that is female specific: Periods


Whether you have allergies and eczema or your daughter does, chances are you get your period or will at some stage. We all hear the horror stories of periods and how painful they are, and I am not here to give you one of those! I'm here because I didn't realise how much my eczema could affect how I deal with my period.


As anyone with eczema would know, the fabric of clothing is super important as some of them can seriously irritate the skin. So things like bras and underwear that you wear all day and can get quite hot have to be a breathable material like cotton. So add things like pads and tampons into the equation and you end up with an area that is super prone to eczema.


After months and months of dealing with itchy and uncomfortable periods, and consulting my doctor, I found out it was eczema! Not just with pads, but tampons too. To my shock though, the doctor said there wasn't a lot I could do apart from steroid creams as my period was part of life.


One day I was listening to Youtube whilst studying and there was a recommended video that caught my eye. After a lot of research, chatting with my mum and a whole lot of reviews I decided to buy a menstrual cup. There are such things as reusable menstrual products. Believe me, I know the concept seems gross and disgusting at first, but my god is it amazing.


A menstrual cup is well, a cup! It is made from medical grade silicone and is inserted into the vagina and catches the menstruation released from the cervix. When you need to, you remove it, empty the fluid, clean it out and then reinsert.


It takes a few goes to get used to inserting and removing but once you get the hang of it, it is amazing! Honestly it feels like I don't have my period as you can wear it for 12 hours without having to empty it. It doesn't leak and doesn't irritate my eczema as I don't have to wear a pad with it, like you usually have to do with a tampon. And you don't even feel the cup when it is in! It is actually like there is nothing there, which is a bit disconcerting the first time! They are environmentally friendly as well which is a big plus! And you can go swimming and not have to worry about changing your tampon as soon as you get out of the water.


There are so many plus sides to the menstrual cup, and thus far the only negative I have found is the transitional period. Some may find the idea of emptying their own blood out of it a bit gross. However once you get the technique down pat there is pretty much no spillage and its a fairly clean process. I will admit, it does give you a new appreciation for your body and does actually give you a better idea of how it all works and actually how much blood you release.


Ever since I bought my menstrual cup (over a year ago) I have no issues with eczema flare ups in sensitive places.


The best part is the cost, the average cost of a cup can be around $50, and they can last for up to 5 years! There are tons of brands and usually 2 different types: one for women who haven't had children and a size for those that have. The only issue that I found was that they weren't easy to find, but the websites were super helpful in finding my local supplier.


When I first found out that it was the sanitary products causing the eczema I did a bit of internet research and there wasn't a lot out there, which is why I thought I would write a post about it. I find that we tend to not talk about the more personal topics, but imagine how many people we might be able to help if we did!


If you are desperate to keep using pads and tampons I have found 2 brands that are better than others for sensitive, eczema prone skin.


The U by Kotex and Libra Pads are a lot better than other brands, with U by Kotex being the ones that irritate the skin the least. As for tampons, the U by Kotex tampons are the best, I found the Libra ones to still be quite irritating.


So there it is, a guide to your period for those of us with eczema. If you have any questions about the menstrual cup and what brand I use, I am more than happy to answer them, just send me a message through the Facebook page!


Periods aren't something that we can get of easily and we have to make them as comfortable as possible. So I hope that by me sharing my experiences I give one of you a bit of advice or something to think about.