I'm a 16 year old virgin and I'm winding down yet another week of being on my period.
A few weeks ago I was doing some "exploring", as I guess i have a right to at this age, and Freaked! when I found my cervix and didn't know what it was. I'm very dissapointed that after many years of squirmy sex ed lessons through middle school that I couldn't figure out that I might actually be able to FEEL my cervix. anyway TMI. But I while I was on the internet figuring out the mystery of the frighteningly large bump inside if my vagina (and finding a surprising number of girls my age with the same concern) I ran across this site and another thing they didn't teach in Sex Ed- Cups. It was like "What! I have a choice? I don't have to use tampons for the next 50 years of my life?!!?" It all seems very right to me. Pads have always seemed much more natural, but tampons much easier and cups seem to be somehow both in my mind from what I've read)
But at the same time I'm not sure about them. And not sure how readyI am to stray from the beaten path.
I've never really let my period get in my way. I've always used tampons (my mom took them up before many of her friends) except for my first few cycles. I guess I have relatively light flow because I only ever use regular sized tampons. I do get cramps, but they're not usually bad and I don't think that tampons irritate me except if I try to use supers. So though my five days "on the rag" are by nature not enjoyable, they're ok.
However
I spent the last week on the road with my older sister and I kept leaving my tampons in the car when we stopped for gas or food! Very frustrating. Thinking about it I know of many occasions where I've been stranded without any protection or ran out of tampons before I thought I would. I often find that have trouble finding a good moment to go to the b-room during the school day (reg. tampons last pretty long, but not THAT long) and because of this have stained many a pair of white panties (which somewhat disgusts my mother).
So is the menstrual cup a good solution for me if I'm not all that bothered by my period? I think it does sound like a very smart idea. Maybe I'm just hesitant because I'm very used to tampons and I don't mind them, but the more I read here, the better the other options seem.
If I do decide to try it out I might need some advice on which one to try. I think my vag canal is pretty short ... I think. Obviously I'm pretty new to this, but My newly discovered cervix is always reachable with my finger during my period but just barely. As I said a pretty light flow because I usually only go through a regular in 4-6 hours. But really I don't know how many mls that is at all so I don't know how much volume I need. A moon cup? a Lunette?
Anyway that was kind of long and rambling, but I guess the point is that I'm still deciding and I need some guidence/words of wisdom/ reassurance about the whole thing.