In contrast to the many Toxic Shock Syndrome stories on You ARE Loved‘s site, mine is not one of illness, loss or pain. I am a lucky one!

Toxic Shock Syndrome AwarenessGetting Started with Tampons
I started my menstrual journey at 15 the way most girls do: using pads.  I never got along with them, and hated the “diapery” feeling and the odor.

My mom solely used tampons, so I was naturally curious about them. After only a few cycles of using pads I snuck some of my mom’s tampons (and never looked back.) After “borrowing” a large quantity from her, I feared she would begin to notice.

Somehow I worked up the courage (for some reason I thought she might not approve) to approach her and let her know I wanted start using tampons. She understood my dislike of pads and was ok with me making the switch. A lot like the menstruation/puberty talks we had, this talk was also very brief. I only recall her mentioning a quick caution to not leave them in too long because of something rare called TSS that could make me sick. That conversation did not concern me enough to read the warning on the box (or leaflet inside).

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By Megan Durham

My mother insisted that tampons were practically a gift from the gods. Pads were like diapers, she said, itchy and immature. I got the distinct impression that real women wore tampons, that this was just another trial that I had to undergo in my quest towards adulthood. Blood wasn’t enough in itself.

So I proudly took the box that she had given me and trotted off to the bathroom where I barricaded myself in. It was such a pretty box, full of directions illustrated with peaceful figures that calmly smiled, frozen in mid-ceremony. It all seemed so simple: unwrap, crouch, insert. Their smiles insisted that this was the easiest thing in the world. The tubes themselves were non-threatening, wrapped in paper decorated with curling script. Shiny and slick unwrapped, I tested one just to see what it was like and marveled at how little pressure was necessary to make the applicator open. I took a deep breath and smiled in the mirror, trying to mimic the look on the models’ faces.

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Getting your period for the first time is one of those moments when you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing. I remember this day so vividly because I was looking SO forward to it for a very different reason. I was preparing to leave that afternoon for my first big trip away from my parents. Not only was I going away without them, I was going to a different country on a different continent for an entire month! My Grandparents were already in Ireland waiting for me to arrive and my Aunt was flying with me. I was so mortified that I had to deal with this on my own -I wouldn’t talk to anyone about it. My mom loaded up my luggage with what seemed like every size pad READ MORE… »

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By Jessica Drummond, MPT, CCN, CHC

Owning Your Beautiful Body (at Menopause) for the Sake of Your Daughter (at Puberty)Isn’t it funny that God designed moms to hit menopause just as their daughters are hitting puberty.  (Well, actually, I guess we’ve designed it that way, since now many of us are having our children well into our perimenopausal years.  But, wait… My grandmother had her last child at 40.  So, I don’t know who to blame!)

Think about that for a moment.

Just when you’re feeling even worse about your body, the perimenopausal belly fat, the sagging well-past-breastfeeding breasts, the bits of gray hair, the middle aged acne, all combined with the fatigue that comes from raising tweens and burning the candle at both ends for the last 3 decades, it’s your job to combat 6000 negative media messages everyday about the unattainable perfect female body!  Ugh. READ MORE… »

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As with many girls, I’m sure, the first few years of having your menstrual cycle can be very tortuous. You’re getting used to the pains, the pads, and the predicting. I like to consider myself a fast learner, so I had the changing pads and pain relief down to a science. My main issue was trying to track my cycle and knowing exactly when I was going to start my period. I was in the 6th grade, and my teacher was known all around school for throwing the biggest classroom parties for every holiday you could think of. At the time I had a crush on a guy and prayed the whole week that he’d ask me to dance with him. I planned my outfit including my favorite top and light-washed jeans. I wasn’t feeling any pain and had my period earlier in the month, so I thought everything was fine and dandy. Little did I know, my period wanted to make its own little appearance at the party. I was at the snack table with my best friend setting READ MORE… »

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By Tara B. – Faith Confessions

The day started out great we all woke up got ready and went to breakfast. Our cabin was known for not putting in too much effort when getting ready. While the other girl’s rooms were filled with fumes of hair spray and their mirrors were prime real estate our routine consisted of rolling out of bed, throwing our hair in a ponytail, and heading out. Sweats were ok, but not because I didn’t care but because the Seniors and Juniors wore them. Don’t get me wrong while I wanted the bow in my hair and wished I had a different lip gloss for every day of the week that just was not the style and habit of my bunk mates.

I was so thrilled to be in the same cabin as Ashley, Sarah and Erica. They were older and so comfortable in their skin. The did not seem to need anyone’s approval and made sure the younger girls knew it too. It was my second visit to camp with them and I was in aww that it was “cool” to be Christian and sing and be loud and proud about it. The girls did their best to make the underclass man feel welcome and accepted. Continually they told us about the shaving cream fight and how wonderful and fun it was. The day was epic at camp and we tried to stay together and have each other’s backs. Being it was held outside and we were in the mountains safety was key and our counselors made it clear we needed to keep an eye out for each other and make sure that everyone stayed safe and no one got hurt.

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The similarities between puberty and menopause are vast. Think about it. Teens who are reaching puberty deal with acne, fluctuating hormones, body shape changes, irregular menses, growing pains and fatigue. Similarly, women going through peri-menopause or menopause are sometimes afflicted with mood swings, joint aches, the inability to concentrate, skin eruptions and mind-numbing exhaustion.

hormonal-household-puberty and menopauseAs women wait longer to have children, their menopause is more often coinciding with the onset of puberty in their children. The question, then becomes who just slammed the door and began sobbing? was it mother or daughter?

Coinciding hormonal transitions can result in tiresome bickering and cause extra strain on the entire family. While it’s difficult to achieve complete serenity in a house where hormones are colliding, there are measures that can be taken by both mother and daughter to ease tension. The following are a good place to start:

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I’d say I was pretty young when I first started my period. I was only 8 years old, turning 9 in about two months. I remember the day vividly. I spent the day upstairs on New Year’s Eve while family and friends were over. I wasn’t in the mood to be bothered with everyone laughing and talking unnecessarily loud at all. I had been in a cranky mood all month and didn’t know why. In the midst of watching Purple Rain (my favorite movie), eating everything in sight, and crying before the sad part even happened, I had to go to the bathroom REALLY bad. I went, and as I wiped, I saw this “red stuff” on the toilet paper and some in my underwear. Being the naïve little girl I was, I simply thought it was fruit juice and went on about my day (yes, fruit juice – don’t judge me). After the movie finished, READ MORE… »

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By Samantha Gluck

tamponsThe term toxic shock syndrome (TSS) refers to a rare complication from a bacterial infection often resulting in life-threatening consequences. Frequently, TSS occurs from toxins released by the Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria, but the Streptococcus pyogenes (strep) bacteria can also cause the condition. These toxins circulate throughout the bloodstream, causing high fever, rash, multiple organ system failures, and hypotension.

TSS History and Risk Factors
Physicians first saw the often-fatal condition in children in 1978, but it later became associated with super-absorbent tampons and contraceptive sponges. An epidemic of the condition sprung up in 1981; authorities linked it to women using a certain type of super-absorbent tampons. Healthcare providers see the most common types of TSS in menstruating women; tampon use encourages the proliferation of bacteria that grows naturally in the vagina. Even so, men and postmenopausal women can also become infected. Risk factors, in addition to super-absorbent tampon use, include open skin wounds, nasal packing, childbirth and surgery.

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Camping with a menstrual cup, scary or sensible?

Expecting to start my period the day we were scheduled to leave for our camping trip I was “prepared” and decided to bring my DivaCup with me. I’ve never enjoyed the inconvenience my period has caused during a camping trip, the extra concern of being somewhere I could change my tampon or the early morning wake up calls from aunt flo. There’s nothing like waking up with that startling feeling of needing to rush to the bathroom, to be challenged with crawling out of the sleeping bag, bundling up in warm clothes, climbing out of the tent, to only have to walk who knows how far to the nearest bathroom in fear of a LEAK!

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