For the bleeding athlete: DivaCup Review

If you have a period, you know.

If you’re an athlete who menstruates, you know how difficult it can be to find comfort in that whole business.

I used tampons for almost as long as I’ve been menstruating but I won’t go back to anything else.

I distinctly remember a hike I was on with my friend, Jared, five years ago.

I was on my period, the tampon string dangling between my upper thighs. I wasn’t wearing underwear. I never wear underwear in athletic clothes (it bunches too much and I want the sweat wicked away from my crotch).

Every step I took I could feel a slight tug on the tampon string thanks to my thick thighs. The terrain became rocky and the sweat poured. Step. Tug. Step. Tug.

“Dude, there’s gotta be something better than tampons.”

A little shocked, Jared replied, “What?”

“My fat fucking thighs are pulling on my tampon string.”

“Oh… Wow,” he said.

I worried the tampon would pop out, roll down my legs, and nestle itself at my ankles where my athletic pants gripped.

Another time I had my period while cycling. I used chamois cream so you can imagine how messy that is with a tampon string.