I was seduced by a Facebook ad. I mean, I should know better, right? I’m a 41 year old woman and saw an ad for Flex, and I just clicked.
Yes, we’re talking periods, so if wombs ain’t your thing, check back tomorrow for a different post. Because today is all about menstruation.
We good? OK. So I saw the ad for Flex. I was curious. I watched the videos, and read the information. But in case you haven’t seen it, let me cover it for you.
Flex is disc that looks like this, that you pop in when you’re on your period. It’s got a little dip in it for collecting your flow, you can wear it for up to 12 hours. You can do all the usual stuff with it in. Run, swim, life – but unlike a tampon, you can have sex with it in. I mean, mess free period sex? Yes please. No more lying on a towel. Or just deciding you can’t be arsed because you need a shower afterwards.
Given I can’t use a cup (backwards tilting womb = going digging for my cervix = no thank you) this for me seemed like a genuinely viable alternative. I admit, it was the no mess period sex and their assertion that many users experience less cramps. Anything that means less painkillers is an absolute winner for me.
I was convinced to give them a go.
So let’s have a look at it in detail.
You get a three month’s supply in one delivery and it comes delivered in a plastic bag, inside a plastic bag (I’m doubting these claims about it being less wasteful than tampons, but OK), and then each is individually wrapped.
As you can see, there’s a flexible ring, and inside that, a thin see through ‘dip’ in the centre, to collect the blood. Insertion is relatively simple, pinch it together, slide it in, so that the dip sits at the bottom to catch the flow. It sits underneath your cervix and pops behind your pubic bone. I’d definitely recommend keeping a little lube handy, as even though it’s smooth, you may need a little help popping it in on the first use.
I did as they recommended, with a test run a few days before. No problems at all. It made it through a whole 12 hours, even made it through a whole maxed out deadlift session without shifting. I didn’t feel it, it wasn’t uncomfortable. So far so good.
Then my period arrived. Superb (well, I mean I wasn’t that thrilled about it, but you know), I popped it in, and popped on a pantyliner, just in case. My flow is pretty heavy, so it was going to be a learning experience figuring out how long I could wear it without it needing changing.
The first 12 hours were overnight. And… It shifted. I’m not sure how I managed to be energetic enough in my sleep to shift it, given it managed a full training session earlier in the week, but no matter. In the morning, I mopped up, popped in a new one. And started again.
This time it lasted a couple of hours. Despite popping the front where it should be and being certain it was inserted properly (nothing more glamorous than squatting in your bathroom wiggling something into your vag at 6am), it shifted even faster than last time.
This continued all day. And whilst I’d expect to maybe have to pop the flex back behind my public bone after going to the loo, it was happening all the time.
The next day was no different. Even walking down the corridor would shift it, and I’d spend more time in the loo that in the office. By the end of the day, I had reluctantly given up. It defeats the object if I’m having to wear a pad anyway.
I’m frustrated. I wanted this to work, to offer me an alternative, and this should have worked. I mean the anatomy works, but it doesn’t work for me when I’m actually on my period which somewhat defeats the object.
I’m still trying to mull over why. I could be that I’m plus sized, or that because I bloat so much on my period, that the pressures inside change. Meaning that without a period it works well, but with… It just doesn’t.
In the meantime, I’ve got a lot of these, and no use for them. Any ideas?
