Hi! The talk about "non-essentials" to stock up on and the few mentions here and there compelled me to offer information to women in the pre-menopausal group information on dealing with our "feminine hygiene" needs in a common sense way. (Enough euphemisms for everyone in one sentence?) If you go to http://www.y2kwomen.com/recommended/resources.html you will get info on "The Keeper", billed as a menstrual cup, like the cervical cap or diaphragm of old, that is cheaper than the disposable alternatives, and better for your body. Can tell you that my daughter and I have both been very pleased with the product - they also have something called "Glad Rags" which are reuseable.

-- Melissa (financed@forbin.com), September 17, 1998

Answers

Thanks Melissa! It is difficult to store paper products in addition to everything else we have to store.

-- Amy Leone (aleone@amp.com), September 17, 1998.

Melissa, Thanks! I'm glad you passed this along. I was planning to try and stock up on the paper supplies. Now I won't need to. However, I think I'll keep some paper supplies for bartering!!

-- Gina (gngdecker@ckt.net), September 19, 1998.

I guess I have to admit to a bit of squeamishness about The Keeper and similar products, mostly because of Toxic Shock Syndrome. I personally prefer OB because it has no applicator, and is very compact. A box of 40 of the largest size they make is only about the size of two disposable cameras, so I can store quite a bit in a very small space....

-- Karen Cook (browsercat@hotmail.com), September 22, 1998.

I too have concerns about caps and cloth pads, having studied Microbiology at University I am very, very concerned about blood born disease, blood is a powerful carrier of really gross stuff(technical term), I too am trying to store disposables BUT we are moving to a 3rd world country, feeling that if they have been agriculturally self sufficient for thousands of years they just might be standing 2002, not only do they not use caps or disposables they do not use tp and are very clean people ???? am trying to get some basic questions answered about how one takes care of this, travel books assume that one is only there a short time, we plan to stay and I have 5 daughters, so for us however they deal with these functions will be important, I promise to report back, to defend the Keeper cap,as long as it is clean going in there should be no problem, just use lots of antibacterial soap to wash it and your hands,the toxic shock bacteria was feeding off the celulose in the tampons, not the blood, but again there are bacteria that do use blood as a potent place to grow,julienne

-- julienne bootman (bootman@value.net), September 22, 1998.

My 23 year old daughter recently got a "Keeper" and she loves it. No more dragging supplies around.All her friends are getting them,too. Pay for themselves quickly if you buy both tampons and pads each month like she needed to do.

-- Diana R.Smith (windance@train.missouri.org), January 11, 1999.