Guerrilla Tampon Society

Tampons for those in need

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GTS Picks: Ologies - Gynecology with Philippa Ribbink

I obviously have a special interest in this here podcast due to its gynecology episode, BUT Ologies with Alie Ward is a delight even when she’s not covering the female reproductive system. 

Each episode is about a chosen “ology,” or field of study, that Alie Ward investigates by interviewing an expert in the field. Gynecology’s episode is a discussion with Philippa Ribbink, an OBGYN out in Portland. Alie and Philippa talk all things gyno exams, women’s health, normal vs. abnormal period/labias/boobs, and why you shouldn’t be using soap when cleansing your nether regions. I found myself learning as well as laughing out loud at Alie’s asides. Listen to this episode here or on iTunes or any other podcast hub.

TW for discussion of victims of rape and sexual assault. 

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Body Tech - Yona, the new speculum

Hi, vagina-havers, do y’all hate pap smears and pelvic exams as much as I do? Yeah, they blow hardcore. One of the reasons they suck so much? The damn speculum is cold, metal, and deeply unappealing as a device meant to go up the vagina. Want some good news though? Four rad women from frog - Rachel Hobart, Sahana Kumar, Hailey Stewart, and Fran Wang - have designed a better speculum, and they’re calling it Yona.

Ain’t it a beaut?

What’s so rad about this much-needed update? Well, for starters, it’s covered in medical-grade silicone, which means no more cold and hard metal feelings. Not only will this regulate temp, it will also make insertion more comfortable. Why comfort wasn’t initially considered in the first design is a question for the patriarchy...

Other design features include a three-leafed view (the “bill” of the tool opens in three parts) that gives your provider a better view of that gorg cervix, angled handle (no more endless scooching!), and a wee flashlight on the end of it for enhanced visibility. I think I’m in love, y’all.

These illustrations are too good. Yona, your branding is on point!

And if redesigning the speculum wasn’t enough, Yona’s team has gone so far as redesigning the whole gyno appointment process. They have created an app that interfaces with the patient in advance of their exam. Sometimes the worst part about visiting the gyno is all the stress and anticipation of what’s gonna go down. Yona’s researchers knew that, so the app is there to answer preliminary questions, give you a rundown of the agenda, and send you kudos for completing the exam. 

Yona could come to an examination table near you if they attract the right investors. There is a lovely Take Action page on the website outlining some of the ways you as a patient can advocate for its integration into gynecological exams. The Yona Instagram is a lot of fun, too :)

It boggles my mind how much of the tech and tools used in women’s health haven’t been updated or iterated in the decades since they were first invented. Companies like Yona bring so me hope for the future possibilities in women’s health. Y’all should all promote them so we can get them into the hands of our gynos!

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teaching biology to gen z kids: menstruation is when the uterus says "this bitch empty" and "yeets" the endometrium out of the body

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Canada’s Period Encyclopedia!

www.YourPeriod.ca

Get serious about understanding menstruation at every stage of life. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) has created this online resource with expert, up-to-date information about menstruation, menopause, endometriosis, and more. Can’t frickin wait to dig in to this one.

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The Pad Man Song, from an upcoming Bollywood film Pad Man. 

It’s the story of Arunachalam Muruganantham, India’s “menstrual man,” who developed a new method for producing cost-effective pads. This movie aims to challenge period stigma in India.

Read more.

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TAMPON RUN

Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser, two participants in Girls Who Code, created this delightful, stigma-destroying game - Tampon Run. Old news by now, but still a fun! Follow link to play now.

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State of the Uterus 1.30.18

Photo credit - Prabh Kaur and Rupi Kaur, “period.” photoseries

Hello Bleeders,

Once again, this blog is going to attempt to recover from a hiatus. Nearly two years later, I return to address the world of girl-illas and menstruators of all forms with my intentions for GTS. 

The University of Chicago student government body has taken up the mantle of supplying free pads and tampons to a number of university building bathrooms. Huzzah! GTS would like to overestimate our credit in causing this action. *holds for applause* 

With the university campus being mostly covered by student government, as well as the graduation of the founders, GTS will be redirecting its efforts on the digital front. The founders feel passionately about body health for humans who bleed, have uteruses, etc. and want to explore ways to discuss this science publicly. 

My personal commitment comes from all the times I have heard a friend tell me about another friend’s cousin’s sister’s experience with an IUD or ultrasound or brand of tampon. I’m tired of the hearsay. I want the facts, and I want to spread them everywhere. 

GTS’s tumblr will most likely become a round up of menstruation, gynecological research, and body health news. I will also be working to include artwork and fun stuff, so if you have any recs, please send them my way! 

Overall, the founders and I would like to extend a hearty thank you for the few people who read this blog and the hundreds of bleeders who benefitted from our guerrilla tampon stocking. 

Let’s see where this goes, shall we? 

A loving salute from our uterine lining to yours,

The GTS Founders

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State of the Uterus 2.4.16

Guerrilla Tampon Society is making a comeback. Surprise. We were on an extended hiatus (that we didn’t even know was a hiatus) until a few weeks ago. Fear not, though. Lead flowmasters and co-conspirators in charge haven’t lost their love for bleeding humans and their inner red demons and Aunt Flo’s.

So, without further ado, we present to you, the State of the Uterus address February 4, 2016.

GTS’s second (crimson) wave will be focused on consistently supplying two key bathrooms on the University of Chicago campus – the first floor women’s stalls in the Regenstein Library and one of the single user rooms in Harper Library third floor. We intend to regularly restock the supply on a prearranged schedule and to offer a wider variety of sizes and menstrual health tools.

Our second 2016 resolution is to provide more than just tampons to our flowmasters. We will begin with two sizes of tampons (super and regular) as well as panty-liners. The goal is to include pads, tampons, and other menstrual accessories. If you have recommendations, send us an email or Tumblr message.

Finally, you can expect more content on the GTS blog. Because this will be coming from the minds of the same people who came up with a gorilla based menstrual group (i.e. us), this content is going to be a toss up. You can generally expect articles about personal experience dealing with periods, recommended reading, menstrual news, et. al.

Thank you for reading, for your support, and for regularly shedding your uterine lining.

With love and blood,

Gorillas

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Treat Yo’self: Bleeders Edition

Alright, menstruators. Let’s be real with ourselves. Sometimes bleeding isn’t even the worst part of that time of the month. Not only does the uterus shed lining at unpredictable speeds, we have to deal with cramps, headaches, nausea, cravings, tenderness, mood swings, etc. While some of us get off easy with minimal mensturation side effects, the majority puts up with a period that is physically and mentally disruptive. 

BUT DO NOT FEAR BECAUSE I HAVE FOUND MAGIC.

Behold, the world of period relief subscription packages. Each of these services promises to send you not only tampons, pads, liners, even menstruation cups, but they also include comforts like tea, chocolate, and lil’ goodies. 

Period Box

This UK-based subscription box was started by a him-and-her duo, Filip and Mags. Although they admit that they can’t make the cramps go away, they do let you customize your own Period Box to meet the demands and timing of your flow.  Period Box is very well curated and lovely to behold.

HelloFlo

You could use HelloFlo for every stage of your menstruating life. Their shop includes of selection of “kits” for the first period, summer camp, and even new mamas. The best part? HelloFlo offers advice and support with tampons and chocolate. The blog has many an informative article about everything from puberty to menopause. 

The Period Store

The Period Store follows a strict three step process: register, receive, relax. Difficult, I know. You can choose from four tiers: treats, lite, medium, and heavy. Each levels include small gifts like candy and meds (yay), and then you can customize even deeper by selecting exact brands of tampons or pads and whether you want them every month or just for the big kahuna coming up. The Period Store boasts the greatest variety of brands from Kotex, to Yogi Tea, to Lunapads. Get on it.

Le Parcel

Ooo la la, girl-illas. Le Parcel offers up to 25 items in its boxes, and that is not including chocolate or treats. The mission is to make “the time of the month” something to look forward to instead of dread, which is radical to say the least. All aboard for happier, healthier periods!

These services are menstruation innovation at its finest. I would love to see a care package like these with our sassy, rainbow tampon flipping gorilla on it. Come on, let’s embrace the flow!

[throwingshadeshow]

Visit Original Link

Caitlyn Jenner is here and she’s not taking “no” for an answer! Plus, The Bachelorette, TV’s classiest hour, fakes a gay love affair between Clint Arliss and JJ Lane. And did you know period products are taxed in most countries because they’re considered a luxury good? And our good pal, Alie Ward (Unique Sweets, Innovation Nation), joins us to talk Nash Bridges and the bullet ant.  Let the haters begin!

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Happy Sunday, bleeders! Here’s a treat for your ears. Throwing Shade is a podcast hosted by comedians Bryan Safi and Erin Gibson. These fabulous people discuss all things women and gay issues, and their most recent episode featured the ridiculousness that is a luxury tax on menstruation products.

Fun fact, this realty (tampons and pads = nonessential, in the eyes of some governments) was one of the inspirations for the creation of GTS!

Give it a listen and learn about how Canada, Australia, and some states in the U.S. tax menstruation products as if they are luxury goods. Bonus points: this podcast is hysterical, so laughter is guaranteed. 

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RESTOCKED

The Reg box has been restocked and the Harper box has been replaced and replenished.

<3

-GTS

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It always makes us so happy to see other project hell bent on giving menstruators a hand. And as any of my fellow bleeders will know, underwear are the first casualties to Aunt Flo.

THINX has taken #savetheundies to a whole new level. Their line of underwear, coming in thong, cheeky, and hip hugger, are meant to not only be a back up to your regular menstruation products, but potentially even a REPLACEMENT to them. Each pair has a system of four layers that guarantees a clean, healthy, and worry-free period!

What makes THINX even better is their dedication to ending the stigma of menstruation. In a one-to-one program, for every pair of THINX sold, a set of reusable cloth pads goes to a fellow menstruator in the developing world. THINX has particular connections in Uganda. To make things even better, the underwear are manufactured in Sri Lanka by a family-owned, lady-operated factory. 

We at GTS love seeing menstruation innovations (menstru-vations? men-ovations?). It’s nice to see a whole network of bleeders working to make the time of the month easier, safer, and generally better.

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Outage in Harper

It has been brought to our attention that the harper box has gone missing along with the poster. This will be remedied and rectified as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience.

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Ah politics and periods. They truly go hand in hand. Apparently some people are nervous about a postmenopausal president (i.e. Hillary Clinton), but as the panelists on Larry Wilmore’s show point out, these people are really just scared of periods.

Why? Well, for some reason, our society has forgotten basic reproductive biology and confuses menstruation with female hysteria. As Wilmore aptly critiques in the above clip, it’s as if we think women are these strange creatures instead of humans whose bodies are doing something natural (if bloody) approximately every month.

As I’m sure many of you will know, periods don’t and shouldn’t affect a person’s daily life. However, this normalcy usually depends on access to high quality menstruation management products like tampons, pads, pain killers, and contraception. Sure, periods can get out of control, but they are easy to deal with when equipped with the proper tools. 

We at GTS are trying to provide those tools through bathroom distribution. If you want to help, you can donate to our PayPal. 

And full disclosure, I’m bleeding right now. Cheers to me. 

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#IfMenHadPeriods

Global non-profit Water Aid released a petition campaign this week called Make It Happen to rally the world in helping to provide tap water and toilets to underserved populations. To promote the campaign, Water Aid made and released this cheeky parody commercial for “manpons,” tampons for men. It’s a not-so-subtle suggestion that if men were natural menstruators, tampons would be badass, tested by Nasa, and enhance the user’s performance. 

Water Aid reports that 1.25 billion women worldwide do not have access to toilets when they are on their period. Would this be different if men got periods? Are periods taboo because only women menstruate, and would the tables turn if the male body shed some inner lining once a month?

Food for thought.

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We need tampons, yes we do

We need tampons, how ‘bout you?

Girl-illas, we hope you are enjoying the array of free tampons courtesy of GTS. If you want to be part of the action, you can make a donation (or many donations) below to help us build up our tampon supply fund. Any and all contributions would be very much appreciated, as we are funded entirely on donations like yours.

All donations will go towards purchasing menstruation products in order to stock GTS locations. 

Click on the giant rainbow tampon below to show GTS some love! 

You may notice in the confirmation email that your donation has been made to Kyle McCornack. This is not a mistake or a money laundering scheme. Paypal requires a legal name on the account, and one of our volunteers has set the account up in his name. This is a separate Paypal purely designated for GTS and as we have said, all donations will be used solely to pay for menstruation products and associated shipping costs. 

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