A friend of mine recommended these things called
mooncups, is that what you mean, Carmina?
When I first got my period (at 12, lucky me!) I would only ever use pads, I remember a girl at school telling me if you use a tampon it means you aren't a virgin anymore and I was mortified. Not to say that I had any particular feelings on the deeper meaning of virginity, just the idea that using a tampon might somehow be misconstrued as having sex or meaning that you had, had sex or even that you *gasp*
masturbate, it was pretty scary. Strangely, the thought stuck with me until I wasn't a virgin anymore and it was then that I started using tampons. Like Carmina, I haven't used a pad since. Tampons let you go swimming! Can you imagine my joy when I found that out? A girl growing up on the beach who had to spend at least a week every month out of the water, then suddenly - my period wasn't this horrible debilitating disease anymore, just a few slightly-messy bathroom visits and keeping plastic baggies in my purse in case there was no bins in the bathroom.
Then, at 16 I started taking the birth control pill. No more period pain, no more unexpected periods, complete control over my body. I guess there's a bit of controversy on the birth control pill and what it does to you, but for me - it lessens the pain when I do have periods, it means I don't have to have them if I'm on holiday/camping/etc and it means I'm 99.9% less likely to get pregnant.