I'd heard about "Instead" on television before but never gave the product much thought. I alternate between tampons and pads, mostly due to the fear I have regarding toxic shock syndrome. What else can be expected when that scary little leaflet is in every single box of tampons you buy?

As it has happened so many times in my life, my curiosity got the better of me while browsing the feminine hygiene aisle at Target. I need to vent for a minute. Let me just say one thing. I hate Always. They can take their new hearts and spades and diamonds and purple horseshoes labels and shove them. If they won't do that, could they at least include some sort of decoder in their packages? How do they expect me to just instantly memorize their special little language?

Anyway, I bought the trial sized version of Instead. I had no idea what to expect, I was just feeling a tad adventurous. When I got home I went straight to the bathroom and felt immediately apprehensive when i noticed that the leaflet was approximately 234 pages long. Turns out though, that it's a bunch of Q & A reassurance. There were only 5 illustrations, which put my mind at ease. The first picture confused me a bit because it's a picture of a tampon and an Instead cup. That's what Instead is by the way, a cup. The rim is made of bendable but very durable plastic, and the rest of the insert is a thinner plastic cup. It's supposedly made from the same kind of plastic that is used in catheters. I sat on the toilet with this contraption in my hand. Life changed for me at that moment. Tampons and pads flashed before my eyes. I kind of held my breath and [I'll spare you the details] followed the directions. It was bizarre but I never felt the least bit uncomfortable. It was better than a tampon experience.

I skipped out of the bathroom and practically flew to Cassie's to tell her the story. She barely remembers what it's like to have a monthly pal. As we watched "Dawson's Creek", I forgot about my new best friend. That is, until I got up.

This is where the story gets interesting. Eventually, Instead feels very similar to what I would imagine a plastic baggie with liquid would feel like in there. I could literally feel air pockets. It tickled. It squished. It tried to breathe, bless its heart. When I arrived home I attempted to mentally prepare myself for Instead's removal. I was nervous. I had no idea how in the world I was supposed to remove this little outfit. But again, Instead surprised me - removal was a cinch [though a bit messy]. This is not something you want to remove in a public bathroom unless you have wet naps by your side.

Overall, this product was decent. I wouldn't say that it's better than a tampon, but if you have a problem with tampons you could try it out. I think the "baggie effect" would take some getting used to. Insertion and removal are pleasantly painless. Here's what a handful of satisfied Insteaders had to say:

"I would never go back to tampons or pads after using Instead. I love the product. It's made for women."
-Jennifer Dekolf, mother

[I was shocked to hear that this product was actually made for women.
I'm sure glad Jennifer mentioned that it indeed was.]

"I was a pad/tampon user. Today I am an Instead user. The Instead I prefer over anything else I've used before. Instead works. Period."
-Marsha Jones, student

[Marsha was a tampon and pad user? I found that very difficult to believe.
Her witty pun redeemed her in my eyes though.]

"I liked Instead very much for all of the sports activities I do. I liked the fact that I could leave it in for a much longer time. And I like the fact that I can have sex when I have my period without having to go through a whole rigamorole. It was perfect for me."
-Mina Samuels, sports enthusiast

What? I had never even thought about someone having sex while wearing it, and I did forget to mention that you can wear this thing for up to 12 hours. Which is a definite bonus. As for these satisfied customers, I don't know what trailer park they were dragged from. Believe it or not, these comments are printed on the back of the box.

FYI, I just thoroughly read the leaflet and it does say "while Instead is not a contraceptive, it is the only feminine protection product that allows you to engage in clean, comfortable sexual intercourse during your period".