Itchy or Dry After Your Tampon?
TMI? It's Not.
The dryness. The itch. That sandpapery drag when you pull it out. It's documented, it has a name, and it isn't your fault.
Quilla Reusable Menstrual Disc
"Collects — doesn't absorb. Nothing to pull you dry."
Medical-grade silicone • Up to 12-hour wear • Reusable up to 10 years
1. It's Not Your Body. It's Capillary Suction.
You thought something was wrong with you. There wasn't. Your tampon was doing exactly what it's built to do — a little too well.
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$29.99 — Small (30ml) or Large (50ml), Purple or Red.
Tracked shipping · Unopened? Full refund within 30 days
2. Your Tampon Can't Tell the Difference
A dry tampon can't tell your period from your natural moisture. It wicks both — that's literally called capillary suction. On light days, or toward the end of your period, there isn't enough blood to satisfy the tampon's absorbency — so it keeps pulling. It pulls from the only moisture left: your vaginal wall.
This isn't a theory. Colposcopy studies going back to 1980 (Friedrich & Siegesmund, Obstetrics & Gynecology) documented visible drying, layering, and — in the most absorbent products — microulceration of the vaginal lining. A 1989 follow-up study found dryness on colposcopic exam in 89% of tampon users examined.
A menstrual disc doesn't wick anything. It collects. There's nothing pulling you dry.
3. It Was Never the Cotton
If you've already switched to an organic cotton tampon hoping it would fix the dryness — that was a reasonable move. It just doesn't work, because the fiber was never the variable. The absorbing is.
In fact, one popular organic cotton brand states on its own site that organic cotton is more absorbent than conventional cotton. Switching to organic can make the drying worse, not better. A tampon's own manufacturer patent (US 5,817,077) confirms the drying effect is "independent of the type of fiber currently used in tampon manufacture." It's not the material. It's the mechanism.
4. They Patented a Fix. They Just Never Told You.
Here's the part almost nobody knows: tampon manufacturers have known about vaginal drying since the 1990s — and patented ways to stop it.
- US Patent 5,817,077 (McNeil-PPC, maker of o.b., filed 1994): describes reducing "capillary suction pressure" to stop the tampon from drying the vaginal wall.
- US Patent 6,315,763 (Tambrands, maker of Tampax, now P&G, filed 1997): describes a barrier layer to stop the tampon from drawing "too much of the natural moisture from the squamous epithelium."
Both companies went on to ship smoother tampons built on this research — sold to you as "comfortable" and "easy removal." Never once marketed as "reduces vaginal drying." Your tampon box warns you about toxic shock. It says nothing about drying — even though the people who make it have been engineering around drying for thirty years.
5. A Disc Doesn't Absorb. It Collects.
Think of a dry sponge set down on any wet surface — it pulls in whatever moisture is there, not just the liquid you meant it to soak up. That's a tampon. A menstrual disc isn't a sponge. It's a bowl. It sits behind the pubic bone and only holds what flows into it. There's nothing to pull, because there's nothing designed to wick.
Left: a tampon drawing in moisture from every direction. Right: a disc holding flow in a reservoir, nothing pulled from you.
Quilla is a single piece of medical-grade silicone — no fibers, no capillary suction, no wicking mechanism of any kind. It holds flow in a reservoir for up to 12 hours. The vaginal wall's own moisture is never touched.
Disc users more broadly have reported similar results: in a 2018 industry brand survey of disc users (n=357, self-reported, not a Quilla study), 79.94% reported reduced dryness and 86.89% reported less irritation compared to their previous product.
Frequently Asked Questions
Isn't this basically a menstrual cup?
No. A cup seals against the vaginal canal wall with suction to stay in place, which is what causes the "stuck" or "inside-out" removal feeling some cup users describe. A disc sits differently — behind the pubic bone, in the posterior fornix — and holds flow without forming that seal.
Will it leak if it's not absorbing anything?
It collects instead of absorbing — the disc's shape forms a reservoir that holds flow for up to 12 hours, the same way a bowl holds liquid rather than a sponge soaking it up.
How do I remove it without it being messy?
Most people find it easiest to remove while seated on the toilet — hook the pull tab, and the contents empty out on removal. A step-by-step guide ships with every order.
Is the dryness just from my hormones?
Hormonal changes (postpartum, perimenopause, hormonal birth control) can be a contributing factor for some people. But the drying mechanism documented in the clinical literature is absorption-driven and shows up even in hormonally typical cycles — it's about how much a tampon absorbs relative to your flow, not just your hormones.
I already switched to organic cotton and it didn't help. Why would this be different?
That's expected. Organic cotton tampons absorb through the same capillary-suction mechanism as conventional tampons — some organic cottons absorb even more. A disc removes the mechanism entirely rather than changing the material.
Is there a learning curve?
Most people find their comfortable insertion and removal technique within 2–3 cycles. If yours arrives unopened and it's not for you, you have 30 days for a full refund. If it arrives damaged, defective, or wrong, we'll replace it or refund you — no return needed.
Can I use it on light days?
Yes — because it's not absorbing, there's no "too dry" mode. It only holds what actually flows into it, regardless of how light or heavy your flow is.
What is it made of?
A single piece of medical-grade silicone. No fibers, no bleach, no synthetic additives.
This information is provided for educational purposes and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. If you experience persistent vaginal dryness, itching, irritation, unusual odor, or discharge, consult your OB/GYN or another licensed healthcare provider to rule out infection or other underlying conditions. Individual results and adjustment periods may vary.