Eleanor Tiernan: Until recently, the only trouble I had with tampons was one that worked too well

I wanted an alternative menstrual product that doesn’t take thousands of years to degrade

Eleanor Tiernan: I keep a clipboard on my bathroom wall with a tally of ‘Tampons Not Used’. So far I’m on 15.

Until recently, the only trouble I ever had with a tampon was when one did its job too well.

I was a student in UCG (now NUIG) and some friends and I decided to take advantage of a rare sunny day and head to the River Corrib for a swim, setting up camp by the Quincentennial Bridge, and taking it in turns to jump off and into the water below.