have you tried "Instead"? Its an alternative to tampons (along the lines of the Keeper) and lasts twice as long - plus there are no strings to worry about or cut off. It takes some slight getting used to but as the brochure said - so did using tampons. I Swear by them and am now a devoted follower after having used tampons for over 30 yrs. They are available at most major durgstores.