You probably heard of them and at least one of your friends already use it. And if you are still wondering, why they are such a hype right now…read on.
After last week’s post, I couldn’t help but to talk more about our least favourite week of the month. So here we are, talking about something that might make that week a little less dreary.
The menstrual cup is acquiring new fans everyday as women are starting to find better ways of making our period less inconvenient and more sustainable.
Have you thought about how much per month you spend with your period (tampons, pads, night pads, invisible pads….)?
Menstrual cups are an one off investment of around $30-50 that can last for up to 10 years!!! Pretty economical, right? Now, think of all the pads and tampons that you are not releasing into the environment. Can’t imagine how much that would be? Here’s the breakdown of the savings you can be making:
This calculation is (what I believe to be) below average for most women. Most of us spend a lot more with pads and tampons and we don’t realise how much we actually spend until we do the maths. I am pretty blessed to have a light flow in most of the months, so the example above is a reflection of my reality when it comes to buying these sanitary items.
Not to mention the amount of landfill that you would be avoiding to throw at the environment. Seems like a not so significant number looking at it individually, however, if you consider the amount of women living in your city, for example, you can reach a pretty impressive number and that shouldn’t be ignored. So, are you not yet convinced if you should make the swap? How much you could be saving by buying a menstrual cup is not a good reason yet?
Alright, so let’s consider another important point. Pads and specially tampons are all chemically treated to become, you know, a tampon. Most of them contains toxic ingredients, like chlorine which is highly irritant when in contact with the skin and there are lots of other processes involved in making a tampon or pad. And most consumers are not aware of them. Did you know that a tampon can have chemicals such as bleachers, adhesives, artificial colours and even pesticides!?
Most manufacturers still refuse to disclose the full list of ‘ingredients’ in a sanitary item or which process was used to produce these products. And even with campaigns popping everywhere demanding more information and asking that companies share what is being offered to the consumers, there is information that can be kept secret from public (legally), for example, the use of fragrances (which are neurotoxins). So, if you want to read more on the subject and keep informed (which you should), read some interesting articles in the subject here, here and here. I’m pretty sure that should be enough to take you to the greener side ??
The reason I bought mine was pretty straight forward. Less waste, more money = no brainer.
But as I found out after I bought mine, is that this bell-shaped silicone cup is really awesome as people were bragging about! You can’t even feel it when it’s in (when well placed, obviously). This cup actually makes my life a lot easier during my period and I sometimes even forget I’m wearing it. As I have a light flow so I only have to change mine twice a day. Yep, you can stay with it for up to 12 (!!!) hours, so I do it mainly when I’m in the shower or in my own toilet, which makes it a lot easier to remove, clean and insert it again.
Update: I forgot to add that the cups come in different sizes for better fitting. Usually the sizes are ‘Pre-birth’ and ‘After-birth’ but it may differ from brand to brand. So keep an eye for that too, it helps a lot when you you’re trying to find the perfect fit to get the sizing of the cup right.
This all sounds fa-bu-lous, but I’ll pinpoint it to you so you can have a good idea of the pros and cons of it and decide for yourself.
PROS:
- Economical – as I mentioned before, you only have to buy one every 10 years. So think about that when buying your next pack of tampons…
- No waste – less waste of non-biodegradable material to the landfill.
- Comfortable – when you place it correctly, you can even feel the thing inside. Good to go with any outfit and specially at the beach ?
- No chemicals – most cups are made of medical grade silicon which is safe and doesn’t release any detrimental components to our body.
- Doesn’t mess up with your vaginal PH – as tampons (specially) are laced with chemicals, our body ends up absorbing all of it, causing great imbalance in the vaginal flora. This doesn’t happen with our good friend, the cup.
- Less odour – blood reacts to air. When using the cup, the blood goes straight in without contact with air and stays odour-free at all times. Pure bliss.
- Easier for travel/work/campings etc. – Pretty obvious. If you are traveling, this means less changes and less things to carry on your bag.
CONS:
- Problems with fitting – Some people found it difficult to fit it properly, having to try different brands to adapt better.
- Messy – Can be a bit messy when you have to change it in a public toilet, for example.
- Leaks – As with tampons and pads, some people (including myself) experience leakage, which gets better when you learn how to place it correctly. It’s all about practice peeps.
- Hard to remove – Sometimes, you can experience difficulty removing it. It gets better too when you learn how to place it right (and remember to keep your nails trimmed when doing so, it helps a lot…if you know what I mean)
- Keeping it clean – Important to keep the cup clean/sterilised according to the packaging instructions which usually requires boiling in hot water.
To me, the pros outweigh the cons BIG time, as I would suffer with most of these issues when wearing pads too (who never had a terrible story of an embarrassing leaking?) I noticed that cups leak a lot less than a tampon for example. Also, its an interesting journey to learn more about your body while you get to work on the perfect fit of your cup. They may seem intimidating at first, but believe me, it’s easier than it looks.
Now, it’s up to you to decide whether or not you should jump the boat on this green and waste-less bloody subject. But before I say goodbye, I’ll leave some links for you too browse around and find your fit…?
Lunette – https://www.lunette.com/au
Juju – http://www.juju.com.au/
Diva Cup – http://divacup.com/
Do you use a menstrual cup? Do you love or hate it? Any suggestions to our readers? Share them on the comments below! I’d love to hear from you.
Larissa, x
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