A little personal background
I recently purchased an organicup after deciding for months whether I really needed one, if it would work for me and if it was all just too much hassle. I took the plunge and I don’t think I’ll ever look back. Admittedly, I have only used my menstrual cup for one period so far and it was a little traumatic. Initially, there were many trips to the bathroom to rearrange it. I then decided to take it out and trim the little stem and then spent hours worrying about whether I’d cut the stem too short and it was going to get stuck up there.
Once I finally forgot about it and got on with my life, it worked like a D.R.E.A.M. I didn’t have to worry about leaks because I literally had none (something which never happens when I use tampons.). I could put it on in the morning and forget all about it until just before bed – and since I am travelling this meant no rushing around to try and find a bathroom every few hours.
So, if that didn’t convince you, here’s some solid proof on why you should make the change today.
Is the menstrual cup for you?
Do you have a period? Do you dread the day when you have to buy yet more tampons because they’re sooo expensive and an inconvenience to get? Do you hate having to rush off to a public bathroom trying to discretely carry your sanitary products? Do you want to reduce the risk of toxic shock syndrome?
If you answered yes to any of those questions then the menstrual cup is for you.
Sure it looks intimidating and they are initially more expensive (around £15) however, because you only need one you’ll be saving money after your third(ish) box of tampons.
The menstrual cup usually holds up to three tampons worth of blood, meaning you don’t have to go and change them every few hours. Instead, they last for 13 hours. That’s 13 hours of stress-free enjoyment. Meaning no more going to the bathroom in between classes and no more carrying a supply of tampons in your bag.
I don’t know about you, but I can NEVER seem to time changing my tampon right. I always end up with some sort of leakage, or other gross things and every time I’m so annoyed that yet another pair of underwear has been ruined. With the menstrual cup, the chances of leakages (if inserted properly) are reduced – and as I mentioned earlier, in my entire period with the cup I had NO leaks at all.
Sounds pretty good right?
The menstrual cup and our environment.
On average, a single woman will use around 16,000 or more tampons or pads in her lifetime. That adds up to around 7 billion sanitary products ending up in landfill each year. A lot of this also ends up polluting our water sources and the ocean. In fact, a beach clean up in 2010, found roughly 30 items of sanitary waste per kilometre of the beach! Further to this, the manufacture of standard sanitary products uses chemicals and produces waste products that will typically go into the environment.
But, don’t fear, the menstrual cup is the environmentally friendly option you are searching for. Because you only need to buy one cup and you can re-use it, your sanitary waste per year goes down to zero. That is 7 billion less sanitary products ending up in a landfill.
The menstrual cup and your health.
Many people, including myself, don’t really think about what a tampon is made of, basically, we are unaware of what we are putting inside our body. Most tampons contain latex, BPA, dyes and other nasty chemicals. Tampons are normally made from bleached rayon which has the possible carcinogenic byproduct of dioxin. On top of this, tampon companies aren’t even required by law to tell consumers what exactly is inside the product meaning there could be a whole host of other nasty chemicals in them.
Our vaginas are self-cleaning, they produce micro bacteria and fluids to help balance the Ph and flush out bad bacteria. Tampons are made to absorb and this is indiscriminate absorption meaning that they will also soak up the fluids that are so vital for helping keep our vaginas healthy. This can lead to dryness, irritation and even infections.
Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) is something that I’m sure every girl using tampons has heard about. It’s the mysterious but serious illness you can get from using tampons. Tampons that are too absorbent or that are left in for too long seem to be the perfect breeding ground for the bacteria involved in TSS to grow. Also, the fibres in tampons can dry out and scratch the walls of the vagina, which would allow the bacteria to enter your bloodstream.
The menstrual cups are normally made from silicone and have no nasty chemicals that can be absorbed into your body. Although organic certification for menstrual cups has not been established yet, organicup claim that they use all natural and chemical free ingredients in their cups. This means no nasty toxins entering your body and because they are a solid object and non-absorbent the risk of TSS is thought to be greatly reduced – in fact, organicup claim that in the whole time that menstrual cups have been used there have been only 2 cases of TSS reported from their use.
How to use a menstrual cup?
Video was taken from https://www.organicup.com/how-to-use-a-menstrual-cup/
Where to buy a menstrual cup?
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