Let’s talk periods.
(I know, kinda ew factor. I get it. But hear me out.) The first time I heard about menstrual cups, I thought, “Excuse me. You put WHAT? WHERE? Ew.” But as they became more streamlined and popular, I had to weigh the pros and cons and ultimately try it myself. And guess what? I am never, ever going back. I’m sold. I drank the Kool Aid. I’m a believer. And you should be too. Why?
Let’s talk money.
If you’re fairly regular (and not pregnant), you have 12 periods a year (on average). Average period lasts 5-7 days. Let’s go with 6 days, just to stick with averages. If you’re wearing a tampon, you’re changing it at least 4 times a day (probably more, but we’re being conservative here). So that’s 24 tampons a cycle. A 16 count box of tampons retails for $3.99 at my Mecca (Target). So that’s 25 cents a tampon, or about $6 a month, or about $72 a year. And that’s not including any liners for those last few days where you think you’re periods done so you don’t use anything and you ruin your fave pair of undies (been there, done that). There are a lot of menstrual cups on the market, but one of the more popular ones, the Diva Cup, runs for $25 on Amazon. Let’s talk about what you’re going to do with your extra $50 a year. Lattes? A pedicure? Wine?? So many options.
Let’s talk about how much we love our planet.
Okay, so we all know not to flush our “sanitary items”. (Thank you, sign in every public restroom ever. We get it.) So where do they go? The trash? And then a landfill? Cool. There’s a huge landfill somewhere just absolutely teeming with used pads and tampons. How wonderful. Not to get myself situated too comfortably on top of this little soap box that I just happened to find next to me, but we can do better. You know the three “R”s. Reduce, reuse, recycle. My handy little menstrual cup checks off two of the three R’s. Less trash=happier earth=happier future.
Let’s just talk convenience.
I work a busy job. Sometimes I literally do not stop to pee all day (my kidneys hate me because of it). I definitely don’t have time to be changing a tampon every 4 hours. Let’s get real. It’s such a huge inconvenience. With a menstrual cup, you can safely wear for up to 12 hours at a time. That means that I can easily get through my entire workday without so much as thinking about my period. It’s amazing. It also means that I can wear it overnight safely.
Obviously, I’m making this sound like the most amazing thing ever. I know you’re sitting there being negative and thinking, “Yeah, okay, no product is ever perfect. Gimme the deets.” So true. There are some challenges with cups. I refuse to call them “disadvantages” as they’re not really disadvantages, just something different that you have to get accustomed to. First, there is definitely a learning curve on how to put those suckers in. And I promise you, you will NOT lose it “up there”. That’s not how anatomy works. Pinky swear. Your vagina is not a black never-ending abyss. It’s not the Bermuda Triangle. Anything that you put in can be removed. The issue is learning how to properly and comfortably place a cup and how to take it out without making a huge mess. I’m going to be honest – it took me about three days to get the hang of it. But once I did, I honestly couldn’t feel it in place. It was more comfortable than a tampon.
It can be messy to take out. The first time I did, I got a bit of splash-back on my hands. Super gross. But nothing my dear friends soap and water couldn’t fix. Now I can seamlessly remove it.
As far as upkeep goes, you are recommended to sterilize in boiling water before the initial use and before each month, and clean with soap and water each time you empty it. That’s fairly easy, but it is an extra step.
There also is a bit of a “gross factor”. For example, the first time I slept in it and took it out, the blood had actually separated into serum and blood cells, which looked like really dark blood with a ton of clear-ish fluid on top and FREAKED ME OUT (and I have a degree in biochemistry. I should have known better.). So if you do sleep in it, just be aware it may look weird in the morning, but it’s probably normal.
Listen, you can do what you want. But I’m going to be over here, drinking essentially free lattes, saving the planet, and feeling super comfortable without worrying about bleeding on anything.
