Oh Yeah, This: TMI Possible

One thing I didn’t mention in my post about saving money the other day is this: I will never buy tampons or pads again.  Okay, so, I’m pregnant and haven’t really thought about this for a few months anyway, but several cycles before I got pregnant, I switched to a menstrual cup.  I’m in a sharing mood, so I’m going to tell you about it.  In the nicest and least-gross way possible.

 

And that, gentlemen in the audience, is your cue to leave.

 

I was on Pinterest (the devil’s website, I like to call it), when I found myself in a rabbit hole.  You know, when you click on a recipe and then you go to the blog where the recipe was posted and then you look around the blog and you maybe click another link and then all of a sudden you’re reading a post about menstrual cups and how they’ll change your life.  I think it was this one.

 

Okay, so a menstrual cup will maybe not make the birds land on your shoulders and sing, but they will change your life, of that I am convinced.  No more buying tampons with bleached cotton.  No more possibility of toxic shock.  ONE apparatus to use for two years straight.  Less waste.  Less money.  Less storage.

 

In my personal experience, it takes some getting used to.  I bought a size 2 Diva Cup (because I am both over 30 and have had children) and the first couple of cycles, it took a few tries at the beginning of my cycle to get it inserted correctly.  By the time I got pregnant, I was a pro.  When inserted correctly, the cup creates a seal.  No mess, no leaking, and you shouldn’t be able to feel it (the times I did, it was inserted incorrectly).  FYI, I trimmed the stem because I felt it was too long.

 

You do have to get a bit familiar with your body, although you already should be.  Your fingers are the applicator, so you have to be okay with sticking them up there.  Probably someone else has stuck their fingers up there before, or, you know, other things, so it shouldn’t be that big of a deal.  When you reach your finger up to break the seal, you dump the fluid in the toilet, wipe the cup with toilet paper (or rinse, if you have a handy sink), and reinsert.  You probably will only have to empty the cup twice a day, so you can save those times for when you are in the comfort of your own home.

 

I’ll admit, the cup looks big.  But it fits, and it is unlikely to overflow – after all, it’s designed to hold 1.5 ounces, which is almost as much fluid as you will pass during your entire period.

 

So there you go.  Switch to a cup and save money.  Also save space in your purse and cupboards and stop putting bleached cotton into your body. 

 

And you know what else is cool?  Menstrual cups are now being shipped (via humanitarian organizations) to countries in Africa with little or no access to sanitation so that girls on their periods can still go to school.  That’s pretty great. 

 

Also, I imagine that a cup will be far more convenient in a zombie apocalypse than either pads or tampons.  For what that’s worth.