It's true, it's true. All the things in the title, and more, can be found with a wonderful little invention I have recently invested in. I love it, and I am giving it the true test tomorrow at school (EDIT: Which worked out like a dream. I wore it all day at school without emptying it, and when I got home, it was less than half full. I didn't have to worry about it at all!) I have complete faith, and I've decided that it's time to share my good fortune with my fellow girls at the Purple Penguin Society. Sit tight, ladies, and be prepared to have your lives changed....
In recollection of a thread in the PPS, I seem to remember most girls reporting that, while they loved their vaginas, most of them hated their periods. And for good reason. Periods can be messy and annoying, they always seem to begin at a bad time, you have to deal with cramps, headaches, bloating, and depression, and the ways to deal with periods are, quite frankly, not as up to date as we would like. Who wants to put a bulky pad on their panties and then sit in moist, sticky, period blood all day? Better yet, who wants to shove a wad of bleached cotton that leaves cotton fizzies into their vajajay, or yank it out when it's not full but doesn't feel right?
Not me, not you, and not the creators of the menstrual cup.
What the hell is a menstrual cup, you're probably asking? Well, I'll tell you. A menstrual cup is a small, oval container created out of medical-grade silicone or natural rubber that sits in the v****a, collecting menstrual blood for later disposal. You can view a picture here.
You are probably, that sounds totally gross, totally messy, and totally not for me. I'll just stick with my tried-and-true ______. Well, if you stay with me, I'll give you some reasons why the menstrual cup is worth more than just a try out, it's for life.
First of all, if the average woman has her period for five days and changes her tampons/pads every eight hours (the maximum suggested time), that is fifteen tampons/pads per period. At forty tampons/pads per container, you're not even getting three periods out of one container (and that is if you can go the whole eight hours, and that is if your period only lasts five days). And at an average of $15 per container, that means you're shelling out a lot of money every year.
The menstrual cup, on the other hand, costs an initial $20 - $50 depending on where you live. While this may seem like an expensive purchase, in reality, it costs you less money in the long run. If the menstrual cup costs you the highest amount of $50, you'll have it paid off within three to four periods. Since the menstrual cup can last up for ten years if you take care of it, that means you are paying a mere $50 for ten years of periods. Whereas, at an average of three periods for $15 over ten years, you'd be paying around $600.
It gets better. The menstrual cup is healthy for your body and for the environment. The average woman goes through fifteen tampons/pads per period, which means at an average forty years of a menstruation cycle, she's using over 7000 of these items. Where do all of them go? Right into garbage dumps all around the world. Menstrual cups are re-useable, which means you're not dumping tons of garbage into the world.
Meanwhile, the v****a has a lot of important liquids and juices that get soaked up by tampons when they're used. Not only do tampons leave girls feeling dry and scratchy, they're related to toxic shock syndrome. Pads leave a girl literally stewing in her own blood for hours on end - and who enjoys the feeling of blood squelching into a pad? Not to mention the paranoia over your pad moving or your tampon leaking and leaving you with a lovely, wonderful period stain for everyone to enjoy.
Yes, organic tampons and pads can do many of the same things as menstrual cups, but there is still the added expense to deal with. I don't know about you, but $600 (or more, since the organic ones are probably more expensive), even over ten years, is money I'd rather be spending somewhere other than products I loathe using.
Then there's the comfort issue. Once a menstrual cup is properly positioned inside of you, you can't even feel it. Numerous girls, myself included, have actually forgotten they had their periods. Can you believe having a period and totally forgetting about it? You can do anything with the menstrual cup - run, ride a bike, swim, even sleep in it overnight without any worries at all. Can your tampon or pad do that for you?
That's all well and great, you say, but it sounds really messy. Well, actually, it's less messy than a pad or tampon. Menstrual cups are easy to insert and simple to remove once you get the hang of it. Once you pull it out, just dump it into the toilet, wash it in the sink, and slip it back in. In addition, menstrual cups hold more than tampons do. Ever had a tampon that wasn't even half full, but that was leaking? Menstrual cups can hold up to one ounce of fluid, and since the average woman only gives three to four ounces of fluid per period, that speaks well for you!
Also, most menstrual cups come with neat measuring lines inside of the cup. In this way, you can keep track of how much blood you're actually giving out. You'll be surprised how little there is, because it always looks like a lot more when collected on a pad or a tampon. Just imagine how surprised your gyno will be when you can give the most accurate information possible about your flow!
Anyone who orders a cup online receives quick delivery in nondescript packaging. Many online sites offer money-back guarantees if you don't like the product, but they are also available to be sold in many places around the country. Many girls have purchased more than one menstrual cup so that they can see which kind they like the best.
Even girls who don't like using tampons should give the menstrual cups a try. I admit, there is a learning curve where you have to get used to them, but that's like everything in life. If you stick with it, you could eventually end up actually looking forward to your period! Wouldn't that be awesome? There are so many reasons to try out the menstrual cup. I am so glad I gave it a try. I used to have fairly bad cramps, but they've all but disappeared. I don't worry about sleeping anymore, or about leaking. I love my menstrual cup, and I think you will too!
A warning, however, to anyone who is planning to try it. The rubber Keeper (the brown one) is made out of latex, and many women end up developing a latex allergy/sensitivity. Some are just fine, but if you are prone to allergies or you think it might be a problem, than you might want to choose a silicone cup. Also, the Keeper company is extremely hard to get a hold off and has notoriously bad customer service, so you might have to badged them to get your money back. Plus, be aware of the difference between the Mooncup and the Mooncup UK. The Mooncup is made by Keeper; the Mooncup UK is made by Mooncup UK and can be found above. Just make sure you're ordering the right one!
If anyone is interested in more information, here are some sites where you can learn more about menstrual cups and their different brands:
Live Journal Community devoted to menstrual cup questions, comments and concerns
DivaCup website
Mooncup UK website
The Keeper website
Lunette website
