Happy International Women’s Day! I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend. In spirit of this national holiday, I thought I’d finally write a post about a decision I made 4 months ago that completely changed my life. I started to use a reusable menstrual cup for that not-so-lovely time of month. My blog is all about how imperfectly green, but I am proud to say this might be my greenest move yet.
You may be thinking, “ugh that’s gross” and “wouldn’t that be uncomfortable?” and “how does that work?!” All were thoughts running through my head before I gave this a try.
But first, let me start with some statistics – cause I love a good horror to prompt me into action:
- In one’s lifetime, an average of 11,000 tampons or pads will be used to cover menstruation. That’s 22 in a month or 264 a year! Imagine multiplying that number for every woman on the planet!
*Image by OrganiCup
- It’s not just the tampon or pad, how about the waste? Besides the cardboard box, the individual plastic packaging is rarely recyclable and it generates more than 200,000 tonnes of waste per year. Average user will throw away 125 to 150 kgs of tampons, pads and applicators away in their lifetime, YUCK! And you know where they end up….landfills, and even worse, oceans and beaches. In 2010, a UK beach clean found an average of 23 sanitary pads and 9 tampon applicators per kilometre of British coastline. In the US, 12 billion pads and 7 million tampons pollute landfills annually.
- Tampons, pads and panty liners are mostly made up of plastic, about 90% to be precise. A pad is equivalent to about 4 plastic bags. Also, similarly cited in my post about reusable vs disposable nappies; it takes a tremendous amount of time for tampons and pads to break down, upwards of 500-800 years. Imagine it having a longer life span than you and several generations! Especially when it’s wrapped in plastic.
- Manufacturing takes a toll on the environment too; turning wood into soft cotton like fibres is resource and chemical intensive. Disposable of menstrual products leaves a carbon footprint of 5.3 kg CO2 equivalents. Not to mention, products also contain dioxin, chlorine and rayon which get soaked by ground water and are released as pollution into the air.
- Finally, its an expensive time of the month. A study by Plan International UK averaged that a period cost £500/year for the average woman. This amount includes not just the cost of the menstrual products but also accessories like pain relief and new clothing/toiletries, because it is not easy dealing with this! If a woman uses 11,000 or more disposables in her lifetime, she will buy 20 tampons/pads at average £3-5 a box, you’re basically going to spend thousands on trash.
So between the environmental impact and cost savings, I knew I had to give this a try.
My mom introduced me to it over a decade ago, at the time it was more like a menstrual disk. She said that it changed her life and I wish I had listened back then. I don’t think there was a whole lot of talk about at that time, nor the sheer number of options.
I started to Google around and there are several brands offering reusable products. I found reusable menstrual pads (ones which you wash) but I was pretty sure I didn’t want to go that route; not only do I hate pads with a passion, but that wouldn’t work for me on the go, and the laundry requirement would mean a lot of water/energy consumption. Instead, I went with the reusable menstrual cup by Intima.
Intima has several versions and types of cups. I went with the Intima Lily Cup One because it was marketed as the best one for beginners. It has an easy-pull tab, and it folds into this adorable little pink clam shell case.
I won’t lie to ya, it was a bit awkward getting in and out the first couple times, mainly because you have to fold the cup to the right shape so it goes it properly and then opens to create a “seal” that then collects fluid and prevents leaks. I don’t want to go into much detail but I did have a mishap the first 2 days I used it cause I didn’t quite get it right. But once I did, it was absolutely perfect. It’s made of soft silicone and very comfortable going in. You don’t feel a thing (just as you wouldn’t with a tampon when inserted properly). My favourite part is that it lasts for up to 12 hours, so if you’re a medium-flow person like me, you wont have to worry about it for most of the day.
So what if you have to change it? This is the awkward part but I don’t mind it anymore. I can put it on in the morning, not have to deal with it until I come home. But if its a particularly heavy day, you might want to take it out, dump, wash and reinsert. The only way you can do this especially if you’re out and about is to go to a family or disabled bathroom so you can use the sink in privacy. This is what I do but it’s rarely a need since the cup covers me for 99% of the time. There are a few models I’ve seen which now have a “release valve” at the tip/end to dispose of menstrual fluid without needing to pull out the cup entirely. I think I might have to give that a go next, but so far so good. I am so glad to never again have to uncomfortably sneak of tampons to the bathroom at work, or deal with gross dangling strings and cold applicators.
So if you’re imperfectly green woman with a period and want something easy to reduce your carbon footprint now, this is seriously an amazing place to start.
Below are a few brands that I’ve read of that you can give a try. As I mentioned above, I’m not quite into the reusable pad option due to the laundry/water/energy requirement, but they are still a far better option than disposables.
- Intima Cups – the brand I went with to start, has a great variety and very reliable
- Tulip Cup – the one that has a “drain” or “release” valve
- Glad Rags – has both reusable cups and pads, and great for educational resources
- Flex – this is the one for you if you want to have sex while on your period
- Diva Cups – the one that seems to be the most popular one on YouTube. Recommended for people with vaginas who haven’t given birth vaginally
- Lunapads – the one all the girls seem to say is the most absorbent and leakproof if you want to go with pads.
- Earthwise Girls – same as above but UK version
- Greenlife – this brand makes a cup that’s made of a Fair Trade natural rubber.
- ImseVimse – a Swedish brand that makes a lot of reusable products
- OrganiCup – a great brand made of soft, organic materials.
- Monki x Lunette – a great brand if you want to support a company on a mission to help women around the world.
- Eva Cup – this one is cool because it comes with an extra set and a water-based sanitising spray to keep you clean.
Above is definitely not an exhaustive list, but give them a go! I wish I had known about these brands before I bought my cup and wrote this blog. There are quite a few cute ones here I would have liked to try. However, in the interest of minimalism, reducing my spending and overall waste, as the expression goes, if it “ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I love my cup and I’m a user for life (or as long as my cup lasts me)!