As you may or may not have heard, there is a movement away from tampons and onto the "infamous" menstrual cups.
And if you haven't heard of menstrual cups let me give you a quick low down. Menstrual cups look like this:
Yes, you fold one of those bad boys in half, stick it up your vagina and the cup collects your blood. You then pull it out of yourself at the end of the day (yes, these last all day), clean it out, and stick it back up there.
I know a lot of woman, myself included, have heard about the menstrual cup and thought "ew, no, absolutely not." We'd rather not get blood on our hands.
However, the cups are a cheaper, safer and more environmentally friendly option. So perhaps I can convince you (and myself) to give them a try.
We've all heard of the dreaded Toxic Shock Syndrome. Well, perhaps I shouldn't make that assumption. So if you haven't, in short it's a bacterial infection that you can get from using tampons that can ultimately kill you.
By switching over to menstrual cups, you essentially eliminate any risk of TSS. Menstrual cups don't have the same causing chemicals, such as viscose rayon, that provide the ideal breeding ground for TSS causing bacteria.
In fact, menstrual cups don't have any questionable chemicals in them at all. They are made from silicone, thats it. While tampons contain bleach, latex, BPA, and other chemically produced dyes. I don't know about you, but putting any of those things up my vagina sounds a bit more off putting than getting a bit of my own blood on my hands. (Doesn't that happen a little bit with tampons anyway?)
Menstrual cups also last pretty much all day, you put it in when you wake up, and you don't have to touch it or worry about it for 8-12 hours. You then clean it out, use it again. And because of the decreased chance of TSS, they're also safe to sleep in. So all and all, they seem pretty low maintenance.
Oh and did I mention how much money we could save by making the switch?! The Diva Cup (which I believe is the most popular brand of menstrual cup) costs about $30. Which may not seem super cheap up front, but it will pay for itself in about two boxes of tampons.
But here's the kicker: These things have the general life span of five years.
So imagine only spending $30 on your period for the next five years. That reduces down to spending 50 cents a month on your period. Now compare that to a box of tampons which typically cost between $5 and $15, or a box of pads which typically cost between $4 and $10.
I don't think I need to state the obvious here. You'll be rollin' in cash.
There are many other reasons to consider making the switch as well, these are just the most common ones that I've heard. In fact, Buzzfeed can give you 18 reasons to use menstrual cups. And if I haven't convinced you, and neither has Buzzfeed, perhaps this article from the Elite Daily can.
That being said, I'm sure none of this is really new information, but just another person trying to get you (and myself) to consider making the switch.
Because sure, having to clean a cup with your blood in it sounds pretty sick. But really, can't we just wash our hands when we are done?
Overall, I really think it's hard not to see that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
So, why don't we give it a try together?
